Chapter 7

Sara looked up when the door of her room opened. Sara had stayed in a handful of the thousands of bedrooms the TARDIS offered, but she liked this one. She could hear the hum of Tara's machinery through the wall, and it had the same effect as a radiator heater running next to her bed when she slept.

The Doctor walked in. He held his hands behind his back and offered a suspicious grin. She lowered her book as he approached the chaise lounge she reclined on.

"I do not like this expression you have." She waved her hand in a circle at his face.

He smiled some more. "Why is that, my dear?"

"Or that you're calling me 'my dear.' That's even more unnerving. If you have come to ask me to go venturing with you—"

"No. No, no. I have to attend to… Another matter." He sobered for a moment as his smile faded. "An unfortunate matter."

"Who are you saving?"

"I will be saving no one." Pain came over his face, but when he smiled again, it was gone. "I've made something for you."

"Did you?"

He produced a silver locket on a silver chain, holding it up for her to see. In the center of the locket was a dark blue gem. Sara stared at it for a moment.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Why would you make me something? We're not friends."

He smiled again, laying the locket in her book and draping the chain over the top, like a ribbon for a bookmark. He stepped back.

"The locket extends the projection of the TARDIS Graphic Interface by nearly two kilometers, depending on the terrain and mineral deposits, of course. The audio too."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you make this for me?"

"She asked me to. She wanted to take you to see the Woodland Beings, but you must tread carefully while there so as not to harm them."

"What are the Woodland Beings?"

"A benevolent race, I assure you. I call them Woodland Beings because I don't know what they call themselves." He chuckled, but it died off when she didn't share it with him. "The creatures haven't spoken since I first arrived. Well, not audibly. They can communicate on a minimalist level, so I know when they approve or disapprove of something, but until can decipher their language. It can be very confusing calling out 'hey you' and having an entire forest react. At any rate, the Woodland Beings trust us, so they'll trust you. And it will be just the two of you on the planet. Nothing else lives there except for a few insects I brought to help with pollination."

"Why does it feel like you're sending us away?"

"I'm not. She asked for something to let her go further with you, so I made it. Simple as that." He walked out of the room.

Sara picked up the locket, running her finger over the engraved design and stone.

"Is this locket what he says it is, Tara?" Sara asked.

She appeared next to the chaise lounge. "Yes. It is."

"Why would he make this for us?"

"He is my friend, and I asked him for it. Please don't be hard on him about this. He didn't even question me when I asked for this, and he always questions me."

"That doesn't make you suspicious? Even a little?"

"No. I don't know what he's off to do, but he didn't want us around while he was doing whatever it is. I told him I would only agree if he would help me extend my range so we could have a long outing until he called me back."

"I'm suspicious." Sara looked at the necklace. "Did he really make this himself? The locket?"

"No. He had it. It used to belong to…"

Sara looked up at Tara. She was staring at the floor.

"Belong to who?"

"Someone he cared for. It's just been sitting in a box all this time. He added the hologram lens, that blue gem-like middle, and made the components that went inside."

"Just as long as he didn't steal it."

Tara smiled. "Rest assured. He did not. I'll let you know when we're at our destination." Tara disappeared.

Sara looked at the necklace for a few more minutes, and then put it on. She resumed reading her book.

#

Sara watched the twig twirling between her fingers, trying to keep her mind off the pain in her ankle. It wasn't working as well as she'd hoped. She dropped her hand onto her lap and laid her head against the tree she was propped up against. The Woodland Being towered over her. The smallest branch was twice as big as she was and the smallest leaf was as large as her head. The TARDIS told her that these sentient trees had come here from another planet where humans were going to harvest them.

Sara closed her eyes when she shifted, moving her swollen ankle. She mentally berated herself again for not watching where she was going and falling down the hill, consequently sprang her ankle. It was too bad of a sprang to make it back to the TARDIS and Tara couldn't move closer to Sara without causing damage to any of the trees. She swore she'd back fast and went to get The Doctor to help Sara back to her.

Sara opened her eyes, turning her head to look at the patch of purple sky through the trees. The daylight was fading out there, and even if Tara swore there weren't any animals here, she really didn't like the idea of spending a night alone on an alien planet.

Her heart leaped into her throat when a twig snapped, and she looked toward the sound. A few moments of silence followed before she could hear footsteps. Sara almost called out to the person but stopped. If it were The Doctor, he'd be calling for her, wouldn't he? Sara closed her lips, shrinking down like a rabbit trying to hide.

There was a loud snap followed by a female voice demanding, "Get off. Get away before I turn you into fire kindling!"

Through the brush, a woman appeared. She had a mass of curly black hair, dark eyes, and a long-sleeved dark gown. She carried an umbrella in her hands. The woman smiled at Sara, kindness in her smile. Sara felt trapped by something wicked.

"Oh! Hello. I didn't expect to find anyone else on this planet."

Sara didn't respond.

She cupped her hand next to her mouth, whispering, "This is the part you say hello back and tell me your name."

Sara did neither.

The woman put her fists on her hips. "Not the sociable type, I take it."

No response.

"Is there a reason you're just sitting here in the forest?"

Sara watched the trees behind the woman turn, and it caught her off breath. The woman glanced back at them.

"Stay back, or I will be keeping myself warm with all your bits and pieces," she warned the trees.

They didn't move. She turned her attention back to Sara.

"Why are you on this planet all alone?"

"Who said I was alone?" Sara hissed.

"There's no need to take that tone with me! I just assumed that you weren't sitting here under this tree with that ankle—" The woman jabbed Sara's sprang ankle with the end of her umbrella, making Sara cry out and pull her leg back.

"What do you want?" Sara asked.

The woman smiled that fake grin again. "To help."

"The hell you do."

"What else would I be here for?"

"Not to help me, except into a grave, maybe."

The woman took a step closer. "I only want to help, dearie."

"I don't want your help. Get away from me!"

"But there isn't anyone else here to help you, Sara."

"Who's Sara?"

"Why, you are, Sara O'Dwyer."

Sara stared at her without confirming or denying the truth. The woman smiled again, and it was even colder.

"So, let's get you up and be on our way."

"I am not going anywhere with you… Whoever you are."

"Oh. I'm Missy. And you are going with me." She jabbed Sara's, making her scream and pull back against the tree.

A tree slapped a branch at Missy, hitting her in the chest. She flew back into the brush.

"Thank you," Sara whispered to the tree. "Thank you."

Missy got up and aimed the end of her umbrella at the tree.

"Leave them alone!" Tara said as she materialized between Missy, and Sara and the tree.

Missy smiled.

"And who are you?"

"I am TARDIS, Missy. Leave them alone."

"Oh… You are TARDIS, are you?" Missy laughed. "You really expect me to believe that."

"I do. Leave."

"If you're TARDIS, then you aren't real." Missy snapped up her umbrella, and it shot at Tara. The blast passed through her and hit another tree. There was a strange, high pitched ring in the air that lasted only a few minutes. It hurt both Sara and Missy's ears, making both women cringe.

Missy stood up, staring at Tara. She was still standing between them. Missy laughed.

"You are the Graphic Interface of his TARDIS, aren't you? Then that means you can't touch me." Missy started toward Sara.

"Are you sure about that?" Tara asked.

"You're a hologram!" Missy told her, not stopping.

"I am, I can speak with your TARDIS, and if you ever want to leave this planet, you will leave Sara alone."

"I am taking his companion, and you can't stop me."

"She isn't The Doctor's companion!" Tara yelled at the same time Sara screamed, "I am not The Doctor's damn companion!"

Missy stopped, looking between the two. "What?"

"She is my friend," Tara told her. "She and The Doctor don't even like each other. He doesn't care what happens to her, but I do. And I promise you, Missy, if you harm her, I will strand you here and leave you to die."

"I regenerate."

"You can regenerate for eternity, but you will never leave this planet if you harm my friend."

"My TARDIS would never listen to you."

"Are you certain of that?" another voice asked.

Behind her, a man appeared. Missy turned.

"Who are you?"

"I am the TARDIS that you belong to."

Missy looked between the two TARDIS holograms. "This is insane."

"I had the same thought that three regenerations ago," The Doctor said as he came around the tree. "But it doesn't make it untrue, Missy."

She glared at him. "This is a trick."

He shook his head. "This is not a trick. They are sentient. We belong to them. They merely take us where we like when we ask, which is why they don't always take us where we want when we ask."

"I always end up where I want."

"Eventually," her TARDIS added.

"Shut up, you!" Missy bit back. "I suppose you have friends like this." Missy pointed back at Sara.

"If I did, I'd never tell you. You'd kill them."

That only made her angrier. She looked from The Doctor to Sara to Tara. "If I find her alone again…" Missy smiled. She walked back into the woods, leaving them. Her TARDIS hologram stood for a few minutes.

"Thank you for helping," Tara told him.

He smiled. "Anything to make her angry." He disappeared.

"Let's get you back to the TARDIS," The Doctor said, turning to Sara.

"Who was that?"

"Someone you don't want to meet again."

He helped her up and pulled her arm around his shoulder.

"She's a bad woman, isn't she?"

"Used to be a man, and was bad then too. So… Yes."

"Is she always so angry?"

He looked at Sara, staring at her face. "Angry?"

"She's a very angry, bitter woman. Was she always like that? Even as a man?"

"I don't know. Enough about that. You need ice on that. Let's go."

They started moving slowly in the direction of the TARDIS.

"Why'd she think I was your companion?"

"Who knows."

"How did she find me?"

He stopped walking. "Do you always have to ask so many questions?"

"Maybe if you gave me whole answers instead of nibbles, I wouldn't have to ask so many questions, Doctor."

He smiled. "I really don't like you."

"I don't like you either. Let's go before it's dark."

They started moving again.

"You know it never actually gets dark here. The planet spins too fast."

"Why should I care?"

Their voices faded. Missy came out from behind a tree, watching them. She jumped when a male voice asked, "Leave her alone, Missy."

She turned to the hologram. "I am turning you off."

"You can disable the hologram, but you can't turn me off."

"Can't I?"

"Not if you ever want to go anywhere. I'm part of everything that makes the TARDIS work."

She glared at him. "You would have stranded me here if I touched that human?"

"She is a friend of the TARDIS – of all TARDIS." He leaned toward her. "If you are a smart Time Lord, you will never find out what happens when a friend of the TARDIS is harmed or killed." He flickered and disappeared.

She turned, watching the three again. "Well… This was educational." Missy walked back to her TARDIS, occasionally getting slapped by small branches from the trees.