A/N: Hello my lovely readers. Yeah, it's late, I know. I've been in hospital, my partner is in hospital and I almost join him over the weekend. I'm finally starting to get a little better and knew that it was time for you guys to have an update. I hope that you enjoy it!
Rose was in her room, she had kind of lost her motivation since Mickey had left. She would never admit it, but she missed him so much. Kari knew, she understood just how much he had meant to her. No, he wasn't her boyfriend anymore, but he was one of her closest friends. While Kari wanted to be there for her friend, she knew that there was something else that she needed to deal with first.
She found herself sitting in the library with the Doctor. Kari had so much that she needed to explain to him, but she just didn't know how to. "Something happened to me, with the time vortex." She ended up telling him, feeling not just her own anxiousness, but his as well. "Ever since then, things have been different. I can hear your thoughts without even meaning to, I can feel what you are feeling. I don't know how, and I really don't know why. I've asked you, so many times, if there is something wrong with me, but all the tests and scans come back normal." Now that she had started, it was hard for her to stop. "I'm completely healthy, but there is still something wrong with me."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure we will work it out eventually." The Doctor replied, pulling her closer towards him. "You're safe, that is all that matters, Kari. You are safe."
"Am I though?" Kari asked, thinking back to all the things that happen. "Right now, the time vortex seems to be stronger. I mean, I can use it and it doesn't have as much of an impact on me as it usually does. What just happened, with the Cybermen, before that would have almost killed me. But it didn't."
The Doctor didn't really know what to say. He knew that she was right, what Kari had done probably should have killed her, but it hadn't. "You are safe. It didn't kill you and that is all I care about. Whatever it is that has happened, it is keeping you safe." As he said that he held her just that little bit tighter, and placed a light kiss on her head.
After that they stayed in a comfortable silence for some time. It was only broken when the Doctor noticed that Kari was trying so hard not to rub her head. "You've got a headache, haven't you?"
While she didn't want to admit it, Kari knew that she had to. "Yeah, I do." If she could, she would stay there with him, but she knew how this was going to go. "Look after Rose, she's really struggling with everything at the moment. She'll put on a brave face but inside this is tearing her apart." She knew how badly it hurt when someone left, and she understood what it was like to find her dad alive and then have to leave him. Her friend was going to need some support. "I'll be back soon."
"Don't worry about Rose, she'll be fine. Just make sure you look after yourself." The Doctor told her, the worry seeping through into his voice. Yes, he had told her that she was safe, but it didn't stop him from worrying. Whatever had happened to her, he hadn't been through that yet, and she was giving him no hints as to how long he was going to have to wait to get to that point. "I love you, Kari."
She looked up at him as the golden glow started to spread from her hands. Kari knew that it was almost time to go. "I love you too, Doctor. Behave, don't go and get into trouble until I'm back."
He chuckled at her a little. "I promise, I'll wait until you're back before getting into trouble." The Doctor replied, watching her sadly. He hated these times, the moments when she was pulled away from him.
Kari was now starting to realise just how it made him feel. She could feel his sadness and worry. Every time she left, he felt a little heartbroken. He was scared that she was going to leave and not come back to him. Unfortunately, before she was able to reassure him that she would definitely be back and that he didn't need to worry, the time vortex had taken her over completely and she was whisked away from him.
"Apalapucia." Kari heard a male voice say, one that she recognised.
Then another man spoke. "Apalapucia." Kari couldn't help but smile, she knew who that voice belonged to.
"Apalapucia. What a beautiful word." A Scottish female voice said.
Kari knew that it was now time for her to make everyone aware of her presence. "Beautiful word, beautiful world." She said, at exactly the same time as the Doctor did. She expected him to finish it off, to tell them more about the planet like he should have. Instead there was silence. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw the Doctor right in front of her, a smile on his face. His whole energy was just buzzing around her now, he was full of joy that she was there. "Hi." She managed to say, trying not to get too distracted with all the things that were running through his head.
"Hello." The Doctor replied, a smile on his face. Without warning, he pulled her towards him and surprised her with a kiss. It was only when there was some coughing in the background did he finally pull away. Kari was blushing like crazy while the Doctor could do nothing but smile.
He took her by the hand and led her around the console. "Apalapucia, voted number 2 planet in the top 10 greatest destinations for the disconcerting intergalactic traveller." Kari said, as she was dragged with him. "Hello, Ponds." She called out, knowing that the Doctor was not going to let go of her hand. She could sense the protectiveness he was projecting, and it made her think that something may have happened recently.
"Hi, Kari. Been anywhere nice?" Amy asked, wandering over to her and giving her a hug. The Doctor still did not let her hand go, so Kari could only give her a one armed hug back.
She let out a slight chuckle. "Cooling tunnels with Cybermen. Not my idea of nice."
"Why couldn't we go to number one?" Rory interjected, coming over and giving Kari an awkward hug of his own.
This time it was the Doctor who replied. "It's hideous. Everyone goes to number one. Planet of the coffee shops. Apalapucia. I give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades. I give you…" As he had been speaking they had all been venturing towards the door, Kari still firmly in his grip. Once they reached the doors, the Doctor pulled one open, hoping to amaze his friends.
Rory had seen the look on Kari's face, the one that told him something bad was going to happen, that they were not going to get the experience that they all expected. He was the first to glance outside of the doors when they were open. "Doors."
The Doctor poked his head out and looked into the area where they had landed. It was white, all white with a set of doors on the other side. "Doors. Yes. I give you doors. But on the other side of those doors, I give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades." He said, trying to defend himself, to make them see that he hadn't really made a mistake.
While Kari had been dragged out with the Doctor, Amy was still in the TARDIS, and she suddenly popped her head out of the doorway. "Have you seen my phone?" She asked, her question being directed towards the Doctor.
"Your phone?" There was a hint of disbelief in his voice as he spoke.
Kari let out a sigh. "Yes, her phone. It is also a camera phone. Amy wants it to take pictures of all these amazing things that you have just promised are waiting behind that door." She said, before giving him a nudge. "Now will you let go, you're going to take my arm off." Kari just wanted him to let her go, because she knew what she was going to have to do, and he was most certainly not going to like it.
The Doctor ran a hand through his floppy hair. "On the counter, by the DVDs." He said, before letting go of Kari's hand. As he did, she felt a wave of sadness coming from him.
"Doctor, why are you so moody today?" She asked him, trying to work out what was going on. "You are acting a little… I don't know…" She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was most definitely something off. He was a mess, his emotions were all over the place, Kari could feel it, and it worried her.
He looked at her, the sadness showing in his eyes. "I'm not moody." The Doctor told her, trying his hardest to sound normal.
There were just a few minor problems. Kari knew him so much better than that, plus she could feel how he was feeling. "You are such a bad liar, Doctor, and you are going to tell me the truth. Just after I've grabbed something from the TARDIS." Kari told him, reaching up and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you, remember that. No matter what."
Before he had a chance to respond she had darted into the blue box and stopped when she reached the main console. Kari rested her hand against it and let out a sigh. "As if this wasn't going to be bad enough, now I've got him having a sulk or something." She muttered to herself, before closing her eyes and trying to work out what was going on.
It didn't take long for some images to flash up in her mind, images of a child. She could see the Doctor there, talking to this child, a boy. Kari knew that scene, she knew what happened there, but she didn't understand why it was having such an impact on the Doctor.
"Hey, are you okay?" Amy asked her softly, lightly touching Kari's arm and bringing her back to reality.
Kari opened her eyes and smiled at her friend. "Yeah, just thought I'd wait for you. Those two are just impatient, well at least the Doctor is." Yes, Kari had decided to wait for Amy, but for a much different reason. "You found your phone?"
Amy held it up. "Yup. All ready. Come on, let's go and catch up with them." She linked her arm through Kari's and led her out of the TARDIS, Kari pulling the door closed behind her. She felt a hum in her head, not a comforting hum, a warning. It was as if the TARDIS knew exactly what she was going to do and wanted her to stop.
The pair stopped when they reached the door that the Doctor and Rory had gone through. Amy expected it to open as soon as she reached the door, but it stayed firmly closed. "Hey! Hey, it's locked." She called through it, hoping they could both hear her.
It was her husband that replied. "Yeah, push the button." He called through the closed doors.
Kari took a deep breath as she watched Amy push the Red Waterfall button. She knew that Rory and the Doctor were in Green Anchor, she knew what she was about to do, and she knew it was a very stupid thing to do as well. All she could do now was watch as Amy stepped inside, before taking a breath and following her in there.
The room was empty, and Amy looked around, looking for her husband and the Doctor. She turned and was about to go back out the door when it quickly closed. "This… this is not good." Kari muttered, trying to keep herself as calm as she could. She had no idea what was going to happen to her, or how much it was going to upset the Doctor. There were so many things now running through her head it was hard to think straight.
"What do you mean? Do you know where we are? Is this one of those times where you know everything?" Amy asked her, looking at her and seeing the panic on her face. "Kari?"
"It's fine. Don't worry. Everything is fine." Kari quickly said, pulling herself together. She couldn't let Amy know that she knew exactly where they were, and exactly what was going to happen to them.
Suddenly the giant magnifying glass that was on the table in the middle of the room turned on and Amy sat down in front of it. Through it she was able to now see the Doctor, but he wasn't there, he wasn't standing on the other side of it, there was no one there at all.
Then the Doctor's voice filled the room. "Rory, I think I've found her."
"What do you mean you've found her?" Rory asked, before he came into view as well, before disappearing for a second. "Whoa. No, but, she's not, she's not here. I can see her, but she's not here."
Kari watched from the side of the room as Amy frowned, her eyes fixed on the magnifying glass. "Where am I? In fact, where are you?" She asked, seeing both her husband and the Doctor on the other side of it.
Before they had a chance to reply, something happened, and Kari knew exactly what it was. The doors to the room the Doctor and Rory were in slid open and a white humanoid robot walked in. She could see it clearly in her mind, the white, faceless robot with two lights on its chest, one red and one green. Kari knew that Rory was alarmed, even though the robot approached them with a hand up, looking a lot less threatening than other robots they've met.
"Hands. Hello, hands. Robot with hands, Rory…" The Doctor said, trying his best to stay calm.
"Welcome to the Twostreams facility. Will you be visiting long?" The robot said. Kari stayed calm, but Amy was starting to get a little worried. She had no idea what was happening on the other side, where her husband was.
But that was when something happened, the picture started to go fuzzy. "Er, Doctor, something's happening." Amy called, just as Kari's head started spinning.
She stumbled a little, her hand finding the wall and leaning against it. Her head was just filling up with fog and she couldn't think straight. Whatever was happening, she really did not like it. Kari heard Amy calling her, trying to get her attention, but she just couldn't focus.
After what felt like hours, Kari heard a voice that filled her with relief. "It's okay, I've got you, you're fine." The Doctor's voice flooded into the room.
Amy quickly got up from where she had been huddled up in the corner. Whatever was going on, she did not like it one bit. "And where have you been?" She asked, glancing at Kari out of the corner of her eye. Kari looked up at her friend and reassured her that she was okay. She wasn't, but they had other things to be worrying about. "I've been here a week." Amy added, her anger and frustration starting to sleep through.
"A week?" The Doctor asked, unable to believe what she had told him. "A week? I'm so sorry." He added, before finally working out what was going on. "Ah-ha. Same room, different times. Two different timestreams running parallel but at different speeds. Amy, you're in a faster timestream."
Before Amy could question him about it, the image began to distort again. "Doctor, it's going again."
Kari was trying so hard to pull herself together, but nothing was making sense. She was feeling utterly awful and just couldn't make sense of what was happening around her. "Amy, Amy…" She muttered, hoping that her friend could hear her.
The red head rushed over to her. "Kari? Are you okay? What's wrong?" There was obviously worry in her voice, she could see that something was wrong.
"The Doctor… he… he doesn't know I'm in here." Kari managed to tell her, she had to explain, she had to make sure that things didn't get worse. "The timestream we're in, it's making me feel awful. The time vortex is trying to fight it, you've been here for a week, I've been here for a few hours. I think."
The fear and panic now flashed across Amy's face. "So what do we do?" She asked, hoping that Kari had a plan.
Kari let out a groan, she could feel it now, the time vortex trying to protect her, to keep her safe. "We wait. Just… don't tell the Doctor I'm here. Not yet. I can't put him at risk." She told her friend, scrunching her eyes up tightly.
With her eyes closed she couldn't see the fear in Amy's eyes. There was nothing that could be done, apart from wait for the Doctor to come back again. It did eventually happen, but Amy had no idea how much time had passed. "Come on. Gotcha. There. Stabilised, settled, shush." The Doctor said, his image now back and visible to Amy. But then he walked out of sight after Rory had asked something about hands. "Organic skin. Ultimate universal interface, grown and grafted, not born. I mean, it's actually seeing with its fingers, scanning the room. But why not just give it eyes?"
"Will you be visiting long?" A new voice called, one that Kari knew was coming from the Robot. Her head was still spinning, and there was a terrible ringing in her ears as well. If she had known that this was going to happen, she would have thought a little bit harder about what she was doing.
"As long as it takes." The Doctor said, before coming back to the magnifying glass and into view so that Amy could see him. "Amy, what exactly did you do?"
She wasn't sure if he was angry from the tone of his voice or worried. "I just… I came in and I pressed the door button."
There was an audible groan coming from her husband. "Amy, there are two buttons. The green anchor and the red waterfall." He said, already having a feeling he knew the answer.
Amy said back a little, her posture now that of a child who has just been scolded. "I pushed the red waterfall." She admitted.
Rory disappeared from the room he was in with the Doctor for a few moments, before coming back into view. "I pressed Red Waterfall, and she wasn't there."
The Doctor frowned. "Okay, so you can't follow her directly. You know, it's never simple. Did you hear that, Handbot? She pressed the wrong button, that's all. We're aliens, we didn't know."
"Statement rejected. Apalapucia is under planet-wide quarantine. This is a kindness facility for those infected with Chen7."
The Doctor reacted immediately and covered his nose and mouth with his jacket. "What?" Kari could still hear him, and she heard Rory ask what Chen7 was. "The one day plague." The Doctor told him.
"What, you get it for a day?" Rory asked, having no idea just how serious the situation really was.
The Doctor was ready to make him more aware of what was going on. "No, you get it, and you die in a day."
"There are forty thousand residents in the Twostreams Facility. Please remain in the sterile areas. Visiting hours are now." The robot said, before beaming out of the room and leaving them in there.
The relief washed over the Doctor. "Sterile area. I'm safe." Then it dawned on him. Where was Kari? She wasn't there with him, she had told him she was just going to get something from the TARDIS, but she hadn't come out to them. "Kari… where's Kari?" It was obvious that he was panicking, there was fear in his eyes. How could he have not noticed that she wasn't there? Why had he not stopped to think about where she was before? He hadn't seen her with Amy, what if she was stuck in another room? What if she had pressed the red Waterfall button and was stuck in there on her own? So many different scenarios were running through his head, and the guilt was flooding him for not noticing sooner that she wasn't there.
Kari knew that it was time for her to let him know where she was. She wasn't looking forward to it, because she knew it was just going to stress him out even more. With as much effort as she could muster, she pushed herself away from the wall and dragged herself over to Amy. "I'm here." Kari told him, watching him through the magnifying glass.
She watched as the Doctor's eyes widened. "Kari…"
"I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm with Amy. I waited for her to get her phone before we came to join you both." Kari knew what she had done, she knew where they were and what was going to happen to Amy. She just hoped that she was going to make it out of this alive. There was a reason she decided to go with Amy, because she did not want her friend to spend all those years alone.
There was silence for a moment, before the Doctor finally spoke. "Chen7 only affects two-hearted races like Apalapucians." He explained gently. He was trying so hard to be calm.
"And Time Lords." Kari added quietly. "I'm sorry, Doctor."
The silence was killing Kari as she sat down beside Amy. "Walk into that facility, you're dead in a day." The Doctor told her softly. He was trying so hard to keep his emotions in check, to not panic and freak out. But inside he was terrified. "Time moves faster on your side of the glass. Amy, you said you'd been here a week. What did you eat?" He knew that he had to focus, he had to work on getting both of them out of there. He just wasn't sure how yet.
"Nothing. I wasn't hungry." Amy told him, then looking at Kari. She could tell that her friend was struggling. "Doctor, Kari doesn't feel it like I do. She says she's only been in here for a few hours."
Kari sighed a little. "The time vortex. It's fighting the time stream. It's trying to protect me."
All the Doctor wanted to do was jump into the TARDIS and go get them both, but he knew that was impossible. Instead, he had to keep trying to think of something else. "Of course, because all that Red Waterfall time is compressed. That's the point of the Time Glass. It syncs up the two timestreams for visits. You could be in here for a day, and watch them live out their entire lives."
There was a horrified look on Rory's face. "And watch them grow old in front of your eyes? That's horrible."
The Doctor didn't agree with him. "No, Rory, it's kind. You've got a choice. Sit by their bedside for twenty four hours and watch them die, or sit in here for twenty four hours and watch them live. Which would you choose?" Kari could tell by the expression on his face that he was extremely worried. If she was being honest, she was slightly terrified herself. She had no idea what was going to happen to her, because she knew that there was no way she could just stay in that room and wait for them to come and save Amy.
Suddenly the whole magnifying glass just disappeared, sending Amy into a panic. "It's okay, Amy. The Doctor can still see us."
Amy looked at her and noticed how exhausted she looked. "Are you okay?" She asked her, having so many questions that she wanted to ask.
Kari nodded at her slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… not easy to focus when my whole body feels like it is on fire and being torn into a thousand pieces." She admitted. The time vortex was still pulsing through her, making every single part of her ache. "But the Doctor will get us out of here, somehow."
The Doctor had been able to hear everything she had said, and while they couldn't see him anymore, he could still see them. "Kari, Amy, I'm taking the Time Glass back to the TARDIS. Like satnav, I'll use it to get a lock, then smash through using the TARDIS to get you both out. Until then, you're on your own."
Even though they couldn't see him, in her head, Kari knew everything that was going on. Right now he had the Time Glass in his hand and was using his sonic screwdriver on it. Which actually caused an alarm to go off. "Ah, that'll be the small act of vandalism alarm. Amy, I need you to go into the facility just for a bit. Find somewhere safe and leave me a sign. Remember, you're immune to Chen7, but don't let them give you anything. They don't know you're alien. Their kindness will kill you." He called, causing Kari to turn her head and look directly where she knew he was.
"And what about me?" She asked him, wondering why he had only told Amy to go into the facility. There was silence. Kari knew that he was still there, that he was watching her. "Doctor, what about me?"
Finally he spoke. "If you go in there, you are dead." The Doctor replied softly. "Amy can't be infected with it, but you can."
Kari had a feeling she knew exactly what he was thinking and going to say. "So you expect me to just sit in here and wait?"
"That room is safe and sterile. The moment you step through those doors you have a high chance of being infected. There are over forty thousand people in there, all just walking around with it. The time streams overlap, you'll come into contact with them and not even know it." He explained, hoping that she would understand that she had to stay there if she was going to stay safe.
She had to swallow the lump that was in her throat. "Doctor, I can't let Amy go in there on her own." Kari told him, knowing that this was so hard for him and she was about to make it even harder. "I trust you, for once, to not be late."
Kari couldn't see his face, so she couldn't see the way he was holding back a whole flood of emotions. "Kari… you can't." He was desperate for her to listen to him, to not go in there.
"I have to. We will be safer if we stay together. Who knows how long it will take before those bots come in here and force me into the facility." There was no way of knowing the answer to that one. "Doctor, I'm sorry." As she said that, she walked over to the wall and pushed a button, one that said 'Check in'. She knew that the Doctor could see her, that he was watching her every move. "Don't be late." She added, as Amy got up and joined her.
The red head took her hand as they both stepped through the open door. Once there the pair turned around.. "Rory, I love you. Now save me. Go on." Amy said, before the doors closed.
Suddenly they were both sprayed with something, and Amy started to panic a little. "Amy, it's okay, it's just disinfectant. It's fine, you're safe." Kari said, trying to reassure her.
When it stopped Amy looked at her, the expression on her face gentle and worried. "You knew, didn't you?" She said, watching Kari carefully. "You knew that I was going to press the wrong button and that we were going to end up here, didn't you?" Kari just gazed at her, trying not to let too much away. "You knew, didn't you?"
Kari knew that there was no point in lying or hiding it from her, she had to tell her the truth. "Yes." Her voice came out quietly. She could still feel the time vortex, and now it was starting to burn her skin a little. Something really didn't feel right.
"Why? Why would you do that, Kari? The Doctor said that this could kill you. I might be immune to Chen7, but you're not." Now Amy was feeling very guilty. It was because of her that Kari was in there, it was because she pressed that wrong button that Kari ended up in a facility filled with a deadly illness that would kill her. "Why put yourself at risk like that?"
"Because you are one of my best friends, Amy. There was no way I was going to leave you on your own." There was so much more to it, so much that she wanted to tell her but couldn't, not yet at least. "Now come on, the Doctor said to find somewhere to hide, so that is what we need to do." Kari didn't want to keep hanging about in the open, she knew where they needed to hide and she just wanted to get there. She was already exhausted from everything that was going on inside of her body.
A/N: This is an episode that I have been wanting to do for a while and had a lot of ideas for. I'm just hoping that you like the way that I take it.
Anyway, I am so excited for what is to come in 2023! David Tennant is back, we get a new Doctor, it is all just going to be so great! Honestly, I can't wait.
I've been working on the next few episodes and I have really been struggling with making a choice on what one to do next, so I'm currently working on several episodes and will eventually pick one when it is time to post.
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one. I will try to get it updated a little quicker next time, promise. Remember to review!
Until next time,
Pippa.