Out of the Void

by RLCheckley

When chasing an alien energy signature, the Doctor finds someone unexpected, and discovers U.N.I.T's dark side.

Out of the void

Terry loved his early morning swim. Nothing would get in his way of that first plunge as the sun rose. No matter where he was, this was the first thing he would do in the morning. He had been on holiday to many parts of the world; most of them warmer than where he was right now. Yet this was his favourite, the Bristol Channel, as autumn blew summer away for another year.

A hardy bunch of swimmers, collectively known as the 'Polar Bears', stood on the shore in the West Hill area of Portishead, dressed in bathers. The name did not suit during the warmer months, although most would disagree. The water was hardly the temperature of the Mediterranean.

The sun rose, casting an orange haze. The Polar Bears stood on the shore, gaping at the dark solid sphere that hung in the air above the water. The water lapped at their feet, oblivious to what hung just three metres above it. The Polar Bears could have waded out to it; it was not far from the shore. However, none of them wanted to.

"I don't like it." Terry eventually said. Others murmured in agreement. "It's not right. I don't feel right." He spoke slowly, unable to take his eyes off the sphere. Nothing else mattered to Terry, it was as if he could only give his attention to the sphere. He, and the other Polar Bears did not hear the vehicles park up behind them, nor did they hear the unique sound that military boots make on the ground when many soldiers are together.

Chapter One

A long brown overcoat was casually slung over the hat stand, as the though the owner did not care for coat hooks, or creases for that matter. The console room was dim; the coral-encrusted buttresses shaded a dirty ochre. The only light source was coming from the central column. A gentle blue glowed and pulsed as the tubes slowly moved up and down. The T.A.R.D.I.S was in flight, however it was more of a meander than a definite path somewhere.

The Doctor was relaxing as he considered where he would like to visit. A loud yawn and a long stretch; battered sneakers were removed from the edge of the console as he stood up with several pops from joints.

"Oh, argh." He stretched further "much better!" The Doctor rubbed his chin and frowned. "No, not there." he muttered. "A-ha!" a grin lit up his face as he burst into action, dancing around the console, turning switches and hitting buttons as though he had invented a new form of capoeira.

"Punting! I feel like punting on the River Cambridge!" he exclaimed as he urged the T.A.R.D.I.S to its new destination. "1979, Earth, Cambridge. Brilliant! I might even have the perfect hat…" the words trailed away as the Doctor looked up from the console. For a split second, he had forgotten he was all alone again. The grin faded from his face. Clearing his throat he muttered, "still, I'm sure it'll be fun."

It was not the same without Donna. It was not the travelling alone so much; the Doctor had done that plenty of times. No, this was different. Donna had been different. She was his best mate and it have been such a laugh. No complicated romance. Such a long and lonely life with too many painful goodbyes.

2008

A young man in a white lab coat clutched a laptop to his chest as he walked hurriedly along a multitude of similar corridors. Each had the same pale blue walls and pale green floors. The material was not tiling, and yet much more durable than simple linoleum. The young man's trainers barely made a sound except for the occasional squeak as he changed direction. Several flights of stairs later, he breathlessly made it to his destination. He composed himself before knocking on the brown wooden door. This whole place reminded him of his old secondary school.

"Enter!" the barked order was muffled, but understood.

"Sir, I found the file you requested." The young man stood in front of the Colonel's large sparse desk. He held out the laptop. The Colonel was not impressed.

"Could you have just printed it off Hemmings?"

Hemmings shuffled his feet and stared at the name plate on the desk. Colonel Penbridge was not a man to argue with. Hemmings wanted to scream at him Good God man, it's 2008! The absence of a computer on the Colonel's desk was unnerving to those used to seeing the ubiquitous office equipment everywhere else.

"Uh, sorry no Sir. It is quite a large file that you can look through on here. There's video and audio too."

"Fine." The Colonel sighed. "Come with me to the meeting room. You can show me on the projector."

Hemmings sat at the end of the table nearest to the projector screen. There was a trail of cables where the laptop was now connected to a larger piece of equipment. Colonel Penbridge sat at the other end of the long table, directly opposite the projector screen. He waited in silence, although his body language screamed that he was not waiting patiently.

There was a furious tapping and clicking before anything appeared on the projector screen. Hemmings cleared his throat before taking the Colonel through the information. He would have done anything for a glass of water right now. Instead, he had to contend with a dry sticky mouth, cracking voice, and a stern superior officer glaring in his direction.

"As you can see Sir, the sphere we have in the containment area is almost identical to the one in these Torchwood files."

"Almost identical?"

"Yes Sir. The file notes have frequent references to people having an intangible unsettled feeling. Something that increases and decreases depending on their proximity to the sphere. We have noted this too. Unlike Torchwood, we were successful in our attempts to move the sphere. Although, this one was much closer to the ground. Currently the other differences are the circumference and the colour." Hemmings clicked on the laptop and the Colonel could see images of the sphere in the Torchwood files. "Our one is half the size and is a dark bronze colour."

"Let's hope there are no Daleks inside this one." Colonel Penbridge leaned over to one side as he reached in his trouser pocket and pulled out a chunky mobile phone. Hemmings watched as the Colonel frowned as he dialled by stabbing at the device, and held the phone to his ear. "Code Red Dalek. Mobilise to containment area immediately." The Colonel left the meeting room without another word to Hemmings.

Code Red Dalek. Those words had sent everyone on the U.N.I.T base into full alert. If any of them were panicking, they were hiding it very well. Twelve soldiers were stationed in the containment area, guarding the alien sphere.

The containment area was an old aircraft hangar. In fact, the U.N.I.T base was a disused R.A.F barracks that had been recommissioned. When the flat-bed truck had arrived with the sphere, all the soldiers had to do was pull off the tarpaulin and guide it with chains to the position where it now rested. The sphere had glided into hangar and stayed. It was as if gravity was an inconsequential force to this alien object. Hemmings had provided sufficient intelligence from the Torchwood files that Group Captain Anita Carson had been careful not to place the sphere against a wall or in a corner. She wanted visuals on all side of the sphere.

No risks were being taken; only necessary personnel were in the containment area, and even then, it was in shifts, thanks to the uneasy vibe the sphere emitted. Even scientific staff were not in the hanger. A series of cameras, sensors, and a laptop had been rigged up. The footage and data were viewed remotely on the other side of the base, with the scientists having radio contact with a designated soldier should there be equipment failure.

The U.N.I.T base in Somerset housed five hundred soldiers, including officers, plus an extra twenty scientific and medical staff. A small base by most standards, but like other military organisations, U.N.I.T had to prevent itself from becoming obsolete by downsizing in the current economic crisis.

Group Captain Anita Carson had been charged with taking the lead on the sphere. As Commanding Officer of the base, Colonel Penbridge was taking an interest in this project, however, his concern was the whole base as well as what happened with U.N.I.T as a whole. His position was to be largely desk bound.

With the exception of the twelve soldiers in the containment hanger, two scientists in the remote laboratory, and the Colonel who was tied up in a video conference with London HQ, the entire base was standing to attention in front of the containment area. A podium had been placed there. The Group Captain was an imposing and tall woman; however, she required the attention of all four hundred and eighty-four persons assembled. Hemmings had joined her on the podium. While Group Captain Carson was confident in addressing the troops, Hemmings stood with curved shoulders and fidgeted with his lab coat sleeves.

"At ease." The soldiers moved in unison from the stiff 'attention' stance to a slightly relaxed 'ease' position with feet shoulder width apart and hands clasped behind their backs. "This sphere we have in the containment area is an alien object. Our intelligence suggests that the contents are hostile. Head of Research, Hemmings will give you a brief run down." Carson took a step back and gestured for Hemmings to step forward.

Surveying the assembled crowd, standing in order and each pair of eyes focussed on him, Hemmings summoned the courage to speak with confidence and authority. He was the Head of Research; this was his baby.

"The sphere is a Void Ship. It is almost identical to the one that contained Daleks at Torchwood One. There is every chance that this one does not hold millions of Daleks; however, we have to assume that whatever is in there might be hostile. The Void Ship is designed to exist in between dimensions, it is separate from time and space. Anyone who is in its presence for too long will feel the effects of its 'nothingness'. For this reason, no one is to enter the containment area unless under a direct order. Group Captain Carson will issue you with your shifts." Hemmings took a step back, before he remembered something else. "If anyone notices any changes in the Void Ship, no matter how small or insignificant, please report it. It could be the difference between a managed hostility and a massacre."

Stepping down from the podium, Hemmings walked away as Carson issued the troops with their new orders. The next briefing would be to a much smaller group; those that were already in position monitoring or guarding the sphere. Void Ship. He had to call it what it was. Back at the lab, his last words resonated in his head. Massacre. He closed his eyes and prayed to a God he had long since neglected. Please don't be hostile. Just for once, could it be aliens that actually come in peace.

The adrenalin of a high alert on base only lasts for a finite period of time. Code Red Dalek now had been issued three weeks ago. The soldiers and scientists were highly trained and dedicated, but their attention was waning. The general consensus around the base regarding the Void Ship was 'open already!'

The twelve guards in the containment area were changed over every six hours. They were positioned both around and above the sphere; two were positioned on the mezzanine that was once used to maintain aeroplanes. There was also two attending the fixed gun. Hemmings had been monitoring their behaviour and concentration levels. Originally, the shift had been eight hours. Because the old RAF hangar had been equipped for men to be working in there for long periods, it had the facilities required for long shifts as the soldiers could take brief comfort breaks. However, Hemmings had discovered that the soldiers had displayed decreasing concentration levels after six hours. They also showed signs of heightened anxiety for several hours after their shift had ended. Group Captain Carson had agreed, if whatever was in the Void Ship was hostile, she required her soldiers in the best mental condition to mount a defence.

The shifts in the remote lab were very different. The scientific staff numbered ten, including Hemmings. As he was in charge, Hemmings would work his usual ten-hour day, and the remaining nine worked on a rotating shift pattern of three staff on at any time. They were not affected like the guarding soldiers were, so ten hours in the lab were not dissimilar to their usual work patterns. Their attention was waning too as the Void Ship continued to do nothing.

Hemmings sent the duty staff off for a break while he sat in front of the screen and looked at the Void Ship. The Torchwood files had noted that their Dalek Void Ship had done nothing for months. It was only when the Doctor had arrived at Torchwood One that the sphere had opened and all hell broke loose; Daleks streaming out of the Void Ship in their thousands, and the 'ghost shift' simultaneously turning into a Cybermen attack. Hemmings had considered that possibility - the Doctor arriving unexpectedly. While meeting him would have been a pleasure and an honour, Hemmings also knew that where the Doctor went, disaster was not too far behind. Too many lives had been lost at Canary Wharf and beyond. For a moment, Hemmings hoped that he would never meet the Doctor.

Leaning back in the swivel chair, Hemmings rested his feet on the desk, carefully countering the chair's desire to tip backward with his own to relax. Watching the sphere from the safety of the remote lab had become a pleasure for him. Hence why he would often clear the staff out for a break. Watching the sphere on the monitor was a tranquil experience. As Hemmings gazed at the screen, his focus relaxed as he meditated. He blinked, jolted from his reverie. The sphere, it was shimmering. Hemmings pulled his feet off the desk and leaned forward. Was there are problem with the remote feed? He squinted at the screen.

Seconds later, the radio on the desk crackled. Hemmings could see a soldier talking to him on one of the screens; hearing the voice distorted.

"Remote Lab, can you see this? Something is happening to the Void Ship."

"Confirmed. I can see it on the screen. It's not very clear though." Hemmings stared at the screen as he spoke into the radio.

"It's hard to describe." The soldier paused, searching for the right words. "It's like the heat haze in summer, like on a hot road."

Hemmings sat back in the swivel chair. He sighed; what he could see on the screen was what the soldier described. "Thanks. Report it to Group Captain Carson." This was it. It was doing something. Hemmings called out to the staff in the break room through the intercom before opening his laptop to scrutinise the Torchwood One files again. There was not much about what happened as the Void Ship opened in 2007. Those that had been present had either died or disappeared. What had been written in the file had been done after the event. It simply stated that it had opened and Daleks had come out with something called a Genesis Ark. It did not matter how many times he read the same words; it was not being of any assistance to him right now. Hemmings opened his own group of files he had been compiling. As he updated what he could see, the staff returned.

"It's happening." Hemmings did not look up from his laptop as he spoke. "We have planned for this, so let's monitor this and gather data. Oh, and Berry?" Hemmings looked around the lab. A middle-aged woman spun around at the mention of her name. "Berry, don't forget to put together a brief for when the next shift comes on in two hours. I don't know how long this will take and I want a thorough hand-over." Hemmings turned back to the screen, typing furiously as he watched and waited.

The twelve guards in the containment area had drawn their weapons and had spaced themselves around the sphere. The two guards stationed at either end of the metal mezzanine aimed their firearms at the Void Ship and waited. Group Captain Carson's voice crackled through the radio.

"Stay alert, but remember this could take a while. I need you ready for when it completes whatever it is doing."

"Yes Ma'am"

Two shifts had been and gone before the Void Ship stopped shimmering. Both the guards in the containment area and the scientists in the remote lab waited, watching the sphere and waiting for what happened next, whatever that would be. The remote lab had been a flurry of action as data spewed out of the monitors. In contrast, the guards in the containment area had simply waited. For them, there was very little change, only a difference in the alert status.

Hemmings did not want to leave the remote lab, even though he often ushered others out to ensure they rested while the next shift took over. He had brought an armchair in from the break room and placed it in the corner of the lab. It was during one of his naps that he was roused with the information that the sphere had stopped shimmering.

The team gathered around the monitor. A computer in the corner was still scrolling with data. Although the sphere had stopped visibly doing anything, it was still doing something. Berry squinted at the data from that computer while everyone else remained glued to the monitor.

"Could really do with the Doctor." Hemmings muttered.

"Why, have you met him?" Berry called out.

"No. But I reckon now would be a great time for him to suddenly turn up." There was an unspoken agreement with Hemmings' statement.

"I think this data is showing something inside the sphere." Berry called out again. She grabbed a print out and handed it to Hemmings. "Look, there's a mass inside. That wasn't showing up before."

Hemmings took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm going to inform the Group Captain. I need you to analyse this. I need to know what is in there, and how many. The more information we can give to them in the containment area, the better."

There was not enough time to issue the warning. As Hemmings was on the phone to Carson, the guards interrupted on the radio. The sphere was opening. Very soon they would know for sure what was in there.

The only sound in the containment area was the clicking of firearms as the guards moved into position. Halfway up the sphere, it started to pull back on itself, like it was peeling. Once a quarter was open, the side of the sphere stopped moving. From their various positions, the guards could see it was dark inside. It was too dark for the guard on the mezzanine to clearly see what was inside. It was as though the interior went on forever.

A thud echoed around the old hanger. A pale and petite hand with slender feminine fingers grasped the open edge of the sphere. Another thud echoed and the other hand joined it.

"This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. You are surrounded. Come out slowly and you will not be harmed." A guard on the ground called out. The figure in the sphere groaned as it pulled itself up; the muscles in the small hands could be seen contracting with the effort. Soon, a head appeared, confirming to the guards that it was a female. Her skin was pale, almost translucent. It appeared alien; absent of the human markings on pale skin such as freckles or a rosy glow. Her hair was bright purple and hung in a messy jagged bob around her face. She was squinting, even though the lighting in the old hangar was not bright. When she did open her eyes, it was to look down at how far the ground was from her position in the sphere. It was probably around six metres; but with hard concrete it would not have been a soft landing if she had jumped.

However, jump is exactly what she did. With another groan, like someone struggling to get stiff muscles to work, she propelled herself in a swift, smooth motion out of the sphere, landing neatly on the floor on all fours; feline fashion. Her head was bowed down to the ground, and she remained in that position for five minutes. She could not see the guards closing in on her. She did not respond to their orders to lie down with her hands behind her head.

The shouting of orders became louder and angrier. She was not doing as she was told, and this frustrated the guards. The Group Captain had informed them over the radio that she was on her way. When the purple-haired female eventually moved, she stood up. Slowly she shifted her weight to her feet, then gently rolled her spine until she was upright. The very last motion she did was raise her head and open her eyes.

Was this humanoid female an alien? She stood there, completely naked, surveying the twelve guards that had firearms aimed at her. They had stopped shouting for the moment. On her body was a series of tattoos across her torso, arms and thighs. To human eyes it was an incomprehensible series of symbols. In even lines along her arms was a series of symbols that looked like a combination of Greek lettering and mathematics. The symbols on her torso and thighs were less orderly. It was as though whatever had be marked indelibly on her skin needed to be wrapped around her as the canvas was too small. It was a series of interlocking circles, hexagons, and lines. One could imagine them moving gently as though in orbit if viewed on a screen. Her eyes were mesmerising; her irises were bright orange, dancing as though fire glowed within them.

After looking at each guard individually, she smiled and took a step.

"Don't move!" a guard shouted. "Stay where you are or I will discharge my weapon!"

She looked at the vocal guard, smiled, and took another step. The crack of the bullet being fired echoed around the old hanger. The other guards readied themselves to fire their own weapons. The bullet passed through the female's thigh, leaving no mark on her skin. Before the bullet had lodged in the opposite wall, the female raised her palm towards the guard. He was blasted off-balance by a stream of white light that had orange fire within it. As he lay on the floor groaning, his fellow soldiers opened fire on the female. Again, the bullets passed harmlessly through her, and she blasted the guards out of her way as she walked away from the sphere.

One guard gave up on his firearm. He dropped the useless piece of equipment to the floor and took his chances against the gunfire from his colleagues. Running up behind the female, he removed his taser from its holster and aimed it at the female. As it discharged into her, she gasped, dropping to the floor unconscious.

Chapter Two

A metallic thrumming briefly disturbed the tranquillity of the dawn bird song on Midsummer Common. Once the T.A.R.D.I.S materialised, the Doctor peeked out of the door.

"Ha-ha!" he jumped out. "Cambridge, the River Cam. Now to see if I have the correct year." He ducked back into the console room and read the scanners. "Yep, 1979. Now why can't you do that when I have an audience?" He frowned at the console. His face broke back into its familiar manic grin. "Never mind. Now I need to get dressed for the occasion. I'm sure I have a straw boater somewhere." he muttered as he wandered off towards the wardrobe room.

An hour later, and the Doctor was strolling alongside the River Cam watching the University rowing teams. After a few wardrobe changes, he had decided that his brown striped suit would be OK. The cream linen suit (complete with flared trousers) and straw boater had been a little too Brideshead Revisited for his liking. This moment was one of the very few in his long life - a desire for there to be no aliens to thwart.

It was summer in a privileged part of England. All the Doctor wanted was some strawberries and cream, and to talk someone into a free boat ride. One of life's delicious days that seem to last much longer than twenty-four hours and are remembered forever as perfect. Punting on the River Cam with a handsome man; Captain Jack would be jealous!

The afternoon sun was playfully breaking through the leaves in the trees. The Doctor laid on a picnic blanket, enjoying the company and food of a gathering he had unexpectedly crashed. Not that he was unwanted. In fact, he was quite a hit with the group of history students. They laughed at his eccentric manner; the way he was almost believable with his tall stories. The Doctor leaned back on his elbows, sipping cloudy lemonade with a striped paper straw from a glass bottle. Here there was no hint of the turmoil that 1979 brought; strikes, high inflation, Thatcher being elected. No, this was also a good year. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is published, well will be published. The epitome of the dying days of summer.

It had been several hours, and still not an alien in sight. No crashing spaceships, no shape-shifters disguised as college lecturers. The Doctor let out a long and happy sigh. He could get used to this. Less running, more relaxing. Maybe not all the time. That could get a little boring. He closed his eyes and inhaled the warmth and the scent of freshly cut grass. Yes, maybe a little more relaxing and taking time to enjoy life's small pleasures.

"So, what do you do exactly, Doctor?" A brunette laid on her stomach propped herself up on her elbows, quizzing the Time Lord with a cheeky smile. "You must be a professor of History; you know so much!"

"Oh well, y'know. I like to travel and I like to find things out. Bit of an adventurer you might say. Indiana Jones, but without the hat and whip."

"Who?"

"Oh, too early. Arthur Dent, but without the dressing gown. No, not yet."

"Wow. An adventurer. Sounds exciting." The brunette leaned in closer and spoke softly.

"Yes." The Doctor smiled.

"Maybe I could come too?"

"Maybe." The Doctor was still smiling. No hang on! "Or maybe not." he added, with a grin so as not to offend. He had to be careful. Although some company in the T.A.R.D.I.S would be nice, he was done with picking up strays for now. Especially ones that fancied him. Too soon.

The Doctor unlocked the T.A.R.D.I.S door with a key. He could have just snapped his fingers, but there was no one around to impress. It was late in the evening, and he was all partied out. Shutting the door behind him, the Doctor smiled as he rubbed his cheek and neck where he had been kissed. It had been difficult to disentangle himself from that lovely, and eager brunette, but he had managed it all the same. Even done it without giving away the whole time-travelling alien thing too! He had walked her back to her dorm and did the gentlemanly thing by bidding her goodnight. Although her parting gift was a lipstick stain on his collar. He tutted as he inspected the rouge stain. Lipstick from the 1970's had a habit of resisting most methods of stain removal.

No sooner had the Doctor dematerialised the T.A.R.D.I.S, the phone rang.

"Really? I hadn't even had time to decide where to go next." he pouted, irritable. "Hello?"

"Doctor?"

"Yes. Who's this? I'm a busy man y'know."

"My apologies Doctor. I am Brigadier Colman."

"Ha, like the mustard! Brigadier Mustard!" The Doctor grinned. He enjoyed annoying the military.

"Well, yes I suppose so." The Brigadier harumphed before continuing. "We have a situation and I am contacting you to request your immediate assistance."

"Oh." It was pleasant while it lasted. Now back to normalcy and saving the universe. "I'm on my way."

The Doctor traced the phone call to use as coordinates for the flight plan. Earth, London, October 25th 2013.

TWELVE HOURS BEFORE THE TELEPHONE CALL

The subject known as G892 pushed back blankets and swung her legs over the edge of the small metal framed bed. Slowly pushing herself into a sitting position, she listened carefully as it was too dark to see clearly. The small room that was referred to as her 'bedroom' was bare of furniture except for a single size bed and a metal bedside locker. There was no other decoration; the walls were a dull grey. The room had never been designed to be a bedroom. It was not her cell either. The door was not locked.

Once she was satisfied by the silence, she crept across the cold floor, her bare feet padding softly. Her naked body had now been dressed in pale green medical scrubs and a white long-sleeve t-shirt. This had been her only clothing for the past five years since she had emerged from the Void Ship. The only other adornments that had been added was a plastic identity bracelet and a choker-style necklace fashioned out of white plastic and stainless steel.

The door made a soft clunk as she turned the handle and the hinges gave a tiny squeak. G892 crouched and poked her head out of the gap near to floor level. The corridor was empty in both directions. Although she had freedom of movement in a confined area, it was monitored by CCTV cameras. There was no way she could escape the sight of the cameras in this hallway. She just had to hope that no one was looking at the screen. There was a room further along where she was allowed to watch television.

No security guards were around when she reached the television room, so she slipped inside. Unlike her bedroom, there was a window here. She would often stand at the window and gaze at the alien buildings and the body of water that flowed in between them. That water was what she was aiming for tonight. This escape had been eight months of planning. In the build-up to this night, G892 had made plenty of night-time excursions to this lounge and to other areas that she was free to roam. The security had become accustomed to her moving about at night, so she was rarely questioned now. Not that questioning her was of any use; she had not spoken a word to a human since she had emerged from the Void Ship. She understood them, but she never answered them. Still, she was prepared for someone to enter and talk to her.

No one was afraid of her now she had a collar on. Although it granted her a little freedom, she still resented it. Made her feel like a pet, like those she had seen on the television. Small furry things attached to leads, made to obey orders from the humans. There was a difference though. The pets on the television were idolised by their humans; excrement was cleaned up, they were fed, they were petted and played with. G892 was not idolised; she was experimented on. Instead of giving, her human captors took.

The city was slowing down as the clocks approached midnight. G892 peered out of the window into the darkness. She had allowed her captors to underestimate her. However, she also knew that the collar would register a blast of her energy and it would automatically respond with enough voltage to render her unconscious for thirty minutes.

The television room was seven floors up and it overlooked the River Thames. It had not been locked since summer when she had requested it had been opened during the brief heatwave. In four years, she had given the security guards little reason to believe she was violent or hostile. In return, they had become increasingly lax in their guarding of her. So long as she did not attempt to leave through the secure doors that were her boundary, they were happy to keep an eye on her and leave her be for twenty hours a day. It was those other four hours that G892 detested. It was because of those four hours that she was escaping.

It had been forty-three minutes and no one had entered the television room. Either the security guard had not seen her on the monitors, or they did not care. G892 opened the window, a rush of cool autumn air hitting her face and torso. She climbed up so that she was crouching on the window frame. The opening was just big enough for her climb through, but not so large that she could stand. The wind whipped around her body, the thin material flapping. She listened carefully, closing her eyes to focus on any sounds there might be. No footfall below or behind her, no chatting. Just the sound of the wind, the water gently lapping the shoreline, and the mechanical sounds of traffic in the distance. She reopened her eyes, satisfied. Focusing her gaze on the water below, G892 let go of the window frame and pushed off with her feet, diving into the River Thames unnoticed.

A homeless man sat on the wall at Southbank. He was waiting for the tide to flow out to sea so that he could seek shelter for the day under the bridge. A battered green rucksack contained everything he owned, and it was not much. He had spent the night walking the streets of London, trying to keep warm by moving and keeping out of the way. Dawn was almost complete, casting its haze across the landscape. Soon he would be able to get a little rest. It was important he was away from the tourists; police would he move him on, and away from the locals; they could attack him just for fun.

There was still a little too much water down on the shoreline for his liking. Not long now and he would be able to make his way down there. He rubbed his eyes. That did not look right. He had been off his medication for two days now, maybe he was hallucinating? He thought he was looking at a small female, lying face down in the mud and stones, wearing one of those hospital outfits that doctors wore. Whoever it was, she was not moving.

Hooking his arms into his rucksack, the man ran over to the ladder by the bridge, and climbed down, jumping down the final three rungs. He skidded on the mud as he knelt down beside the female. Gently turning her over, he squeezed mud and silt out of her nose, hooking more of it out of her mouth. He couldn't help but think this was hopeless; how much more of this mud had clogged her airway?

She was not breathing; she had no pulse. Her clothes and hair were caked with mud, as was the man now from the waist down. He stared at the lifeless body. She looked so young, too young to die pointlessly. His gaze was fixed on her body, but his focus relaxed as his mind transported him somewhere else.

Noise, so much noise filled his head. The sharp cracks of automatic gunfire, the shouts in English and Arabic, the bright hot sunlight and the dust. He was still on his knees, behind the smoking wreck of a snatch Land Rover. On the ground next to him lay a young man, no older than twenty years. He was not breathing; he had no pulse. His face was dusty and caked with the deep claret of dried blood. The man kneeling by the Thames shook as tears ran down his face; his breathing became rapid and shallow.

A cold, wet hand touched his face. This was not right; nothing was cold in the desert.

"It is not really happening, Ned. Come back to me."

The man blinked, his vision obscured by tears, he was back in London and the cool of an autumn morning. The voice that spoke to him was strange; it had a jangling quality, like a quiet ringing in the background. The female had her eyes open, but there was still no pulse. He drew his hands back, so many questions.

"How did you know my name?" He whispered. The female eased herself into a sitting position and smiled. Before she could answer, she bent over and coughed up mud and silt. Ned patted her back.

"Thank you." she spoke softly, that distant ringing had not been another hallucination, that was her actual voice. "I know your name because I see it. However, your life is in a state of flux." The sentence trailed away as she reached her hand to touch his face again. Ned gazed at the unusual pale skin, the orange glow of her eyes.

"Are you an alien?" Ned could not think of a better way to put this question.

"Yes."

Ned forgot where he was. He gasped and sat back in the mud. His breathing was becoming rapid and shallow again. He looked into her eyes, the irises of burning fire. Of course, she was an alien, but washed up on the bank of the River Thames?

"Ned, I need your help. Humans have been torturing me, keeping me captive. The building I escaped from is not far from here, but I understand this is a big city. Can you help me?"

"I..I guess so. Do you need me to take you back to your spaceship?"

"I need you to hide me." She took hold of his hand. "Just make me appear human. Please?"

"OK." Ned nodded. "I can do that." He rummaged in his rucksack and pulled out a pair of beaten up aviator sunglasses. "Put these on, they will hide your eyes."

Once Ned had helped her climb the ladder, he gave her his long overcoat so that she could hide the medical scrubs she was wearing.

"Do you have a name?"

"No." She fiddled with the medical identity bracelet. "My species do not name each other."

"You don't call each other anything?"

"Well," She thought hard. "I am referred to as The Light of the Universe, if that helps."

"That's quite a mouthful. I can't call you Light, people will think that's weird. How about Li?"

"Is that a human name?"

"It can be."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Ned, my name is Li." She smiled, repeating her new name to herself.

Chapter Three

U.N.I.T had documented the metallic thrumming of the T.A.R.D.I.S, so when it materialised in the grounds of the London HQ, Brigadier Colman was sent for immediately. The Doctor opened the door to find a portly, red-faced, moustachioed, uniformed man hurrying towards him.

"Ah! Brigadier Mustard I presume." The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets and grinned broadly. It soon faded. It always did around the military.

"Doctor, it is a pleasure Sir."

"Oh, now stop that, don't salute me. Don't you lot keep files? I want it noted I don't like salutes.

"Er, yes of course." The Brigadier had been wrong-footed. He hastily withdrew his saluting stiff right hand. "This way Doctor, I really hope you can help."

The Doctor was led through the buildings, passing offices and a canteen.

"Any chance of a cuppa and some chips, I fancy chips."

"No Doctor, sorry. This way." The Brigadier ushered the Doctor into a small service elevator. He punched the button marked 'LB'. The Doctor remained quiet, watching and noticing everything. The elevator was old; it shuddered and creaked the entire slow journey to the lowest point in the building.

When the doors shrieked open, a woman in a lab coat picked up a tablet computer and rushed over,

"Sir," She saluted her superior officer, "The surges have increased by another twenty percent. I don't know how much longer this can go on before we have a breach." She struggled to maintain an even professional tone; the panic was obvious.

"Hand the data to the Doctor." The woman complied with the Brigadier's order. The Doctor gazed at the tablet before looking around him.

"C'mon then, show me it."

The laboratory was unlike most the Doctor had been in. It was not bright, white, clinical and hygienic. Instead it was poorly lit with flickering fluorescent strip lighting. The stainless-steel workbenches seemed to have been taken from other areas of the base; a mis-match of different heights. It was the bare concrete walls that gave the whole area a dingy feeling.

The Brigadier, lab assistant, and the Doctor stopped beside a long and wide window. Behind it was another room, which had two glass cylinders on top of a metal box with dials and tubes. Inside the glass cylinders was a glowing, moving mass. It looked like a combination of live fire and flowing flava, bright orange with brilliant white flecks. The Doctor put his glasses on and leaned closer to the window.

"It can't be." He turned on the Brigadier and lab assistant. "Where did you get this from?"

"A benevolent alien has been working with us."

"Oh, and where are they now? Why can't they fix this?" The Doctor frowned at the military man.

"We don't know. It has been missing from the base for almost twenty-four hours now. We have people out searching." The Brigadier matched the Doctor's steel gaze, holding his ground. This was his base, not the Doctor's. "Doctor, the power source went critical twelve hours ago, coinciding with its disappearance."

"The power source?" The Doctor snorted. "That's not a very good name for it. Didn't your benevolent alien friend give it a name?"

"No."

The Doctor shrugged and turned back to the room with the glass cylinders. He whipped his glasses off and turned back to the military personnel.

"Right. I need all available data on 'the power source', and any data on this benevolent alien. I also need to get inside that room."

"You can't go in there." The lab assistant had finally found her voice.

"And why not?"

"Three people have been injured. They have third degree burns to eighty percent of their bodies. I don't know how much longer the glass will hold."

"Well, suit me up and I promise I will be quick."

The glowing mass inside the glass cylinders was mesmerising. The Doctor got as close as he could without touching the glass. The dials were going crazy; all of the needles spasming at their maximum rate.

"This is impossible." The Doctor muttered to himself.

"Doctor!" Brigadier Colman's voice shattered the Doctor's thoughts as it boomed through the speaker in the helmet. "That's enough time Doctor. Have you seen what you needed to?"

"Yes, I'm on my way out." irritable that his train of thought had been rudely interrupted.

As he clambered out of the protective suit, the Doctor requested the rest of the data that had been promised to him. He was given a computer to sit at.

"Any chance of that cuppa now?"

"Alright then." Brigadier Colman motioned for someone to get refreshments.

"And some chips!" The Doctor called out. Glasses on and working through the data, he kept frowning and muttering. The Brigadier was leaning over his shoulder.

"Do you mind?" The Doctor eventually complained. Brigadier Colman made his apologies and moved away.

It was a good twenty minutes before the Doctor did anything other than examine the data in front of him.

"A-ha!" he jumped up from the desk. "I have no idea what alien you have got working with you, but this is old stuff, I mean ancient. Even I don't know what this power source is, and that's saying something. Are these all the notes on the alien? I need to know what species it is."

"This is everything I have." Brigadier Colman watched as the Doctor paced about. "What is it Doctor?"

"Has the power source been used yet?"

"There are some experimental applications being researched."

"Weapons?"

"I can't say."

"Yes, then. It is weapons. Blimey you humans don't change!" The Doctor moved in close to the Brigadier. "We need to find this alien. I don't think it is a coincidence that this stuff went critical at the same time."

"We are out searching now."

"Haven't found them yet though. I will find them, bring 'em back and get this power source under control. I reckon I've got about ten hours to do that in." He picked up the slim file that contained the notes on the benevolent alien.

"You can't take that."

"Brigadier Colman, if you want them found quickly, I will need this data. I'll give it back, promise." The Doctor held up three fingers in a mock salute. Colman reluctantly agreed. As they moved with haste back to the elevator, the lab assistant suddenly appeared with what looked like a black key fob.

"Take this. It will alert us that you have got it and are coming back."

"Really?" The Doctor turned the small plastic device over in his hand. "Can't I just call you?"

Back in the T.A.R.D.I.S console room, the Doctor flicked through the paper file until he found what he needed.

"Right, time to find out who you are and what the hell you are up to." He punched the data in and started a scan. No good.

"Ok, maybe this way." He dematerialised the T.A.R.D.I.S and hovered two hundred metres above London. He started the scan again.

"Found you!" something pinged and the Doctor punched buttons and turned dials to move in on the location.

Oxford Circus was a busy place to be on a Friday afternoon. Ned had hurried Li across the River Thames and through Hyde Park during the early morning. The locals that had been travelling to work had ignored the strange pair as they bustled past. Ned had counted on the fact that, as a homeless man, he was pretty much invisible to everyone around him. Li's purple hair was not an unusual sight on the streets of London, but her eyes would have caused interest. Ned's khaki great coat was so large on Li that the hem almost touched the floor. This hid the muddy medical scrubs she was wearing. Her bare feet were so muddy that nobody seemed to notice that either. Ned had asked if she wanted some shoes, but no; she was not bothered by the cold hard concrete on her soles.

The shoppers and tourists were thronging. Slow tourists wandered, gazing at the world-famous window displays. The locals speed walking to their desired store, tutting as they weaved through the pedestrian traffic. Ned held a protective arm around Li; he could see her wide eyes behind the glasses frantically surveying the crowds. They ducked down a narrow passageway, and Ned slid down the wall into a crouching position. He had become increasingly pale, and now he appeared weak and exhausted.

"Do you need something?" Li crouched beside her protector. He shook his head.

"It's OK, I just haven't eaten in a while." He smiled weakly at Li "I normally sleep during the day too. I can't remember when I've walked so far." This was a lie, he could remember, but he forced that memory into the distance.

"Sustenance, yes?"

"Yeah, sustenance."

"I can help with that." Li guided Ned into a seated position before gently laying her hands on his chest and stomach over his clothes. Ned could see an orange glow behind the sunglasses. He looked up and down the passageway, checking if anyone was witnessing this. They were completely alone. Li's hands pulsed with a white light for ten seconds before her plastic collar flashed a series of red LED lights. The metal that was in contact with her skin sparked with blue flashes of electricity; she gasped and collapsed onto the floor.

Ned shifted, and knelt over her, shaking her shoulders.

"Li! Li!" his voice was full of panic. "Li, wake up! Oh God, what's happened?"

A wind gusted around the passageway, blowing take-away wrappers and discarded newspapers in small cyclones, accompanied by a metallic thrumming. A 1960s blue police box materialised next to the pair. Ned stared up at the new object. "C'mon Li." he shook her one last time. She groaned, but remained unresponsive. Ned stood up, his weakness and hunger had disappeared, but there was no time to dwell on how Li had done that. He had rescued an alien from the Thames and she had pleaded for his protection. Now this police box appears out of nowhere. Ned stood up, battle-ready and mind buzzing with plans. Hoisting her over his shoulder, he ran towards the police box, aiming to sidestep it and go back down Oxford Street.

The Doctor opened the door of the T.A.R.D.I.S to an empty narrow passageway.

"Oh, really? I'm sure the energy signature was here." Something made a retro computer game 'boink' inside the console room. The door closed, and the Doctor re-emerged with a device that had been cobbled together with junk; a grey Nintendo GameBoy from the 1990s, a car remote control aerial, three elastic bands, a string of five LEDs, and an open battery casing holding alien batteries that had been shoved in so hard the plastic was cracking. The door slammed as he pointed the device and ran off in the same direction that Ned had just carried Li, his long brown coat flapping behind him.

Chapter Four

The Doctor stepped out into Oxford Street and was immediately in the way of the tourists and locals. He was spun in circles; bashed in the shoulders and plenty of apologies issued all round. Finally, he was granted his own space in the middle of the pavement as people walked around him. The locating device was held up, hit a few times, then pointed in different directions. Boink! The LED lights flashed and the Doctor ran in the direction the device was indicating.

Ned was only two hundred metres in front of the Doctor. Now that he had Li on his shoulder, people were noticing him. Ignoring the gasps and shouts from onlookers, Ned was heading for Tottenham Court Road tube station. Although it was further away than the one at Oxford Circus, he knew that there was a stairway he could duck into. Nobody used the spiral metal staircase down to the platforms; it was a long way down through a claustrophobia-inducing shaft.

His feet ached; the rucksack bounced uncomfortably on his back due to the extra weight he was carrying on one shoulder. Li was not heavy, but she was a dead-weight and he was running. He knew their pursuer did not have the same physical strain.

The locating device was not really needed. The Doctor could see that the throng of shoppers was being parted by something moving ahead. He could also hear that they were not particularly happy about it either. It was in the same direction that the locating device was urging him to go, so he pocketed the instrument and ran as fast as he could through a slow-moving crowd. It was quite difficult as it turned out. The Doctor arrived at Tottenham Court Road tube station just as Ned ducked in there with Li. It had to be who he was chasing. No time to question it, just catch up to them. Ask questions later.

They had disappeared.

"No!" The Doctor's sudden outburst caused many people to turn and stare at him. He spun around in circles, rubbing his hair with his hands in frustration. People poured through the gates as they rose from the platforms via the escalators. More people moving in the opposite direction, trying to go through the gates to get down to the platforms. The Doctor was soon surrounded, he had no chance in this crowd. He took the locating device back out of his pocket and tried to find his quarry with technology rather than his senses.

The metal spiral staircase was too steep for Ned to carry Li. He had managed to sneak through the disabled gate with a family group. In the stairwell, Ned gently laid Li down, propping her in a reclined position on the steps. Her head lolled to one side, and Ned guided it so that she rested on the wall.

"Please wake up. We've got to get out of here." he held the lifeless hand. So pale and cold. The translucent skin devoid of any freckles or hair. Ned glanced down the stairwell; only the sound of wind rushing through the tunnels and rumbling of trains deep down came back to him. A warm gust embraced him. A small pleasure.

Li groaned and her eyes flickered. Ned had taken the sunglasses off her before hoisting her over his shoulder. They were tucked into one of the great coat pockets and he was ready to put them back on her when she woke up. Ned hoped she would come around soon. What the hell had happened in that passageway? That collar must have something to do with it. Ned reached out tentatively, but before his fingertips could touch it, a strange buzzing sound came from above. Ned withdrew his hand and looked up towards the doorway, craning around and trying to see through the steps. He gave one last attempt to rouse Li before standing over her, ready for whoever, or whatever was going to come through the door.

The sonic screwdriver unlocked the door, and the Doctor hurried through. The locating device was back in his pocket; he was now pointing his sonic screwdriver in an effort to find his quarry. Ten steps down and he was confronted by a dishevelled and dirty man standing above an unconscious but equally dirty woman.

"You're not taking her back" Ned growled, flexing his fists and glowering.

"Oh, that makes it easy then! She is who I have been sent to find." the Doctor lowered the sonic screwdriver. "I'm the Doctor, and you are?"

"Er" Ned was confused by the friendly welcome; he had mentally prepared himself for something much more aggressive. "Ned." They almost shook hands. "Li asked me to protect her, to hide her. Wherever she came from, she doesn't want to go back." Ned tried a more reasoned approach. The Doctor cocked his head to look at Li.

"She doesn't look very well. Mind if I take a look?" He crouched beside Li, scanning her with the sonic screwdriver. "How long has she been like this?"

"Dunno, ten minutes maybe. Did you come out of that police box?"

"Yep, that was me."

"Well it happened seconds before you turned up." Ned crouched beside the Doctor. "Is she gonna be alright?"

"I dunno. I can't even tell what species she is. You know she's an alien, right?"

"Yeah, there are a few giveaways." The Doctor grinned at Ned's comment. A sense of humour always goes far when stuff happens.

Li groaned again, her eyes flickered a little, then she shifted about as though she was uncomfortable.

"Ned?" her voice was weak.

"I'm here." Ned took hold of her hand. There was a warmth and tenderness between these two that the Doctor had not counted on finding. He was expecting an alien on their own, or maybe even holding a human hostage. This was unexpected. These two must have been together ten maybe twelve hours max. He had to discover what species this female was, for Ned's safety as well as to stabilize that power source at U.N.I.T. Ned had been ready to fight for this alien after only a few hours, how protective would he be after days or weeks? What would he be willing to do to protect her after that amount of time had passed, kill? He considered the word that Brigadier Colman had used to describe her; benevolent. Was it possible that this was her self-defence mechanism, to release pheromones that ensured her safety and protection? Whatever she was doing, it did not seem to be affecting him. No wait the Doctor thought I went from needing to get her back to U.N.I.T HQ, to trying to help her. What species does that?

Li opened her eyes. The Doctor grinned when he saw the orange fire that danced in her irises.

"That is beautiful."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. How are you feeling?"

"Weak. I need to rest." Li smiled weakly at Ned and gave his hand a little squeeze. "Thank you for looking after me. I will be fine."

"I've got my transport nearby. Let's get you inside."

As the Doctor stood up, Ned took hold of his arm.

"She's not going with you."

"I can help her, but not here. We can talk about it, OK?" He fiddled about with the sonic screwdriver; Ned was partially satisfied. He fished around in the pockets of the great coat and handed Li the sunglasses. Holding an arm around her, Ned stood up.

"OK, we're ready."

"Good, it's just outside. Stick with me, I'll get you through the gates." The Doctor waved a brown card wallet as he led the way up the stairs. Get them in the T.A.R.D.I.S, check. Well almost anyway. Next job, talk them into going to U.N.I.T. That might not be so easy.

The T.A.R.D.I.S was still parked in the little side street off Oxford Street. The walk back was slow as Ned supported Li as they walked. The crowd was less interested in them this time. As Ned helped Li through the door, he stopped, looking around in awe.

"What is this place?"

"It's called the T.A.R.D.I.S." The Doctor was in no mood for lengthy explanations. He shuffled Ned forwards so that he could squeeze in and shut the door. "There's seating over there near the console. In the centre. Over there!" The Doctor snapped his fingers at Ned. "C'mon fella, back to reality! We've got things to do and not a lot of time to do it."

Ned helped Li over to the seating the Doctor had been pointing out, the pilot's chair. It was the only seating in the massive space. With Li laid down, Ned watched the Doctor turning switches and dials on the console. He raised his eyebrows when one switch was hit with a rubber mallet. The columns in the middle of the console pulsed and glowed as they moved up and down. The entire space shuddered, Ned held onto the seating.

"I told you not to take her anywhere."

"And I'm not, I promise. Just hovering above the planet, out of the way for now." The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver on Li again. Her eyes were open and she was gaining strength. He took her sunglasses off and used the sonic on her eyes. Nope, still no idea what species she was.

"Li, I have a little problem. You have been helping some humans and now they need your help. Whatever it was you gave to them is now unstable. I need you to come with me and stabilize it." The Doctor kept his tone gentle. He needed her to agree with him. Li eased herself into a sitting position, holding eye contact with the Doctor. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"You have to catch me first." Before anyone could react, Li leapt of the seat and ran out of the console room and deeper into the T.A.R.D.I.S.

"You can't," The Doctor groaned. "It's infinite." he added, shouting.

"Is she gonna get lost?"

"Probably." He flicked a switch. Feedback briefly filled the console room before easing. "Come on now Li. Hiding in my infinitely massive ship is not the answer."

"Yes, it is." Li's voice was tinny over the speakers, the jangling quality of her voice exaggerated. "I am not going back there to be handed back to the humans. If you want me to go with you, it will be on my terms."

The Doctor exhaled. Now to change tactic. He was not going to carry on like this, he was running out of time.

"Li. you have to go back. I'm not the one who was irresponsible with the humans. It is in direct contravention of the Shadow Proclamation to give a Level Five planet technology way beyond their understanding." He waited for her response. There was none so he continued. "You know they could build weapons with that power source?"

"Yes." was the answer through the speakers.

"Yes, to what?"

"Yes, they have made weapons. They have been testing them for a year now."

"Do you know anything about humans? They would wipe themselves off the face of this planet, given half a chance." The Doctor shook his head. This was worse than he thought. He knew Brigadier Colman was not being entirely truthful with him.

"You have not asked me about my collar."

"What?"

"That plastic and metal thing she has around her neck" Ned offered.

"OK, What's with the collar? I'm sure it's very pretty."

"Do not take that tone with me." Li was angered. "It is not an adornment of my choosing. I did not help the humans, they took!"

"Then let's take it back. Either way, we have to get back to the base. We are going around in circles here." The Doctor turned to Ned. "We're going back."

"No, we are not!" Li's angry voice blared through the speakers. "Let the city burn!"

Ned was frightened. He nodded at the Doctor, an unspoken agreement to return to the U.N.I.T HQ. His eyes glazed over as the memory of a firefight years ago consumed his waking reality. The Doctor was dancing around the console, too busy to notice Ned's stillness, a frozen pale face contorted with pain, his hands trembling.

In the Doctor's pocket was the device he had been given, with the instruction to press it when he was returning with the alien. The Doctor took it out, turning it over in his hands. He addressed Li one more time.

"We're going back to the U.N.I.T base."

"No, we are not." Li's voice was not coming through the speakers now. Spinning around, the Doctor saw she had returned to the console room. Her eyes were blazing with a brilliant orange light.

"Yes, we are." He pressed the button on the device. Li gasped, her expression changed from an angry determination to shock and pain. The collar around her neck discharged electricity, red LEDs lit up. Li dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Chapter Five

She looked so small, so helpless, as she lay on the floor at the edge of the T.A.R.D.I.S console room. Her legs were askew, her arms at an unnatural angle, her purple hair strayed across her face in unruly clumps. The Doctor had jumped across the console room in an effort to get to her quickly. Had he done this? He feared it was probable. That device in his hand went against all of his principals and he had been duped into using it. He was getting trusting in his old age.

The human on board did not move quickly. Ned was frowning, holding his arms across his chest as though he was hugging himself. He was not so sure about this Doctor. He also knew that the collar around Li's neck had to be removed. It was a glorified shock collar, like those used by inhumane dog owners. Li was not a dog, nor was she human. Still, she did not deserve to be treated like a dangerous animal. Ned did not like what he was witnessing. A little part of him wished he had not been at Southbank that morning. All of this was getting too much.

The Doctor was kneeling by the unconscious Li. He was scanning the collar with his sonic screwdriver. He did not notice the agitated body language of Ned; why would he? Ned was conscious, breathing, talking. Li was laid out cold on the console room floor. It was obvious who required his full attention. The Doctor lifted the sunglasses so that he could check Li's eyes. The irises were a dull orange, vacant of the brilliant dancing fire that was there before. He sighed, utterly flummoxed. Pocketing the sunglasses, he scanned the collar, and then scanned the device that had controlled it.

"Ned, what did you say happened to the collar just before the T.A.R.D.I.S landed?" He called out over his shoulder, not looking at Ned. If he had, he would have seen Ned pacing back and forth in front of the doors that led outside the T.A.R.D.I.S.

The time machine was in flight, on its way back to the U.N.I.T HQ in London. The ship groaned and wheezed, and the movement was so gentle that it could only really be felt if the passengers stayed still. It was still a foreign movement for Ned; one that was not helping his agitated state of mind. He was still hugging himself, still pacing. He barely heard the Doctor talking to him, like he was behind a window. Ned stopped pacing and focussed on the wooden double doors in front of him.

It was just wooden doors with a couple of small windows in the top. Flimsy was one word to describe how they appeared, flimsy and inadequate for traveling through space and time. And the lock? Ned stared at it, it looked like something on his Gran's front door, minus the chain she used to tell unwanted salesmen to bugger off. Those flimsy wooden doors with their little brass Yale lock, Ned could open it and get out of there; away from all this alien craziness. He needed to breathe; he needed some space. He needed to get out of there.

Breathlessness took over, Ned's throat started to close and constrict his airways. He had to get out of there now before he suffocated. No longer shuffling or hugging himself, Ned had a purpose and his fulfilled it swiftly. He lunged at the wooden door, turned the knob and pulled the double doors towards him. What happened next was unexpected.

From his knowledge of space and air travel, Ned had assumed he would be sucked out of the T.A.R.D.I.S. He had expected the air to rush out of the console room; even the air from his lungs to be forcibly taken from him. There was a slight breeze, which was disappointing. Ned stood in the doorway, staring in awe. They were travelling above the earth, in a descent towards London. Ned could see the curve of the earth and the galaxy beyond. The descent was not in a hurtling towards the planet uncontrollable way either. It was like they were travelling along a road at a reasonable speed.

Ned took a step towards the door frame and stood with his toes over the edge. He could breathe, he could feel a cool breeze on his skin. He could see the beauty of the universe and how tiny the city of London was in comparison.

"No!" The Doctor left Li, running towards Ned and the open doors. How could he have been so distracted. Of course, the mystery alien. However, there was a human that also needed immediate attention. Ned looked over his shoulder to see the Doctor running towards him. Tears had been running unnoticed down his cheeks. The Doctor skidded to a halt just before the doors, he did not want to knock Ned out by accident. He held a hand out.

"The T.A.R.D.I.S is protecting you, but I need you to step back. It is not safe. We will have to dematerialise to get inside the U.N.I.T base, and it won't be pretty with the doors open."

"It's too much." Ned whispered before taking a step outside.

The Doctor lunged forwards, his arms outstretched in an attempt to grasp onto any part of Ned before he breached the T.A.R.D.I.S protective zone. A sleeve is what he managed to grab hold of. Ned's legs had penetrated the protective zone and the universe wanted to suck him out into space. Ned's head was just inside the zone, so he was still able to breathe. His free arm swung about.

"Let me go!" Ned choked through tears.

"No. You really want to die like this?" The Doctor was struggling to keep a firm grip on the sleeve as well as holding on to the door frame of the T.A.R.D.I.S. Not the smartest place to hold on to; his fingers would be trapped if the door swung shut. However, there had been little time to decide on the best place to anchor himself before grabbing Ned.

Ned nodded, his eyes pleading with the Time Lord to let him go.

"No" said the Doctor "You don't want to die like this. I'll take you back to London, you can kill yourself however you want then, but not like this."

The decision seemed to take forever; the Doctor's muscles quivered as he held on. Ned swung his free arm to grip on to the Doctor.

"Help me." he whispered. Easier said than done though. The Doctor was already at full strength trying to keep Ned from being sucked into space. He could not let go of the door frame, nor could he find anything to hook his feet into to get some purchase.

"I can't" The Doctor panted. His hands were beginning to cramp, Ned's hands were sweaty, and the fabric on his sleeve was making tiny tearing noises. They did not have long. Ned screwed his eyes up, his whole body tensed as it fought against the force pulling on his legs. With the Doctor on one side and the universe on the other, Ned was being pulled apart and he could only sustain this for so long.

An ear-splitting screech filled the console room. Ned opened his eyes, grunting with the effort he was still exerting. The Doctor turned his head to look at what was making the noise behind him. He too was panting and groaning from the effort of holding on to Ned.

Li was hanging in the air above where she had been laying. Her arms were outstretched and her head was tilted backwards. A brilliant white light was shining within her, glowing out of her eyes and mouth. At her palms, the white light had an orange fire moving within it like lava. The screech was continuous. The collar was sparking blue strands of electricity, but it was having no effect. Li had assistance from the T.A.R.D.I.S; a section of the console had opened and the orange light from the heart of the T.A.R.D.I.S was flowing into Li's body. She moved her arms forwards and the orange light from the T.A.R.D.I.S and her own white light swirled together before reaching out to Ned and the Doctor. The tendrils of light enveloped the two men, releasing Ned from the force pulling him away. As they collapsed in a heap on the floor in the doorway, the doors slammed shut. The tendrils withdrew; the orange light returning to the console and the white light returning to Li.

The Doctor shifted onto his stomach in time to witness Li gently descending to the floor and laying down again. The collar had ceased creating electricity. Both men scooted over to the woman that had just saved them. She was conscious, but weak.

"I have so many questions, but I'm going to start with thank you." The Doctor smiled. Ned was crouching, back to hugging himself with his arms.

"What are your questions?" Li whispered.

"What species are you?" There was a long pause; this question would remain unanswered. The Doctor tried another one. "How did you get the T.A.R.D.I.S to help you?"

"She wanted to."

The Doctor was not entirely happy with this answer, so he left that line of questioning and moved onto something else, something that she might be willing to talk about.

"Can you tell me about the collar?"

"Yes." Li shifted herself into a seated position tugged at the collar a little. "When my captors knew my weakness, they used it frequently. Then one of them had a bright idea."

Chapter Six

DECEMBER 31st 2008

U.N.I.T base near Bridgwater, Somerset.

Hemmings could hear the party in the Mess, even though it was on the other side of the base. He was not in the mood for a celebration. How could he when she was being treated so inhumanely. Colonel Penbridge had ordered that G892 was not to be referred to by gender, only as 'it' or by its designated name. If it could be called a name; a letter followed by a sequence of numbers was hardly a name. Hemmings understood why Colonel Penbridge had put these rules in place, no one was to get attached. However, that was no reason to be cruel.

Strewn about the workbench in the laboratory was the plans, detailed plans of the collar that Hemmings was putting the final touches on. It was shaped plastic with stainless steel contact points on the inside. It would fit G892's neck perfectly. He snapped it together and placed in on a wooden stool. Standing back, Hemmings flicked a switch on the remote control. Blue flashes of electricity crackled at the stainless-steel contact points. Hemmings smiled. There was no smoke and the wooden stool did not catch fire. The collar was ready. He gathered up his notes, the collar, and a digital Dictaphone before leaving the laboratory.

In the nearby village of Storgursey, the residents were setting off fireworks to celebrate the start of the New Year. It was a bitterly cold night on the Somerset coast, the clear starry night perfect for a fireworks display. The soldiers and employees on the U.N.I.T base were not allowed to set off fireworks, but Hemmings could hear the countdown and cheering clearly as the night air carried the sounds to him. He hurried across the base to the research facility that was in different block to his own research laboratory.

There was one person on the base other than Hemmings who not included in the annual celebration. She (Hemmings refused to call her 'it') was exactly where she had been for the past three months. Strapped to a bed by the chest, waist, wrists and ankles and dressed in medical scrubs. Subject G892 was her official title. The room was quite large, and the bed seemed tiny in the vast space. There was a bank of computers and diagnostic equipment along one edge, and a long two-way mirror occupied the opposite wall. Around the bed was two pieces of mobile equipment. One was machine that had leads attached to a skull cap on G892. This delivered a continuous low voltage. It kept her conscious but subdued. The other piece of equipment had one tube that was inserted into G892's neck. Every two hours the machine would click and whirr. Along the tube an orange lava type substance would travel from G892's body, through the machine and into a fifty-litre canister. After one hour the machine would stop.

Hemmings hated this room. Yes, he was a research scientist and he knew what he was signing up for when he joined U.N.I.T after graduating. However, the reality was not pleasant and he was conflicted about the type of research that was being inflicted on this, well, person. She might not be human, but she was still a person. In the same way he would not have worked in a research laboratory that used animals, this job was at odds with his conscience.

G892 rolled her head to one side and looked at him as he entered. He had noted that she recognised his presence in the room, whereas she ignored the others.

"Hello." He put his gear down on the workbench and approached her. As he spoke, he kept his tone gentle and stroked her hair. "I finally finished it. The thing that will allow you a little freedom. I hate seeing you strapped down, it's as bad as keeping you in a cage. I hope you appreciate what I have done." He clicked on the digital Dictaphone. "Subject G892 remains mute, but as always has recognised my presence in the room. I am going to install the collar and conduct a brief test. I did not want this test done with others in the room so that G892 would not feel threatened. I have written permission on file to do so, and I have got the necessary precautions in case the collar fails to work as expected."

Hemmings put the Dictaphone down but left it recording, took a taser of the desk and put it in his lab coat pocket. He stood in G892's eye line and held the collar up for her to see.

"I'm going to put this around your neck. I will then disconnect you from both of the machines. Then I will undo your straps. You will be free to move around this room."

G892 was finally free. Hemmings stood back from the bed after he had released the final restraint. He had his hand on the taser in his pocket, ready. He hoped he did not have to use it. Those fiery eyes held Hemmings in a burning gaze. She swung her legs off the bed and lightly slipped off. Standing before him, she held her arms out at forty-five degrees, her palms facing the human. Her irises glowed brighter and a brilliant white light pulsed in her palms. Hemmings held his breath. The glow grew brighter for seconds before G892 gasped and dropped to the floor. The collar had worked exactly as he had planned.

Hemmings crouched next to the crumpled body by the bed. He stroked her hair, moving it off her face.

"You will have some freedom, but it will come at a price. This is to ensure the safety of the humans around you. I hope you will understand why I have done it this way."

The Doctor had been lied to. He had been given the impression that this alien had been helping them, an exchange of information and technology. There had been no exchange at all, just taking. He still did not know the full story of what had happened, but he knew enough that he had to make it right. The Doctor put the battered aviator sunglasses back on Li.

"I am going to make this right."

"What about Ned? He needs fixing too." They both looked up at Ned, who had assumed his usual pose of hugging his body with his arms. Although he was still agitated, he was managing to maintain some composure. The Doctor shook his head.

"He doesn't need fixing. You don't need fixing. I just have to make this right."

"Yes, he too has been wronged." Li was growing stronger and she stood, leaning on the Doctor. "That needs to be made right too."

The Doctor smiled at Li. This was not going to be easy to explain. He sighed, searching for the words.

"Nobody wronged me, Li." Ned's voice was soft. "I joined the army willingly. I was never held captive or tortured. It's different."

"Yet it affects you. You want to die."

"Sometimes, it gets too much in my head. It was, still is, too much in here. I...I'm not coping right now." The next sentence was choked as Ned sobbed. Li hugged him, turning to the Doctor and urging him to do something. He nodded, and moved towards the embracing pair.

Li stood back as the Doctor faced Ned and held his head. Both men had their eyes closed.

"Shh." The Doctor spoke quietly to ease Ned. "I'm just looking to see if there is anything I can do for you….I…" The Doctor stopped talking, his face contorted and he gasped in pain. Tears continued to roll down Ned's cheeks. The Doctor let go, and pulled Ned into a hard embrace. He whispered into the soldier's ear. "I know, honestly I do. I have seen battle and know the mental scars that remain. I'm sorry, but I can't help you. I can't wipe your memory because awful that it is, it is what makes you, you." The Doctor pulled back and held Ned in his gaze. "When we are done saving the world, I will get you the help you need. But right now, you have got to be strong because things are going to get a lot weirder. Can you do that?"

Ned nodded, wiping tears from his face in the way a man does when he has been conditioned to feel shame when he shows a weak emotion. The Doctor fiddled with controls on the T.A.R.D.I.S.

"OK gang, Let's do this! I have a plan, well, a tiny plan, a planito if you will."

"Can we know it too?" Ned asked.

"Er, no. It's a work in progress. Allons-y!" He grinned, he loved saying that. Especially when the T.A.R.D.I.S did that shuddering thing that sent everyone flying about the console room. Made it all the more impressive.

The metal thrumming and wind in the U.N.I.T underground laboratory announced the Doctor's arrival. Brigadier Colman had been waiting for him to return and had been getting impatient. He was kept waiting a little longer as nobody opened the doors immediately after materialisation.

The Doctor stood by the door, stopping anyone from exiting.

"Ned, I want you to stay in here. This lot" he indicated to the other side of the

door "don't know about you, and it's best if we keep it that way. Li," he held her by the shoulders "Play along. Follow my lead." Li nodded, though she did not entirely understand. "Don't worry Ned, you'll be safe in here. Nothing can get through that door when it's locked. Well, almost anything."

The blue wooden door eventually opened, and the Doctor emerged with Li behind him. He reached back and pulled the door shut. Ned was now safe and unseen.

"Excellent work Doctor. We need to stabilise the power source now, it is critical." The Brigadier was smiling that broad expression of the victorious.

"Yes, the power source." The Doctor pulled the file that he had been given on Li from his coat inside pocket. He threw it on the floor in front of the Brigadier. "I have brought her here, and I can stabilise the power source. But this," he pointed at the paper scattered on the floor "was a complete fabrication. You lied to me."

"Now Doctor" the Brigadier bristled "I don't know what it has been telling you, but what is in that file is true."

"Liar!" screamed Li. She growled at the Brigadier, and fought hard not to release her light. The collar was still operational and she did not want to collapse to the floor again like a weak and feeble human.

"Subdue it!" Brigadier Colman ordered. There was another remote switch. Li gasped and collapsed to the floor.

"There was no need for that. None of you were in any danger!"

"With all due respect, Doctor. You have not seen what it is capable of. That power source in there," he pointed to Li's crumpled body, "it can kill, stun, even turn the most intelligent mind to that of a dribbling idiot."

"She" The Doctor emphasised the word "is not someone you can create mega weapons out of. I demand that her collar is removed and what was taken is given back to her."

"You have no jurisdiction over me, Doctor. Take G892 away."

"No one touches her!" now he was more than angry, now he was in that dangerous state of mind when he forgot himself, forgot the ancient rules of the Time Lords. He brandished the sonic screwdriver. "Remove her collar, give her back what is hers, and release her."

"Or what? I know what that device is, Doctor. It is on your file. A screwdriver, I am right. For unlocking doors?"

"Oh yes, it unlocks doors. It can do all sorts really. Like accelerate whatever is happening in those glass cylinders."

"You're bluffing. You're mad. You would blow us all up."

"Yep."

There are few moments in life when time seems to stand still. Some are pleasant, like a sunny day in the country looking across the green rolling hills. Others are not, like watching a car crash. This was unpleasant. Everyone in the laboratory was still, watching the two men in a stand-off. The Doctor and the Brigadier glared at each other. It was one of those situations where one of the parties was in a lose-lose position. Stand his ground and they all get blown up, or give in and that alien kills them all in retribution for the experiments and torture.

"Take it to the chamber." Brigadier Colman gave the order without taking his eyes off the Doctor, who's lip snarled a little at the use of 'it'. Two male lab assistants grasped Li under her arms. She groaned a little, but was still not aware of her surroundings. "Get Hemmings here. Now."

"But Sir," a soldier approached the glaring men. "Hemmings is in Somerset."

"Then I suggest" the Brigadier turned his glare on the soldier "that a helicopter is sent and he is contacted with the order to get in it the moment it arrives!" The soldier was talking into his radio as he scurried away; the Brigadier's glare at least had an effect on him. "Happy now, Doctor?" Brigadier Colman asked with strained politeness.

"Not yet. But we're getting there." He shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched over to the chamber that Li had been placed inside. The cylinders were no longer reading critical. He looked through the thick window to see Li lying on the floor. She was moving, however it was she was still a good twenty minutes from being full strength. The Doctor banged on the window, she looked up.

"I'm going to release it from this side." He yelled, enunciating so that she could read his lips if she could not hear him. He stood back and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the machinery. A vent opened and a slow wisp of a gaseous substance came out. It swirled around like smoke before its sentient tendrils found where it should go. The gas was orange and white, fire danced within it like it was a gas and a solid all at once. Once it found Li on the floor, the smoky tendrils embraced her; it wanted to be absorbed by her body.

The Doctor leaned his forehead against the window and grinned. Whatever species she was, it did not matter right now. She was getting back what was her's, and soon they would be out of there. Soon that inhumane collar would be off and they would be out of there. In fact, the Doctor wanted to be as far away from this U.N.I.T base as possible.

No! The collar! The Doctor fumbled with his screwdriver. Li's face was blissful as the energy was returning to her, then contorted with pain. She was screaming because the collar was delivering its electricity constantly. The more the energy re-absorbed into her body, the more the collar shocked her.

"I've got to reverse it!" The Doctor shouted at anyone who would listen. Li's screams were ear-splitting, even though she was behind thick glass. The humans held their hands over their ears. Even Ned was doing the same in the T.A.R.D.I.S. He could not see what was going on, but he knew that Li was in pain and need his help. Ned could just make out the Doctor in a tense pose through the windows in the doors of the T.A.R.D.I.S; arms outstretched and a blue glowing light at the end of them.

The screaming was causing the Doctor just as much pain as the humans around him, but he was the one to stop it; he had to push through the pain. He clenched his teeth and held his position, eventually the energy would go back in. Slowly, the orange tendrils withdrew from Li, swirling their way across the room back to the vent it came out of. The collar ceased shocking Li, and she slumped back to the floor.

The humans released their ears and stood up, looking at the Doctor. He turned on the Brigadier.

"That collar is inhumane and it needs to be removed, NOW!"

"It was hostile when we first encountered it. It was necessary. Hemmings, the man that designed it, is on his way now. He can remove it."

The passing cities and towns were gilded with orange hues as the sun set across the country. Hemmings was in no mood to reflect on the wonder of the vista from his seat in the helicopter.

"ETA twenty minutes." The pilot's voice crackled in the headset. Hemmings leaned his head back in the seat, his body was strapped into position and it was rather uncomfortable. All he could think about was January the second 2009. That was the day G892 was taken away. His commanding officer Colonel Penbridge had known about the experimental collar, but had not been too impressed. Hemmings had been allowed to continue with the project. It was only when the collar was working that anyone paid attention.

Hemmings had been pleased. He had hoped that G892 would have more freedom to move about. Another plan of his was that she would have been subjected to less procedures if she was not permanently strapped to the bed. The testing phase was over. Hemmings knew that would have been done, it was part of his job. What he did not agree with was the extraction process. His complaints had fallen on deaf ears. The argument of it all being 'inhumane' had been scoffed at.

"It's not human!" had been the retort.

"Animals are treated better than her." Hemmings had argued.

"I don't think so Hemmings. After all, we are not going to eat it."

He had done the best he could, and then she was gone. While he was Head of Research, he could monitor what happened to her and when. Hemmings had told Penbridge on New Year's Day of his success with the collar. A day later, a prison van arrived to take G892 to the London HQ. Hemmings had felt nauseous and cheated.

That night, high above England, Hemmings promised that releasing G892 from her collar would be his last act as a U.N.I.T employee. When he got back to Somerset, he would hand in his resignation.

The Doctor waited by the window, watching Li on the floor. It had been twenty minutes and she had not moved. Usually she had shown a sign of recovering by now. Ned slipped out of the T.A.R.D.I.S and closed the door quietly. The lab assistants were focused on computers or tablets, while four soldiers stood near their Commanding Officer. The Brigadier was standing next to the Doctor, watching Li.

"Doctor, is she going to be alright?" Ned's sudden appearance made both the Doctor and the Brigadier jump.

"I hope so."

"Stop where you are, hands behind your head!" Brigadier Colman was pointing a pistol at Ned, who was complying with the order.

"Oh, put it away, he's with me." The Doctor was getting irritated at waiting for this Hemmings. "I want to know what has really been going on. I want to see the real files."

"That is classified information."

"I can name several," the Doctor moved in close to the Brigadier. His voice was quiet and menacing "intergalactic law violations here."

"We do not recognise those laws."

"Huh." he stood back, hands in his pockets, "well you should, 'cause those laws you don't recognise? I've used them many, many times to save the human race, to save this Earth. So, you will recognise them!"

The argument was interrupted by the arrival of Hemmings. The Doctor noticed that this guy was different. He did not approach him and pump his hand genially and gush about how wonderful it was to meet the famous Doctor. No. This guy was nervous, stressed. He moved in a quick shuffle over to where the gathering was at the window. Hemmings looked through the window and his face crumpled in distress. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a smart phone.

"I hope you're not going to take any photos?" The Doctor was wide eyed as he moved himself into the newcomer's personal space. "Hemmings, yes?" Hemmings shook his head in reply to the first question. "Then get that damn collar off!" the Doctor shouted.

"Yes, I am." Hemmings' voice was quiet. He fiddled with his phone, keeping his focus on it. Moving so that the Doctor was between himself and the Brigadier, he spoke quietly, hoping not to be heard. "I never agreed to all of this. I have files you can have; it was inhumane and I did my best." He looked at the Time Lord. The Doctor's expression was still angry, but he sighed. Hemmings looked back at his phone.

Within one minute, and several codes being entered, the collar snapped open and fell from Li's neck. It was out of commission and she was no longer restrained. The Doctor resumed his efforts from before and used the sonic screwdriver to open the vents. This time, the energy was absorbed into Li's body. The female alien, still dressed in medical scrubs caked in dried mud, crouched on her toes as the last of the energy left the canisters and entered her body. Rocking back onto her heels, Li slowly rolled her spine as she stretched herself to her full height. Li lifted her head, once again her face was blissful.

Ned relaxed and smiled as he saw Li full of vigour and strength. He placed his palms on the glass window. Li smiled back at him. She was glowing bright orange, with what looked like a white aura around her. With the glass cylinders completely empty and the last of the tendrils entering her, Li suddenly frowned.

"Uh-oh. Get back everyone!" the Doctor shouted. This did not look good. The gathered group did not have a lot of space to back off into. The window shattered, the humans and Time Lord shielding themselves with their arms as best as they could. Most only suffered minor cuts, but Ned got a large shard stuck in his stomach and Hemmings had one in his neck. Both men dropped to the ground. Hemmings was on his knees, clutching at his neck, gasping for air. Around his fingers a river of claret was flowing, and his pallor was fading to white. Ned was in a semi-reclined position, being cradled by the Doctor. He too had the same claret river flowing into a puddle around him.

"Don't remove it, please don't remove it." he urged Ned, who was confused and swiping at the shard protruding from his stomach as he gasped for air in panic.

All eyes were on Li stepping out of the space where the window had been. Her dirty bare feet crunched across the broken glass like it was sand.

"Where is the rest of it!" she demanded. "That is not all of it, where is the rest of it?" Li looked down at the two injured men. She knelt by Ned first. Holding her hands around the glass, they glowed and she removed it, leaving unblemished skin behind, just a tear in his clothing.

"Thank you" whispered Ned. Li moved to Hemmings and did the same. He was upright and also thanked her.

"Do you know where it is?"

"No." Hemmings shook his head. Li grabbed both sides of his head, her hands glowing again. Hemmings screamed at the pain of having information extracted from his head. The information she wanted was not there. She moved in close to him, her hands still holding him. "You are lucky that your intentions were kind." Li released Hemmings, and he dropped to his knees and clutched his throbbing head. Li turned to Brigadier Colman, walking slowly towards him, holding his attention with her fiery orange gaze. Standing in front of him, Li was tiny in comparison the portly walrus of a man. She pointed to the floor in front of her. "You will kneel."

Just as she did with Hemmings, Li held Colman's head. He too screamed in agony.

"I know where your new weapons are now." She whispered "You humans never change." Li's volume changed as she shouted at all of the humans present. "You want to cause misery and death where there should be peace and light. Maybe you should have considered that. So be it." Li kept hold of Colman's head until he stopped screaming. When she let go, he dropped to the floor, dead. The Doctor stopped himself from shouting at Li. He had to consider other ways to get through to this powerful being.

"I know where the rest of it is." Li said to the Doctor and Ned. They stood, ready to follow her. "The rest of you will stay here." Li spread her hands out and all the humans in the room, except Ned, dropped to their knees and clutched their heads in pain. "This way." Li led her two companions out of the lab.

Chapter Seven

As they moved through the U.N.I.T base, it was clear that all humans that they could see had been affected by Li. They had all stopped what they were doing and had adopted the same position as those down in the underground laboratory. Moving through the canteen, there were trays of food and drink spilt. In the offices and hallways, paper and other electronic devices were strewn about as items had been dropped by the nearest kneeling human.

Ned was shuffling behind as Li led them through corridors, through buildings, across parade grounds and into other buildings. The Doctor held a firm arm around Ned's shoulders, ensuring that he kept up with the leader. The old soldier was back to hugging his body with his arms.

"Try not to look." The Doctor urged as he saw the effect the sight of all the humans kneeling in pain was having on him.

Li led them to a storage unit. She raised her hand to blast the door, but the Doctor stopped her.

"Let me get this." he pointed the sonic screwdriver at the padlock. It burst open and he pulled back the bolt. "Easy in here Li. We're just getting back what is yours, right?"

She did not answer him. Ned and the Doctor exchanged nervous glances before following her.

"C'mon big fella, almost done." the Doctor pulled Ned close to him again. They followed, the familiar musty smell of uniforms and gun grease was causing Ned to breathe shallow. He was being taken back to somewhere unpleasant in his mind, and he was struggling to mentally stay with reality.

Li had continued walking through the storage unit. When the Doctor and Ned caught up with her, she had stopped outside a metal cage, locked with another padlock. The cage was huge, as high as two shipping containers, and twice as wide. It took up most of the space at the back of the storage facility. The padlock was opened by sonic screwdriver, and all three cautiously stepped in.

A fluorescent light flickered on, triggered by a sensor. Down both walls was an array of futuristic rifles and pistols.

"I don't recognise any of these." Ned said.

"Welcome back." the Doctor smiled. "And no, you won't. I think these guns have been made to hold a different type of bullet. If bullet is the correct word anymore."

At the back of the metal cage was another wall and door, separated from the rest of the cage by chain link and steel bars. Inside was steel canisters in a variety of sizes. Some looked like they were designed to fit in the rifles, others looked small enough to fit in the pistols. Li's hands started to glow.

"Li, I can try to release your energy from the canisters safely. If you blast them open, you might kill Ned and I in the explosion."

Li stopped glowing and nodded. The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the area where the steel canisters were held. His face twitched as he read the data from his sonic device; so much energy contained. There was a gentle hissing sound as hundreds of canisters of different sizes slowly opened. The orange sentient tendrils found Li, and she once more wore that blissful expression as she was enveloped in bright orange and white light. When it had all been absorbed, Ned blinked as the fluorescent lights in the metal cage seemed dim in comparison to Li's light.

Back outside the storage facility, the three stepped out into the night. The black starry sky was clear of clouds. The autumn chill gave little wisps of white from the Doctor's and Ned's mouths as they breathed. Li was smiling, that same calm, blissful smile she had when she first emerged from the Void Ship.

"I need you to take me somewhere, Doctor. But first I must finish what I have started here."

"Sure, but.." the Doctor did not get to finish his sentence. Li raised her palms, the orange and white fire light glowing brighter than ever before.

"You were right Doctor." Her voice was even more distorted, more alien than before. "We are going to correct this injustice." Li closed her eyes. The humans on the U.N.I.T base screamed. There were men in the yard, already on their knees and clutching their heads. Now they convulsed on the ground, screaming in such a way that was rarely heard from a human.

"Li, please. You don't need to do this. We can walk away and leave them."

"They tortured me. They would have continued to do so if I had not escaped."

"I know. But they can't do anything now, you have what they took from you back." The Doctor's voice was gentle, urging. Not long ago, he would have been all for burning and destruction. Yet, now it all seemed too much. They could walk away right now. "You could wipe their memories of this."

"But I would still remember!" Li turned to the Doctor. Light orange streams were running down her cheeks. She looked over at Ned. He was kneeling down and clutching his head, shaking. Li moved with a delicate grace to the kneeling man. She cradled him in her arms, and searched his mind.

There was no physical pain, not the same pain that she was causing the other humans on the U.N.I.T base. This pain was different. Ned was no longer in the military base. He was far away, in a desolate desert village at dawn. There were other soldiers there, all dressed in the same disruptive patterned sand coloured uniform, heavy armour and weaponry in hand, ready to fire if needed. They were the only human life in the village. There were only a few huts, and in the centre was a pile of bodies. They all seemed to be male, both boy and man. Li watched as Ned pushed open one of the hut doors with the end of his rifle. Blood had dried into the dusty floor around the body of a woman. Cradled in her arms was the body of an infant, and poking out behind a curtain was the motionless legs of another child. Ned left the hut and vomited just outside.

Li brought herself back to the present. She now saw the humans around her with a different perspective; Ned's perspective. These were weak and feeble beings compared to her. They caused each other so much pain and anguish. They were regularly fighting and killing each other. If their own species' lives were so invaluable, no wonder hers meant even less. These humans simply discovered a better way to kill each other by creating weapons from stolen technology and energy.

"They said you were benevolent, which was a lie. They did not take the time to find out. Make that lie a truth." The Doctor crouched down next to Li. He knew she had to make this decision herself, all he could hope to do was steer the direction of that choice, like so many of his companions had done for him in the past.

Li released the humans, removing any trace of her from their memories. The ones that were visible in the yard stopped convulsing in pain, their bodies down lay on the ground in a more relaxed position. She now turned her attention to Ned.

"Ned, come back. It is not real. It is only the past." she placed her hands on his head. "Come back Ned."

"Don't you dare make him forget." The Doctor warned. The expression in Li's eyes told him that had been her plan. "Sometimes us warriors need to learn to deal with the past rather than forget it altogether."

Ned unfolded himself and slowly recovered from the shaking. Li and the Doctor helped him to his feet.

"Let's get him back to the T.A.R.D.I.S, then I can take you where you want to go."

The Doctor had been right, it had been a whole lot weirder for Ned. And now he was back in this impossible place. It did not matter that the explanation had been that the inside was actually in another dimension. All that 'bigger on the inside' was freaking Ned out. Li had given him back his great coat. Ned left his backpack by the hat stand, but he was wearing the huge coat, wrapping it around him. He was an average sized man, but several years of living on the streets had taken its toll on his body; his lean frame combined with his sunken cheeks aged him beyond his forty-two years. The great coat that had once fitted him well now wrapped around him like a dressing gown.

Ned moved over to the seating and plonked himself down, hoping that this would all soon be over. At least Li seemed happier. And after what he had just witnessed, a happy Li was good for everyone around her. Well, maybe not 'happy' exactly, more at peace.

"The T.A.R.D.I.S. isn't going to be too pleased with you spreading mud everywhere." The Doctor grinned at Li, who was still wearing the medical scrubs that were caked with dried mud from the River Thames.

"It's OK. It's not necessary to change where I am going."

"So, where to then? I'm not a mind-reader, so you gotta tell me where home is." The Doctor was ready to input the coordinates, and a little hopeful he would get a clue to her species.

"The Shadow Proclamation."

Ned had no idea what these words meant or what this place that Li wanted to go to was, but the Doctor sure did. His hands remained hovered over the controls as he stared at Li.

"The Shadow Proclamation? Why would you want to go there? We solved the human problem. You wiped their memories, so reporting them to the Shadow Proclamation would be pointless."

"What is the Shadow Proclamation." Ned interrupted.

"Uh, like outer space police, no! Outer space courts, no! That's not it either. Um, outer space justice department. Urgh." He searched for the most apt description. "It's kinda of like a blend of those." The speed of his speech might have indicated he was irritated with Ned, but this was not the case; he was confused by Li's request and having to wait while he gave basic information to the newbie was an unwanted interruption.

"I need to continue my sentence in the Void."

Great, more cryptic answers from the mystery species. The Doctor was getting a little tired of this. He inputted the coordinates, as requested, then stood back from the console and rubbed his eyes as the centre column wheezed into motion. When he started talking again, he was not looking at Li or Ned.

"You're gonna have to expand. Am I returning a prisoner?"

"Yes. When the humans found me, I was still inside the Void Ship. It has a fail-safe that if it is not in the Void for a pre-set amount of time, it automatically opens."

"OK, so you were put in a Void Ship on your own? That's unheard of. Why didn't you just get sent to Shada?" The Doctor was now looking at Li. Ned stayed silent, but he watched the conversation intently. Now he understood he was travelling with someone who had escaped from some sort of outer space prison ship. Yep. It was getting weird again, and a little more terrifying.

"The Time Lords that took me there were insistent that I did not serve my sentence on Shada."

"What is Shada?" Ned asked.

"My people, the Time Lords, we created a prison planetoid called Shada. It was for those that broke the laws of time and space. Many Time Lords have been punished there. Not so much now though." His explanation was less irritated this time. He turned back to Li. "I don't understand, if you broke some law or laws, why not serve your time there. The Rassilon Era.."

"I was captured," Li interrupted "not long after Rassilon, Omega and the Other created Time Lords and their now ancient laws on Gallifrey. My sentence is indeterminably long. The Shadow Proclamation will decide when to release me."

The Doctor sighed; this was crazy. A sentence handed down an unbelievably long time ago that was so long it was probably infinite. What the hell did she do? And a species that lives so long. There was a species he had heard of long ago, ancient. But surely, they were just a myth? It hardly seemed possible that one could be here in the T.A.R.D.I.S. Especially one that had gone rogue and was currently serving a sentence.

The scanner blipped. The Doctor clapped Ned on the shoulder.

"We're here. You wanna see this?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'll only wonder what it is like."

"Remember to breathe, and that the guards look a little like huge people with a rhino head."

"What?" Ned was not so sure that he wanted to leave the console room as he was ushered out of the door along with Li.

Chapter Eight

The Doctor opened both of the doors and ushered his two passengers outside. No, this was not correct.

"Hang on." He rushed back inside and checked the scanner. He returned outside and scratched his head. "This is completely wrong, but the scanner says we are at the Shadow Proclamation!"

"How do you know it's wrong?" Ned asked "Maybe we just landed in the wrong part?"

"No, we should be inside for starters. Plus," he picked up a piece of grass and licked it. "We are in Yorkshire, 1845. Maybe 1853. Definitely the North of England during the Industrial Revolution."

They all looked around. There was quite a view from the hillside. In the distance was a small town that clustered around a factory that was belching black smoke into the cloudy sky. Ned was not too sure about the date exactly, but this did not look like the Yorkshire he knew.

"This is a time machine too?" Ned breathed, wide-eyed as it sunk in that he was in his own country, but not his own time.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot that bit. Nevermind, this is wrong anyway. Everyone back inside. We'll try again." The Doctor closed the doors and marched up to the console. "And maybe we can get it right this time?"

The T.A.R.D.I.S lurched this time. All three passengers had to cling on to something else they would have gone flying about the place. Ned was reminded of old Star Trek episodes where the actors would fling themselves about. When he was a kid, he thought it looked fun. It was not a pleasant experience in reality, and he was starting to feel rather ill.

There was a wheezing noise and the T.A.R.D.I.S stabilised. Ned stood and rearranged his great coat. The Doctor was staring at a screen intently.

"Well, it says we are where we want to be." Li and Ned followed the Doctor to the doors. "Wait here, I think I'll check first."

The Doctor closed the doors behind him, and returned in an instant. He was covered in flakes of freshly fallen snow.

"The Ood Sphere!" He did not bother to explain. "What the hell is going on?" He marched back up to the console and picked up the rubber mallet. "I will use this, don't think I won't 'cause I will!" He threatened the console. He punched in the coordinates again, and Ned held on to something sturdy and screwed his eyes shut. He had not yet recovered from the last trip.

When the T.A.R.D.I.S made that now familiar wheezing and metallic thrumming sound, Ned knew they had landed somewhere. Holding onto his stomach and mouth, he lurched towards the doors.

"Ned, no! Something's not right. It could be anywhere out there!" The Doctor ran towards the doors to catch Ned, but he was just too late.

The fresh breeze was lovely on Ned's pale and sweaty face. Standing just outside the malfunctioning time machine, he smiled at the hazy blue sky that was obscured by tree branches and autumn leaves still waiting for their turn to fall, before bending over and vomiting. It was that nausea that sometimes lingers with motion sickness, even when the motion causing it had ceased. The Doctor leapt out, ready to rescue Ned.

"Oh!" he was surprised. "Well this is quite lovely. It's still not the Shadow Proclamation though."

Li walked through the doorway and she too was surprised at the view. The T.A.R.D.I.S had landed in a densely wooded area. Wherever they were, they were at the bottom of it, as the ground sloped upwards all around. It was a dell, populated with oaks and silver birches. The birds were chirping the dawn chorus, the light was hazy. Ned stopped retching and slowly pulled himself upright, his breath misting.

"This is pleasant" the Doctor exclaimed, slapping Ned on the back as he passed by. "No idea where we are though. Scanners reckon it's the Shadow Proclamation."

There was another sound amongst the singing thrushes and the crows with their hash caws. The Doctor frowned as he listened to the faint sound of metal clanking. Without a word to the others, he scrambled up the nearest slope, using the trees for leverage. "C'mon!" he yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared from view. Li stood by the T.A.R.D.I.S, her arms folded as she watched Ned follow the Time Lord.

The Doctor had completely disappeared from Ned's sight, but he continued his journey upwards, hoping that he would catch up soon. The unnatural sounds were becoming louder; Ned could now hear men and, was that a horse? Soon, he heard the Doctor exclaim in joy. He quickened his pace, and soon found the Time Lord grinning.

"This is amazing!" the Doctor jumped about, grabbing a bewildered Ned by the shoulders. "I can't believe this! Do you know what that is?" he pointed through the last line of trees. Pulling Ned along, he crept up to the tree line and pointed again.

A large group of men, too many for Ned to count, were gathered by a tent, no marquee would have been a better description. However, this was no wedding or family gathering, nor was it the kind of marquee that Ned was used to seeing. The material appeared new, but the style was archaic. There were also symbols that he did not recognise, symbols that were repeated on flags, shields and tunics. Initially, he thought he was looking at a group of history re-enactors. No, this was the real deal, and whatever it was, the Doctor was properly excited to bear witness to this.

The men had to be real; none of them were smoking cigarettes for starters, and there was always one smoking. Plus their clothes really looked authentic.

"Figured it out yet?" the Doctor elbowed Ned. More men were arriving, although

these ones were not as covered in armour as the others. "What you are looking at are the Saxons under the lead of King Harold, getting ready for battle with the Normans, this morning."

"You mean, we're at the Battle of Hastings?" Ned's mouth gaped open, before he wore the same silly grin as the Doctor. "Oh my god, really? This is amazing!"

"You want to stay and watch?"

"Of course! Hang on, what about Li?"

"Didn't she follow you?" asked the Doctor. Ned shook his head. "C'mon, let's go and find her. We've got a hour or so until they are ready for battle. Allons-y!"

The Doctor and Ned skidded back down into the dell where the T.A.R.D.I.S was parked. Li was still leaning on the wooden blue box, arms folded.

"I really need to get back to the Shadow Proclamation." she pleaded with the Doctor. He sighed.

"I know, but sometimes the T.A.R.D.I.S takes me where I need to be, not where I

want to be. And this is a pretty amazing time, I've always wanted to…"

"I don't know what you expect to be able to do here, Doctor." Li was calm. He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. She continued to talk. "This is a fixed point in time. Whatever happens here has to happen."

"I wasn't planning on doing anything other than observe, which if I remember correctly, is pretty much me behaving myself as far as space time laws go."

Li knew that this was a fixed point in time? All this time she had been quieter; a contrast to what she had been at the U.N.I.T HQ in London. The Doctor had a new concern, that she was unpredictable and he had to do as she had requested and get her back to the Shadow Proclamation. However, stuff was getting in the way. The usual stuff that happened to him. Well, almost. This was different. He did not know if he could successfully get back to this point in Earth history if he made a quick trip to the Shadow Proclamation, if he could get there. Now Li had made that statement, he had a clue. Both a clue to what might be going on here, and a clue to Li's species.

"C'mon, this is exciting for us." the Doctor turned on the charm, wrapping an arm around Li's shoulders. "This battle only lasts a day, and we'll be back on the T.A.R.D.I.S in no time."

Back at the top of the dell, the Doctor searched for the perfect vantage point. He had urged Ned and Li to remain quiet; he did not want to rouse the soldiers' suspicions. These men were getting ready for a fight, and that could mean trouble if they were mistaken for Normans.

Soon, they were scaling a large oak tree and sitting on its wide branches, leaning against the trunk. It was a bright autumn morning, and through the leaves and smaller branches, the view of the battle field was excellent.

"This is Senlac Hill, where the Saxons are gathered." The Doctor kept his voice low so they would not be discovered. He had positioned himself near to Ned, Li was a few branches higher up. "The ones in the proper armour and tunics are King Harold's army and knights. They have shields, axes and swords, perfect for battle. The others," he pointed to other men who looked less battle-ready in leather armour and with improvised shields. "they're just locals, Fyrdsmen called up to help the King defend their land against the Norman invasion. See, they're lucky if they have a spear or axe."

As Ned listened to the Doctor and watched the men working themselves up, he could not help thinking this was a brilliant history lesson. It was a lesson that kept being interrupted by men urinating against the trunk of the oak they were sitting in, though. That aside, Ned could not help thinking that he might have learnt more at school if all lessons had been like this. His thoughts were interrupted by movement in the branches above him. It was Li, climbing down.

"Where are you going?" the Doctor hissed.

"Just going for a walk." was the answer as she continued her descent.

"Well, stay out of sight. Never mind the sunglasses, your hair will cause a riot."

"Those humans are too busy slaughtering each other."

"Yeah, and a witch-burning later will be entertainment." he glared at Li, letting her know he was serious. She nodded and dropped down from the lowest branch. Ned watched as Li disappeared back down into the dell.

As multiple trumpets, both near and far, sounded, the battle commenced. The Doctor's attention moved away from the wandering alien and back to the Middle Ages humans.

"I'm trying to figure something out." He looked at Ned. "Actually, trying to figure out two things." He sighed and rubbed his chin. "Li…..Li…" he muttered. "You just call her Li, right?"

"Yeah, but only 'cause her full name wasn't really a name, more of a title. she says she's called The Light of the Universe."

"Right. No, maybe."

Ned frowned at the Doctor's vague response. "So, the Battle of Hastings, eh?" Ned felt a change in conversation would be better. He was uncomfortable around a brooding and pensive Doctor. "I mean, wow!"

"Yeah," The Doctor was being forced back into the here and now, instead of muttering as he thought. "This is an incredible turning point." The Doctor had snapped back into his default mode now. "This battle only lasts a day, until dusk as there is not enough light to continue fighting. Because we are on Senlac Hill, we will get a front row seat on what happened with Harold."

"But he got an arrow in the eye, didn't he? That's what the picture is on that tapestry thingy." Ned's face was scrunched as he tried to remember more details

from school.

"The Bayeux Tapestry, yeah. But historians have been arguing over that for centuries. That tapestry was made well after the battle was over, like ten years later. Oh, and it's not a tapestry, it is actually embroidered cloth."

The cool air in the densely wooded dell was much better for Li. She preferred the quiet. Where there were so many humans, it made her headache. She closed her eyes as she touched the rough bark of a silver birch. Inhaling the scent of the natural environment around her, she ran her fingers over the intricate pattern and texture.

Li slid down the slopes, deeper into the dell. The trees had worked as gauges to catch her hands on as she slid past them. Once at the bottom of the dell, she looked at the T.A.R.D.I.S. There it stood, looking completely out of place; a blue wooden police box in the middle of a green and autumnal brown natural area. Li walked past the blue wooden box and found herself being drawn to the furthest corner of the dell. All around her, the ground sloped upwards and away. The trees had even grown to lean away from the centre of the dell. Just behind the T.A.R.D.I.S was a dark grey patch of mud, where there were no animal tracks. The creatures seemed to steer clear of that area. Li tentatively put a toe in the different coloured mud; it was stickier than the brown stuff that the grass grew in. Thinking better of it, Li moved away. Instead, she found a fallen tree, and sat on its trunk. It once was a mighty oak, and its falling had brought down several smaller and younger oaks, plus some silver birches. As Li sat, she listened, smiling at the peace and tranquillity. The combative humans were far away and the bird song was much louder than the shouting and clanging of weaponry.

A brown and white rabbit hopped by, followed by a few small ones. The larger one stopped and reared up on its hind legs to really look at Li, before continuing to lead its young somewhere else. Squirrels took Li's attention next, barking and fighting in the trees above. She looked up, smiling at the small, quick creatures. One stopped scurrying around the trees to look at Li. It darted closer, stopping to make sure it was safe with jerky head movements. Then closer again. Li could see the shades of red in the squirrel's fur the closer it got. Finally, it scurried along the trunk and stopped next to where Li was sitting. She reached a hand out and touched its red fur that shone when it moved through the rays that poked through the leaves and branches.

Animals were easier to be with than other species. Their lives were brief and being in their presence was quiet for Li. The little red squirrel was enjoying fingers scratching behind its ears. A tiny orange spark leapt from Li's fingertips to the squirrel. It did not yelp in pain, nor did it run away. Instead it curled up next to Li's leg, as though this was the safest place in the world to fall asleep. Li smiled at the peaceful creature, before looking up at the squirrel audience that had appeared in the trees. Soon, she had a group of six red squirrels, each wanting what the first one had.

Chapter Nine

The battle continued, and the sun was high in the sky, glinting on the armour and weapons. Ned was watching the battle continue in silence. The Doctor kept looking down at the human from his position higher in the oak tree. He was not too sure if this was the best place for an old soldier that was suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but Ned seemed to be coping right now. Possibly, the Doctor hypothesised to himself, the battle taking place was far removed from anything that Ned had experienced himself.

"How are you doing down there?" the Doctor eventually decided to ask. He was not a mind reader, and unlike the female companions he often had, Ned was not much of a talker.

"Yeah, I'm OK." came the short reply. Ned was engrossed with the battle. The Normans had played a blinding tactic as far as he was concerned. They had suddenly run away from the Saxons, back down Senlac Hill. The Saxon fyrdsmen had chased after them, only for the retreating Normans to turn and attack. Any Saxons that had been at the front had been slaughtered, although Ned had only seen a glimpse of this. What had been clearer had been the Saxons running back to their position on Senlac Hill, to defend against the attacking Normans.

"So," the Doctor started, hoping he sounded casual. "How come you're living on the streets?"

Ned frowned at the battle that was taking place in front of him.

"When I resigned my commission, civvie street was too hard." Ned answered after a long pause. The Doctor did not reply. Instead he watched Ned and waited for him to continue.

"I have flashbacks," said Ned after another long pause. "I get agitated in crowded places. I just couldn't function. I was angry at everyone and started drinking. After my diagnosis I learnt about what might happen. One day I left them, my wife and two kids. They were teenagers. Left Birmingham and just kept walking."

"Are you just passing through London?"

"No. It's a huge city to be anonymous in. A charity got me into a clinic, but the meds didn't work."

Ned's stomach rumbled loudly, and he grinned at the Doctor sheepishly.

"It's been a while since I ate. Well, Li did something to me before." Ned screwed his face as he thought hard. "Man, when was the last time I ate something?"

"It does get a bit like that in the T.A.R.D.I.S" The Doctor grinned back. "What do you mean, Li did something?" His grin faded.

"I dunno. I didn't have time to think about it, 'cause, well, she passed out and then you turned up." Ned looked up at the Time Lord, who was rubbing his face as it was now his turn to extend his thinking powers.

A rustling in the foliage caused the Doctor to hold his finger to his lips, and Ned understood. They both froze, hoping that whoever it was did not look up this particular tree. The noise moved closer, until the men could see Li climbing up the oak to resume her position.

"Feel a bit better?" Ned asked her. She nodded in reply, then stopped climbing to gaze at him with a tiny frown.

"Sometimes," Ned shrugged "I need a bit of peace and quiet away from it all."

There was an unspoken understanding between the human and the alien. The Doctor could not quite get it. Again, he was brought back to the unsettling feeling that Li held some sort of psychic power over Ned. Maybe that was the link? The Doctor's head was full of noise, so full that he did not notice the silence that had fallen around them. When he did notice it, it was broken by Ned's gastric noises and the resumption of deep voices and clanging metal far away.

The Doctor shifted on his branch, swinging his legs to get the blood flowing before commencing his descent. Li had settled against the trunk on a branch above him.

"How do you know this is a fixed point in history?" the Doctor questioned Li.

"How do you?" she shot back at him.

"Because I'm clever. You?"

"Because I can see it."

Ned shook his head. He had no idea about fixed points in history; he could barely remember his history lessons from school about this period. Although, everyone knew one thing about the Battle of Hastings. Plus, these two were just being too cryptic.

"What's a fixed point in history?" Ned asked as the Doctor clambered down onto his branch.

"Um, it's something that is supposed to happen, that will always happen. It's a time traveller thing. We can't go around messing history up, well, certain bits anyway." The Doctor gabbled his answer. He stared down at the grass below, judging the distance.

"I'm peckish." He announced, then looking up, he added, "and I can hear Ned is hungry too. I'm going to wander off to the nearest village and rustle up something to eat. Don't you two go anywhere or do anything. Got it? Stay right here." he looked down and braced himself to jump, before looking up again "I mean it! I don't want to come back and see a witch-burning melee, OK?"

Li and Ned nodded, and a satisfied Time Lord jumped down from the oak tree and wandered off, hands in pockets. Li climbed down to the same branch as Ned.

"He keeps frowning at me. It is very disconcerting."

"Yeah, he does seem like he's deep in thought most of the time." Ned smiled at Li, hoping that she could not read thoughts. Just like the Doctor, Ned was intrigued by Li. She was so cryptic, although so was the Doctor, but at least he answered questions directly. Well, most questions. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Li turned and looked at Ned, searching his face for a clue. "A personal question?"

"Yeah, one you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Yes, you may ask."

"Uh," Ned stumbled over the words in his head. This seemed so much harder now that Li was gazing at him. "Are you a god or something?"

"What makes you think that?" Li smiled.

"The name you gave me. And your light or energy or whatever you call it."

"No, I am not a god. However, my species can be mistaken as such. Especially when our power is witnessed by lower species." Li thought for a moment before continuing. "I suppose I could be a god. I certainly have powers that would qualify me as one. However, I have no concern for the daily lives of lower species. A god would have an interest in those that bowed down before them."

Ned stared at Li with his mouth hung open. OK, so she was not a god, but she had the power of one? Right now, Ned realised how small and insignificant he was next to her. Plus, her immense power, did that make her dangerous? Was that why she wanted the Doctor to take her back to the outer space police, the shadow thingy?

"Would you like to see what I can see?" Li's smile had become a mischievous grin. Ned nodded, and they both climbed down the oak. "Ready?"

"Um, yeah, OK." he was not too sure. Li looked around, there was no one. The battle sounds were faint. She steered Ned so that his back was against the trunk of the oak next to the one they had been sitting on the branches of. She moved in close to him, removed the sunglasses, and guided his arms around her waist.

"You need to hold on." she whispered as she placed her hands on either side of his head and kissed him. Orange fire light flowed out of her mouth and into Ned. An orange glow bathed the shade of the trees, and a red glow could be seen underneath Ned's skin as her energy passed through him. Ned's eyes rolled back in his sockets; his eyelids flickered.

Ned's mind filled with colour. At first it was random bursts of bright ribbons of blue, red, yellow, and purple. He moaned and Li pulled back. He had all of the energy he was going to get from her. She kept her lips on his, and she could feel his arms tighten around her waist. The colours in Ned's mind changed from random chaos to an order, and he could now see everyone nearby; the Normans, the Saxons, peasants in a local village, the Doctor was there, even the horses on the battlefield. Every being that Ned could see had at least one ribbon of colour streaming off the top of their head, some had more. The ribbons varied in length.

"The ones that have more have decisions to make. The length shows their lifespan." Li whispered. "Look closely."

Ned concentrated on one person that had several ribbons; inside each ribbon

were images of what each decision would result in, like a film. He moaned again, and his grip on Li's waist loosened.

"My head hurts." he mumbled. Li kissed him again, only this time, she took her energy back. Holding on to Ned, she helped him lower to the soft moss that grew around the oak.

"You will feel a little dizzy, but you will be fine soon." She sat down next to him, leaning against the trunk. "You know, those humans had it all wrong. My energy can be used as a weapon of great power, but to humans, it is much better as a calmative. You will feel quite peaceful for a while. Much better than those antipsychotics and other mood stabilisers you have leaving your body."

Panting and sweating, a young fyrdsman ran up Senlac Hill, frequently looking over his shoulder. The hardened leather armour was hanging off one shoulder, his padded tunic was torn, the blade of his dagger had been snapped by a much better equipped Norman soldier, and all he had now was the pitchfork he had brought with him. He had been lucky to escape with his life, and was heading back to his village, four miles away on foot.

While he was muttering to himself, he headed for the line trees near the crest of Senlac Hill. The plan was to disappear in the woods, discard what was left of his armour and make his way home before anyone noticed. His name was Aelfred Haroldsunu and he was twelve years old. As he made his way towards the trees, he wished he had listened to his mother and aunt, and not followed his father and uncles to fight with the King. As he reached the trees, he saw something unusual sat by the trunk of an oak. A man struggling to stay awake, and a woman with purple hair. There was only one possible thing he could do when faced with that. Gulping hard, he raised his pitchfork and walked towards the unusual pair.

"Stand up witch!" Aelfred cried as he approached.

"Huh?" Ned blinked, his vision dulled and foggy. "What's going on Li?" Li did not answer him. Instead, she stood up slowly, pulling Ned to his feet too. The Doctor's last words repeated in her head; I don't want to come back and see a witch-burning melee.

The pitchfork was shaking, the brandisher of the weapon was trembling. Li was gripping Ned's coat. If she had been taller, she would have chosen to hold him by the shoulder. But she was not, so the arm had to suffice.

"What kind of witch are you?" There was fear in the young man's voice. He kept moving closer, slowly as one would towards an animal. "I have never seen one such as you. Your hair, what colour is that?" He leaned in closer, then gasped. "Your eyes!" Aelfred cried, brandishing the pitchfork again. "What witchcraft is this?"

"Ned?" Li shook Ned, who had his eyes open, but appeared to be intoxicated. "Ned, run!" Li pulled Ned, running away from Senlac Hill and the young fyrdsman, and down into the dell where the T.A.R.D.I.S was parked. Aelfred ran after the pair, yelling 'Witch!'

Ned was a dead weight to drag along. His feet were heavy and resisting the momentum that was being forced on them. Once they reached the slope, Li lost her grip on him; Ned was stuck holding onto one of the many silver birches that grew on the slope. Li tried to keep her balance as her bare feet skidded on the years of mulched leaves and mud. Using the silver birches to propel herself, Li made it to the clearing in the dell before Aelfred caught up with her. She ran towards the T.A.R.D.I.S, sliding to a halt on the soft ground in front of the blue wooden police box. Li could not enter the locked door, so turned to both look for Ned and to face her pursuer. Ned was half-way up the slope, clutching a bending tree with a blissful grin on his face. The young fyrdsman was agile, adept to running over this kind of terrain.

The wooden prongs of the primitive pitchfork were thrust towards Li; piercing her thin clothing and sliding into her stomach with ease. She gasped, more with surprise than pain. Aelfred withdrew the pitchfork, and stared at the prongs, then at the witch's torso. He had expected to hear her scream in agony, he had expected to see the bright red blood staining the prongs and her clothing. Instead of dropping to the ground, clutching the wound and writhing in a growing pool of dark blood, the witch did something else, something that his mind could only describe as 'magic'.

The Doctor had managed to scrounge some bread from a woman. She had offered more to the unusual stranger, but he had declined because the young children at her feet looked half-starved. The autumn sun had started its descent towards dusk, although it was still warm and golden. The Doctor grinned to himself as he walked through the woods, the golden light and the orange leaves glowing around him. He picked at the bread; the first bite had been a shock but now he was remembering to chew thoroughly.

"Acorn? Nettles, definitely nettles." he mused on the ingredients, focusing on the taste and texture of the mouthful. "Yes, acorns. Probably tree bark. Yep, that's the source of the bitterness, and why it's so hard."

He stopped walking, head up and listening carefully. Birds chirping, and a dog in the distance barked. No, there was another sound. Then he heard it; someone was shouting 'witch'.

"Uh-oh." he exclaimed as he broke into a run, dropping the Saxon bread. As he neared the line of trees just before the slope into the dell, the shouting stopped. The Doctor pushed images out of his head; ones that involved a peasant meeting an unfortunate end at the hands of a powerful alien. At the top of the slope, he could see something that did not fill him with confidence.

An unnatural orange light was emanating from the bottom of the dell. Plimsolls were not the best choice of footwear, and the Doctor skidded down the slope of mud and leaves, using his hands to steady himself on the silver birches as he passed. Grabbing onto a trunk with both hands, he swung around, steadying himself. For a moment he surveyed the scene in front of him.

There were two persons; where was Ned? Oh wait, there he was. The Doctor was filled with relief when he saw Ned, but that soon changed when he saw the state of him; slumped on the slope, head in his hands. The other two were caught in a stalemate, although Li clearly had the upper hand. Her clothing was torn around her stomach and a wooden pitchfork lay on the ground in between her and the young human native, also wearing torn clothing. It was difficult for the Doctor to see him properly, as he was currently suspended a metre off the ground in a sphere of orange and white light. Li's hands were up, palms facing the peasant, holding him in that sphere.

The Doctor edged his way towards Li, his arms out in front of him.

"Li? What's going on?" The Doctor worked hard to keep his tone calm.

"This primitive native attacked me." her voice was trembling. The Doctor was surprised to hear that it was not full of rage. "I am holding him because after he saw my light, I could not predict what he would do. His head was full of terrible things that could occur to both myself and Ned." She turned to look at the Time Lord. "You expected to see something else. You are surprised that I did not kill him." she stated. "He is primitive compared to those soldiers from Ned's time. This one's head is filled with superstition, fallacy, and myths."

"Yeah, about Ned. Is he OK?"

"The effect of my light is wearing off."

The Doctor shook his head. All they had to do was sit in the oak tree and wait for him to come back. Was that so hard?

"OK, here's what we're going to do. I want you to release this peasant, and go inside the T.A.R.D.I.S. Shut the door, I will deal with him. Then I'll get Ned and we will go to the Shadow Proclamation. Ready?"

The Doctor clicked his fingers and the T.A.R.D.I.S doors swung open. Li lowered her hands; her light withdrew from the sphere and was reabsorbed back into her body. The peasant dropped to the mossy ground, and lay there. He was alive, but too frightened to move. With wide eyes he watched tendrils of orange light swirl around the witch before entering her body; glow for a moment, before returning to the iridescent pale skin that she had when he first encountered her.

Li ran into the T.A.R.D.I.S and shut the doors behind her. She ran up to the console, pausing as though listening to instructions. She ducked underneath it and pulled off a panel. Moving aside a tangled mess of wires, Li climbed in.

The Doctor wandered over to the young fyrdsman lying on the ground and crouched beside him. With a smile, he brushed the dirty brown hair off the young man's face.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor. What's your name?"

Wide eyes set inside a dirty face turned towards the Time Lord. The smiling stranger almost made him forget his ordeal. He turned over on to his back,

"Aelfred Haroldsunu"

"Excellent Saxon name! You've had quite an experience."

"W….W…" he stammered, trying to make the word 'witch'.

"I know. But she's not really a witch. Just different to you." The Doctor took his hands and pulled Aelfred up into a sitting position. Holding either side of his head, the Doctor closed his eyes, drawing his head in close as he focused his mind. "There was no witch, there was nothing here. You are going to wake up, and walk home back to your village. You escaped the Normans. You fought them bravely, and escaped with your life." The Doctor gently laid him back on the mossy ground. Now he could turn his attention to Ned.

The Twentieth Century soldier had extricated himself from the silver birch and was now sitting on the edge of the slope on a pile of leaves. The Doctor wandered over, hands in pockets.

"How are you doing?"

"Is that boy alright?" Ned asked.

"Yeah, he'll wake up and wander home in about an hour. How are you doing?"

"My head, it was, it still is fuzzy. I dunno…" Ned trailed off. When he spoke, his eyes searched around, like those who seek the correct answers in their surroundings. "Li, she showed me what she could see." Ned looked up at the Time Lord. "It was too much. I mean it was great, I felt amazing. But then…"

"The come down, yeah?" The Doctor crouched beside Ned.

"Look, I've been off my meds for a few days now. I, well, I walked out of the clinic. Y'know, checked myself out. I was doing OKish, until the morning I met Li. God, that feels like ages ago now, but it's in the future." Ned frowned at the ridiculous truth before continuing. "The attacks have been getting worse, but then Li took that away."

"She can't keep doing that, you understand? No one can take your illness from you; it is a part of who you are now. However," the Doctor laid his hand on Ned's shoulder to emphasise the point, "there are ways of coping, honestly. Once I have dropped Li off, I'll take you where you want to go, and more importantly, I'll find you the help you need. One old soldier to another."

The two men looked at each other, no words needed to be spoken now. Ned understood that this alien had been through it too. And here he was, standing tall and able to cope with whatever the universe threw at him. The Doctor stood first, and held his hand out to assist Ned with getting to his feet. With an arm around Ned's shoulder, the Doctor escorted him to the T.A.R.D.I.S, taking care to step around the sleeping Aelfred.

"Really wish I had seen the end of the battle. Then I would have known once and for all if Harold really did get that arrow in the eye." The Doctor complained as he snapped his fingers to open the blue wooden doors.

Ned collapsed onto the pilot's chair. He had now learnt that this position was actually out of the Doctor's way while he sped circles around the console, turning dials and pulling levers. The centre column moved up and down, filling the console room with a pulsing blue light. The metallic thrumming and wheezing were a familiar sound, but Ned frowned and rubbed his temples. There was another sound now, disconnected to the operation of the time machine.

"Doctor? What is that sound?" Ned asked.

"It's the sound of the time vortex and my beautiful time machine colliding. Well, that's what I like to think it is."

"No, it's like speech, but I can't understand it." Ned clarified, unsatisfied with the Doctor's eloquent answer. "Is that Li? It sounds like her voice." Ned was right, it had that same jangling effect that she had when she spoke. He had become so used to it that he had forgotten that it was alien, it was just part of her now.

The Doctor frowned and listened. Then he snapped his fingers with a grin.

"OK, T.A.R.D.I.S 101. My fabulous time machine translates alien languages for my passengers, both written and aural. All but one, Gallifreyan. There's no need to. She is speaking to the T.A.R.D.I.S in the ancient language of my people." The Doctor leaned his chin on his hand.

"What is she saying?"

"Well, she's asking, pleading actually, to go to the Shadow Proclamation. But that's not the really strange part. I think the T.A.R.D.I.S is answering her."

"You can hear that? I can only hear one voice."

"No. I mean sure, I've spoken to my T.A.R.D.I.S loads of times, all the time in fact. But it's like talking to a computer, I don't get an answer. This time machine is a living thing, it's grown not built. But it does not communicate with me like it seems to be doing with Li." The Doctor looked worried. Ned did not like that he looked worried, and he could feel fear clawing at his insides.

The Doctor whipped out a stethoscope, which was the most medical action Ned had seen the Time Lord do up to now, and used it to listen to different sections of the console, both above and below. Taking the medical instrument out of his ears, the Doctor hung the stethoscope around his neck, then proceeded to take a panel off.

The T.A.R.D.I.S lurched and the Doctor dropped down below the console room while Ned had to cling on to something nearby. The lights brightened, the central column continued its motion and the time machine wheezed through the time vortex.

Chapter Ten

The motion of the T.A.R.D.I.S through the time vortex soon stabilised inside the console room. Ned positioned himself on the pilot's chair while the Doctor remained silent, hunched over the console with a pensive expression. He had climbed out of the hole in the console with the same moody face. Li was somewhere else in the T.A.R.D.I.S, however she had become silent since the time machine had started moving again.

Part of the Time Lord wanted to find Li and confront her on what species she was. What did she do that upset the ancient order of his species so much that Shada was not good enough to imprison her? In all his time travelling throughout the universe, and even before then, he had never encountered a being such as her. She confounded him. It annoyed him, gnawing away. He prided himself on being erudite. Here he was, clueless. The other part of him? It wanted to leave well alone. Wanted to open the doors on the next stop and leave her there, hoping it was where she wanted to be. Let the Shadow Proclamation deal with her. Li, no, he had to stop thinking that it was her name. The Light of the Universe could fend for herself.

The Light of the Universe, that reference was the clue. That, and the fire burning in her eyes; the energy that flowed through her. His brain was so full of stuff, but he was having to think far back to his days as a child. It was possible that she was an ancient being, so old that her species were a whisper, a myth when the Doctor was a child. Sadness choked him and he felt that familiar pain in his hearts that had become an ache over time. Could she too be the last of her species?

Li appeared in the doorway to the console room. She had removed the battered aviator sunglasses. The Doctor glanced up at her, then looked away. She moved over to Ned. He looked at her, his eyes watery. The calming effect that her energy had given him was fading now. She handed him his sunglasses, and he took them, staring at them in his hands.

"I can help you again." she whispered. Ned continued to stare at the sunglasses, a tear plopped on to one of the brown tinted lenses.

"I don't want to see all that colour again. It hurt my head." he murmured without

raising his head.

"But I can take your pain away. There would be no need to end your life once you are returned to Earth. Let it be my last act while I am free. A gift for you, thanking you for your kindness and protection."

Li caressed Ned's cheek and he gazed into those impossible eyes. The Doctor scoffed loudly before marching over to the pair, snatching Li's hand away from Ned's face and gripping her wrist.

"You cannot and will not take that away from him. Yes, what you can offer will give him peace from his torment, but it is temporary. Look at him! He feels the pain worse now after the last time you calmed him. What will happen the next time, when you are back in a Void Ship and Ned is alone and in a worse state back on Earth. You said yourself, we are not supposed to interfere, and this is why. In so many small ways it can seem OK, good even. But it's never good. We both know that." He let go of her wrist, throwing it away from him. Li stood there silently, her eyes burning at him as he paced about. "Ned is ill, and needs actual help, not the drug you supply. I'm not going to just plonk him back on Earth and leave. I promised him that I would get him the help he needs, and I will keep that promise. Long term help." he turned to Ned, this time there was a painful empathy in his eyes, not the anger that had been directed at Li. "Your past is part of who you are now. It can never be any other way. But it doesn't have to define who you are in the future. There are coping methods"

The familiar metallic thrumming interrupted the Doctor. He touched Ned's shoulder as he passed by to check the scanner. This time, after hearing Li's pleading in Gallifreyan, he believed it when it stated that they had landed at the Shadow Proclamation. He turned back to Ned.

"Remember what I said back when we first set off for the Shadow Proclamation? The security here are a species called the Judoon. Basically, huge bipeds with rhino heads. Try not to freak out, but they are intimidating. Oh, and I'm not always welcome here. Allons-y!"

He was right. The blue wooden doors opened and, just as the Doctor had said, they were greeted by armed Judoon guards, cocking their weapons ready to fire. The Doctor raised his hands in the air, standing at the front.

"I am here to return someone to the Shadow Proclamation."

"Meaningless. There is no one missing. Leave now." came the gruff reply.

"I bring The Light of the Universe, if anyone is interested. Rather careless to mislay her actually, but there you are, and here she is." he reached his hand behind and took hold of Li, pulling her to his side.

"Bring them to me." echoed a disembodied female voice.

The woman that greeted them, the owner of the echoing voice, was small, ancient and appeared frail. Her command had suggested that she held authority at the Shadow Proclamation. Her hair was impossibly white, and her skin was iridescent, much like Li's. The room was white and bright. Ned had to shield his eyes and squint. In the end he gave up and wore the battered sunglasses that Li had given back to him. The Doctor strode into the room, hands in his pockets, coat flapping out behind him, oozing confidence. Li walked one step behind him, and Ned was behind, with the rest of the Judoon a little too close for his liking.

"Hello, I'm the…"

"I know who you are, Doctor. I am the Guardian." her voice was clear and strong, no hint of age there. Ned had expected it to have that weak shaking quality that older ladies often had. The Guardian nodded to the Judoon, who obeyed the silent order. Li was prodded into following them out of the room.

"Doctor! Where are they taking her?"

""Shh, it's OK."

"No, it's not. I didn't get to say goodbye." Ned moved forwards "Can't I say goodbye?"

"If the human cannot be silent, he will need to leave." The Guardian glared at Ned. The Doctor gently moved Ned behind him, keeping a protective arm in front of him.

"Guardian, would it be possible if.."

"Thank you for returning the prisoner. You will leave now."

"OK, we will leave, we know the prisoner has to serve her time. I implore you, as the last of the species that brought her to you, please answer the few questions I have."

"I cannot promise I shall answer your questions. Ask."

"How much longer is the sentence?"

"Judging by her recent actions while released from her prison, she has not learned to control herself. Her sentence shall be increased."

"That's not what I asked," he rolled his eyes and sighed. Time to try a different line of questioning. "What is she imprisoned for?"

"I am not authorised to tell you."

"Who is then?"

"She is."

"Urgh." Ned could not keep quiet. "But you won't let us see her!"

"Take him back to your TT capsule and leave. I did warn you." the wrinkled face was clenched in anger.

"OK, I'm sorry, he is sorry." The Doctor held his hands out and Ned nodded. "If I take him back to the T.A.R.D.I.S, may I see her one last time. An opportunity to ask her myself? Please?"

The Guardian considered the request. Her hard stare moved from the Doctor to Ned. His human heart increased in rate. He had the urge to turn and run. Like a fearful child, he held the Doctor's sleeve. The Guardian nodded, and the Time Lord turned to the human clutching him.

"I'm sorry Ned, it's the best I could do."

The Doctor took a long look at Ned, sitting on the pilot's chair, his head in his hands. He sighed deeply, dropped his head and shut the T.A.R.D.I.S door.

He knew he was not going to get long with Li, nor could he guarantee he would get the answers he was looking for. She had been silent up to now; only giving away the tiniest of clues as to what had happened and who she was. He worked over in his mind what he was going to say, never considering to prepare himself for what he might see.

The two Judoon guards led the Doctor along a series of white corridors punctuated by curved windows; a contrast of dark starry space against clinical white. A door slid open and he led into a huge open space. Floating in the middle of the expanse was a bronze sphere; a Void Ship with a white staircase leading up to it. The Judoon took the Doctor to the right, where against the wall was a cage. Its bars were not made of plastic or metal, they were strips of electricity leaping from metal conductors. Inside stood Li, her face expressionless, her eyes dull, and body naked. The Doctor could now see the extent of the tattoos across her body, and he could understand what it read.

Chapter Eleven

It was something that the Doctor seldom experienced; the jab of pain when someone you know looks through you like a stranger. The field of electricity was keeping Li subdued.

"Can I go in with her, please?" he asked the Judoon, and was surprised when this was permitted and four strips of electricity halted to let him slide through. The Doctor shrugged off his coat and wrapped Li in it. She turned her head, gazing at him with dull orange eyes.

"I am not cold." she said in a flat tone.

"I know. It's for my benefit. I know what is written on your body and I'm finding it difficult to read. My ancestors really did a number on you."

"You know what it is?"

"Well," he exhaled. He wanted to pace, but was aware of the electricity so close to him. "It's hard to describe it exactly. It's like a spell of sorts. It is keeping you in this human, well, Gallifreyan form. It's a punishment that is eternal." The Doctor sat on the floor and crossed his legs, dropping his head. "I can't undo it. What is your true form?" he looked up as he asked the question. Li knelt down in front of him, his long brown overcoat engulfing her tiny frame.

"I was a collection of atoms, I could change form freely, however our species are usually a cloud of orange vapour. Much like what you witnessed being returned to me from the humans. I am of the Higher Species, known as The Light of the Universe."

The Doctor rubbed his chin. He had thought that she might have been so, but to hear it now. The myths from his childhood were true.

"I am so sorry."

"Why? I brought this upon myself."

"But to keep you locked in this form. You are a, well I don't think I can correctly describe it."

"I feel constricted in this form, but it is a punishment after all."

The Doctor fell silent again. To him, it looked like she was being punished twice. Once by having her natural form changed by the Time Lords, and again by being sent into the Void by the Shadow Proclamation.

"I have to know, what did you do to result in all of this? That spell on your body is permanent."

Li took his hands and summoned up her strength. The electricity made her feel dull and weak. However, if this was going to be the last opportunity to explain her actions to a Time Lord, the last of that species, she was going to take it.

"The Higher Species have great power. Many lower beings consider us to be gods, and we often acted as such. However, these were not encouraged qualities. Like the Time Lords, we were confined by the Time Laws to not interfere with lower beings; to only observe." She pulled in close to him, he could almost touch the orange tears on her cheeks. "You understand, don't you." she whispered. "I can see through time because I was born out of the time vortex. I am eternal. I can see every diversion in every living soul's life across time and space, what every decision will mean and what it would result in. I could not let it happen. I saw the future and in a moment, I made the decision to change it, because I could see what would never be." She pulled back from the Doctor.

"What did you do? Whose future did you change?"

"I was caught by the Time Lords soon after the event." her tone changed; it was as if she was merely stating uninteresting facts from a court report. "They knew the vulnerabilities of my species and I was captured in a ball of electricity. While subdued, they took me to the Shadow Proclamation, whereupon I was punished and sentenced to an immeasurable time in the Void."

"Immeasurable?"

"Yes." a tiny smirk flickered across her lips. "What is a millennia to an eternal being?"

The Doctor sat and waited for her to continue her story. She seemed to be in a state of mind where she was willing to pass on information. In a break from his usual jabbering self, he stayed quiet, letting the story form, even if it seemed a little disjointed.

"I am being punished for interfering in the lives of six Time Lords, by allowing them safe passage when they, and the TT Type 40 Mark 3 they were travelling in, should have been destroyed."

The Time Lord left the being from the Higher Species he had come to know as 'Li', wrapped in his coat, sitting on the floor of her temporary prison. As the electricity strips were replaced, he turned.

"One last question. What power or influence do you have over Ned? Or anyone for that matter. Even I felt it when I first met you. I went from hunting you down to helping you."

"That," Li looked at the Doctor with a small smile "was not me. It is simply a part of yours, and Ned's personality. You both saw someone who needed help, and that is what you both did."

The Doctor was led back through the corridors to his T.A.R.D.I.S. As they passed the room where the Guardian was, she stepped out.

"You forgot your clothing."

"She can keep it as a reminder that this Time Lord, the last of the Time Lord, forgives her." he left the Guardian, not waiting for, or even wanting a response. He swaggered up to the blue wooden double doors, snapped his fingers, and stepped through without a backwards glance.

The central column glowed and pulsed as it moved up and down. The discordant sound of the time vortex mingled with the metallic wheezing and thrumming as it dematerialised. The Doctor relayed most of Li's story to Ned. As he repeated what he had heard moments ago, he felt helpless. He was the last of the species that sentenced her. Why could he not do anything about it? Was she still dangerous? His time with her had been confusing. He had met a weak alien that needed his help after being tortured by humans. However, upon helping her, she had become vengeful and destructive. She had to be convinced not to kill all those humans in retribution. Yet when he considered what had happened in the dell in Sussex when that young fyrdsman attacked her, she was restrained. She did not blame all humans for the actions of a few.

His brain was full of stuff, always unable to see what was right in front of him and plainly obvious to everyone else.

"Why can't you help her? The T.A.R.D.I.S. tried to. Isn't that why she was talking to it?" Ned frowned at the Doctor. For a moment the two men glared at each other, one wanting action from the other, and the other angry with himself. Until the Doctor yelled and slapped himself on the forehead.

"Argh! So unbelievably stupid and thick sometimes, but oh, I get there in the end! She wasn't saving the six Time Lords, she was saving their ship, a TT Type 40 Mark 3, more commonly known as the T.A.R.D.I.S, my wonderfully ancient malfunctioning T.A.R.D.I.S that I borrowed!"

"So, let's go back!" Ned watched the Doctor leaping about the console, switching knobs, turning dials. "C'mon, Doctor. Please? Don't just take me home. Let's rescue Li."

"That," said the Doctor, momentarily glancing up at Ned "is what I'm trying to do, if you could just hush for a bit. Besides. She's still got my coat!" he grinned. "Now, about being quiet. For this to work we have to be really quiet, and I mean silent."

"Doctor?" whispered Ned

"What?"

"The T.A.R.D.I.S is really noisy though."

"Not if I use the super silent stealth mode." He grinned. "C'mon," he muttered to the console "now's your chance to help her like she helped you."

Long fingers deftly took hold of a lever and with a cocky waggle of an eyebrow, it was depressed with a flourish. The lights in the console room dimmed and there was an unsettling hush. The central column was still moving and glowing, just silently. Ned's eyes were wide and he sat back on the pilot's chair, holding a hand over his mouth in case his breathing was too loud. The Doctor held his finger to his lips and grinned. This was going to be clever, really clever. However, it had to be done quickly else it could result in disaster.

It was time. The electricity keeping the prisoner in the cage was shut off. Six Judoon guards surrounded the small female dressed only in a mean's brown overcoat. She was able to wrap herself in it, the hem touching the floor as she was escorted towards the white steps that led to the bronze sphere.

The Guardian appeared in the doorway.

"The prisoner may keep the garment the, however the pockets must be emptied." The order was projected from the doorway. A Judoon guard ordered the prisoner to empty the pockets. There was not much in them: a small elastic band ball and a red wooden yo-yo. The objects were handed over and the prisoner was escorted to the base of the stairs.

This was all familiar and the prisoner climbed the staircase without waiting for the order. The Guardian watched from the doorway as the small female climbed in and the top of the bronze sphere closed over. The Judoon trooped out of the area as a klaxon sounded. The Guardian retired to watch the launch from the safety of a viewing deck.

It seemed like they had been in silence forever in the T.A.R.D.I.S, waiting for whatever was going to happen. The Doctor had not explained what was going to happen exactly, and Ned was wondering if that was because he too did not know. Ned preferred a plan of action, and the Time Lord seemed to make it up as he went along. This attitude caused the old soldier to have an intangible disquiet within. In the corner of his eye, a red flashing light caught Ned's attention. The Doctor was on the other side of the console and could not see it. Ned flapped his arms in an attempt to get his attention.

The Doctor looked over and mouthed 'what' with an irritated expression. Ned was now pointing. The Doctor made his way around the console, treading lightly. Ned really hoped it was an important red light, as the attitude of that tip-toe was that of someone pandering to a complete idiot, yet not hiding their annoyance about it either.

The red flashing light was not insignificant, which simultaneously relieved and panicked Ned. The Doctor could not keep silent any longer.

"No!" he breathed. With a pained expression, he flicked a switch, which made a terrifying din in the silence of the console room. No effect. The red light kept on blinking. The Doctor picked up the rubber mallet, holding it for a few seconds, considering whether he should use this. It was going to be loud, but it had to be done. He lifted it up to shoulder height, and struck the offending section of the console with a much force as he dared.

A loud 'dong' reverberated around the console room. Ned sucked his teeth, and the Doctor winced. The Time Lord turned to the human.

"Well if they didn't hear that I reckon it's safe to talk." he said in a low voice. Ned answered by nodding in agreement.

"Did it work?" Ned whispered. The Doctor stared at the screen, waiting. The lights dimmed further so that it was almost dark inside the console room. Ned could just make out the figure of the Doctor, and that was only because he knew where he was standing.

The lighting in the console room pulsed. Ned jumped off the pilot's chair, grabbing the Doctor and pointing. On the floor of the console, a small figure was curled up in a long brown overcoat, fading in and out of view in much the same manner that the T.A.R.D.I.S materialised. Both men waited and watched. The Doctor indicated to Ned to remain quiet. Once the figure stopped fading and was on board the T.A.R.D.I.S, the Doctor leapt about the console. The lights brightened and after a few seconds, the sound returned too.

Ned was knelt down next to Li when the time machine wheezed. He laid a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. The Doctor wandered over and crouched down beside him.

"She might need to rest for a bit. Be a good lad and get her some clothes. I'll want my coat back and she's starkers under there! Take the first left, second right, third on the left, straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on the left. Got it?"

"Think so." Ned wandered off, muttering the directions to himself.

By the time Ned returned, Li was awake and sitting on the pilot's chair, still wrapped in the Doctor's coat.

"I just grabbed a dressing gown. There's so much in there!"

"Well, maybe you can go and have a rummage later, eh?" The Doctor winked at Li. The men turned away as Li changed.

"Thank you." She said, tying up the belt on the thin stripy cotton gown. "But you know they can track me. You have broken more laws."

"I couldn't leave you in there. They might not think you have been rehabilitated, but I know otherwise. Besides, who am I to judge others on not interfering? Oh, and I don't think I would have heard the last of it from this old girl!" He said, tapping the console.

"Doctor, How did you do that?" Ned asked.

"Well," The Doctor was now leaping about the console, turning dials with a flourish. This bit he enjoyed; showing off how clever he had just been to a willing audience. "I managed to materialise the T.A.R.D.I.S inside the Void Ship, but only around Li. We didn't actually land inside though, just enough to grab 'n' go!" he grinned.

Chapter Twelve

The Doctor pulled down a complicated brass apparatus from up above in the console room. He held it for a moment, running his fingertips over the curves. He turned to Li.

"You're right, I have broken more laws. And they will know where you are, because there is a trace on you. I can't remove the trace because it's on your DNA, if your species has such a thing." He frowned for a moment before continuing. "This will hide you from the Shadow Proclamation, and from anyone else really. You will appear human, in fact even you will believe you are human." He guided Li to stand underneath the headset and lowered it on to her head. "This is going to hurt, so brace yourself." He fixed a fob watch into a space in the front of the headset. "Ready?"

Li nodded. She gripped each side of the headset and screwed her eyes shut. The Doctor stood back, took a firm hold of Ned, and kicked a lever with his foot. Ned protested at being held on to, but once the buzzing filled the console room, followed by Li's screams, the Doctor struggled to keep hold of him.

"What is that? What are you doing to her?" Ned yelled as he fought against the Doctor's grip.

"It's a Chameleon Arch," he shouted in Ned's ear "it's making her human, rewriting every atom in her body. And it hurts like hell!"

The screaming hurt Ned's ears, the pain and suffering that the Chameleon Arch was causing her gave him a physical pain too. It gripped his guts, much like the Doctor was gripping him. All Ned wanted to do was rip that damn contraption off her head. Instead he yelled along with her; the primal scream of the helpless. He dropped to his knees, and the Doctor held him close.

It took a few seconds for Ned to realise that Li had stopped screaming; the noise had continued to ring in his ears. She was now lying on the floor with her eyes shut. The headset was dangling from the ceiling of the console room. The Doctor had let go of Ned, and was now taking the fob watch out. Ned got to his knees and looked at the small female wearing only a dressing gown on the floor of the console room. Her hair had changed colour; she was now a natural red head.

"I always wanted to be ginger." The Doctor snorted. He sighed before handing the fob watch to Ned. "I have some important instructions for you. This watch contains Li, the old Li. To her it will just be an old broken watch, but keep it safe. If it is opened, she will come back, and the Shadow Proclamation will be able to find her."

"So, what has happened to her?"

"The Chameleon Arch will have given her a background story, a name, everything." the Doctor was not satisfied with the puzzled expression that Ned had. "She will wake up; she will still know who we are. She will just think that you two have been travelling with me. I'm not completely wiping her memory. Take her to the wardrobe when she wakes and get her kitted out. I'll sort the rest from here."

While he waited for her to show a sign she was waking up, Ned considered what the Doctor had said; that Li would have the memory that they had been travelling with the Doctor. Was that even such a thing to do? Ned had been convinced that he had just been a passenger, waiting for his stop so that he could be dropped off. At no time had he considered that travelling through time and space with this mad man who was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time, could be something that people actually did. Ned looked up at the Doctor who was busy at the controls of his time machine. Did he want to ask? Yes, was the truth. He wanted to fill the quiet with questions about the Time Lord's life. Yet somehow, it did not seem like the best option right now. There probably was never a right time to ask those kinds of questions.

Li stretched and yawned. When she opened her eyes, she saw Ned's smiling face. There was a trace of concern in his eyes, so she greeted him with "I'm OK" in a sleepy voice. Ned took her to the wardrobe room. The Doctor smiled as he heard Ned explaining that Li had gotten her clothes soaking wet, which was why she was wearing a dressing gown.

With the humans gone for the moment, the Time Lord began to work his magic. He could not just drop Ned back to his life living on the streets of London. And he certainly could not leave Li with him like that. No, he had a responsibility for both of them. He had acknowledged a while ago that he remained responsible for his companions. Even when they did part ways. He had never really thought about it, until he had been reunited with old companions. That had made him understand the impact that he had on their lives. He was so old, and he often forgot that even though he easily outlived generations of humans, he never really left them.

The T.A.R.D.I.S materialised in the garden of a Victorian terraced house, just seventy-two hours after Ned had entered the time machine. The Doctor opened the blue wooden doors and ushered Ned and Li out.

"Welcome home!" he exclaimed with arms outstretched, winking at Ned. Li glanced around the garden.

"Wow, we must have been away for a while. This garden needs some attention." She wandered off around the back of the T.A.R.D.I.S while the Doctor took hold of Ned and took him to the back door. His trusty sonic screwdriver opened the back door.

"Have you just found us somewhere to squat?" Ned hissed.

"No, why would I do that? You own this. Deeds are, well should be in the kitchen

drawer, third one down."

"How?"

"I have a time machine, remember. All sorted, bank accounts, the lot."

"I...I don't know where to start. Thank you doesn't seem to cover it." Ned stammered, his eyes were becoming wet and he was doing his best to hold back tears..

"You can thank me by having a brilliant human life. It's all yours out there, enjoy it." The Doctor pulled Ned into one of those hard hugs that are reserved for those you really care about. Ned could not hold back anymore, and the tears rolled freely. The Doctor grinned and slapped Ned on the shoulder before bouncing off towards the garden.

"Oh, one more thing," he turned in the doorway "I've made an appointment for you. She's brilliant. Details are in the same drawer as the deeds. And keys, don't worry, there are keys too!" He bounded off into the garden to find Li.

Ned watched as the Time Lord pulled Li into an embrace. It was strange seeing her without her purple hair and orange eyes. She looked completely human now with her naturally red hair and blue eyes. Even her skin had changed. It was pale instead of translucent, and had freckles. The Doctor entered his impossibly sized time machine. The wind whipped around the garden and once the discordant noise of the universe and the wind had died down, Li ran up to Ned.

"I dunno about you, but I could do with a cuppa. It's like I haven't had one for ages!"

Ned smiled. He had not seen her eat or drink, nor be bothered about it up until now. Yep, she was human now.

Once the T.A.R.D.I.S was in flight, the Doctor stood back from the console and looked around. It was always a little bit bigger when he was on his own. There was still the same familiar sting of sadness and loneliness when he left someone behind. There were times when he had leave them, and others when they had been taken away. And, of course, the ones that had walked away. The Time Lord in his time machine with no time to dwell on events. There was always somewhere, somewhen to be.