CHAPTER 13
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THE RETURN OF A LEGEND
"Still nothing from Clara yet?" Reinette asked in a distracted voice.
Clara sighed as she watched Reinette stare down at the box-like alien object with this Romana person's name on it in her hand for what she was sure was the hundredth time in just the last hour alone. She had been staring at it like this for hours now ever since K-9 had told her what he knew about it.
She couldn't understand for the life of her what her obsession was with it. It wasn't like she actually knew this person or anything even if she did have some of the Doctor's memories of her.
"No, nothing. I don't understand it. It's been two days now with no word from her. She's never been quiet for that long. Not since the day that I first started talking to her. Something's not right, Jeanne. I can't help but worry about her. I really wish that she'd say something even if it was just to start rambling on about her latest failed soufflé recipe," Clara said.
"Soufflé recipe?" Reinette asked in amusement as she finally looked at her instead of the strange object in her hand for the first time in far too long.
Clara smiled in gratitude that at least her friend wasn't completely absorbed by the annoying little thing in her hand just yet as she said with a large smile, "What? We trade recipes and compare notes about what does and doesn't work. I figure that one of these days between the two of us that we'll actually come up with a halfway decent soufflé that doesn't make either one of us become violently ill right after we eat it."
Reinette began to smile from ear to ear and it was obvious to Clara that she was trying very hard not to burst out laughing at her. Normally that would annoy her to no end, but right now she actually welcomed it.
Anything to get her attention off of whatever it was that she had found at the Order's secret headquarters. Right now she wanted Clara to contact her just so that she could talk to her about Reinette if nothing else.
"Don't you dare laugh at me, Jeanne Poisson! It could happen," Clara said with a fake look of annoyance as she pretended to be angry at her instead of extremely worried about her instead.
"What is it?" Reinette asked with concern as she saw right through this almost immediately.
"Jeanne, don't you think that you should stop obsessing over that thing and actually concentrate on something, anything, else instead? I'm starting to worry that it's trying to take you over or something," Clara finally admitted to her.
Reinette smiled at her reassuringly as she said, "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't realize that I was upsetting you that much. I was just trying to see if I could remember what it is about it that looks so familiar. I'll put it away, alright?"
"Don't put words into my mouth. I never said that I was upset," Clara said even as she couldn't help but smile in satisfaction as Reinette put the alien artifact inside one of her pockets.
"Of course you weren't. You looked like you had just lost your best friend," Reinette said.
"For a while there, I was starting to worry that maybe I had," Clara finally admitted.
"Of course not. I'm not going anywhere. Not for some time yet," Reinette said with a degree of certainty that instantly made Clara frown.
This was yet another one of those occasions where she all but confirmed to her that she knew exactly when she would die and probably how too. As if she didn't already have enough reasons to worry about her lately.
"Sorry. I seem to be doing nothing but upsetting you today, don't I? I'm certainly not trying to do it by any means," Reinette said apologetically as she immediately wrapped her arms around her obviously upset friend and gave her a massive hug.
"It's alright. You can't help being a royal pain can you?" Clara said with a warm smile as she kissed her on the cheek.
"Well, if anyone were to be the expert on such matters it would definitely be you," Reinette teased her as she kissed the top of her head.
"Oh, you're going to pay for that," Clara said as she pretended to be angry at her once more even as her actions contradicted her because she was now returning her friend's hug and refusing to let her go.
"I'm fine, Clara. Really. You worry far too much about me," Reinette said with a frown.
"I wonder why. I sometimes wish that you would stop all of this chasing after monsters and aliens and just focus solely on the matters of the court instead. Then again you just wouldn't be you if you did that, would you?" Clara said as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.
Reinette now looked properly apologetic as she said, "Clara, I didn't realize just how much I was upsetting you. I'm truly sorry. I'm not under any kind of unnatural control or influence. I promise."
Clara smiled as she said, "It's just that you're the only person other than maybe the other Clara that I can really talk to and be myself with. You're the only one who really loves me for me and not for what I can do for them. As far as I'm concerned, you should have been my sister, Jeanne. I couldn't have loved you any more if you were. Please just be careful with that artifact. I don't want to lose you."
"You won't. Everything's just fine," Reinette reassured her as she held her tightly and softly stroked her hair in an attempt to calm her down.
Unfortunately for Clara, she wasn't about to get an opportunity to relax anytime soon.
A palace guard suddenly appeared now just after making a quick knock on Reinette's door. Clara immediately groaned as soon as she saw him because she knew right away what it was that he wanted.
The guards only came to see Reinette for one reason and one reason only.
"Marquise, there has been another one of your monsters spotted two miles from here in a nearby village. It was accidentally discovered by a small group of children playing near where a falling star had been sighted recently. Whatever it is was green with a single eye in its center and looked somewhat like a sea creature. The children thought that it was perfectly harmless at first and just some strange kind of animal that they had never seen before. So did their parents . . . until it spoke that is," The guard said.
"Spoke? What did it say?" Reinette asked with concern even as something tugged at the back of her mind about the guard's description of it.
Something about it seemed uncomfortably familiar to her and definitely not in a good way like Romana's artifact had.
"Exterminate," The guard said.
"Exterminate?" Clara said in a terrified voice even as she noticed that Reinette had suddenly turned as white as a sheet.
"Yes, that's all it keeps saying over and over again, Baroness. It must be some kind of threat of some sort. We're not sure how it could possibly carry it out however since it seems to be completely harmless. The guards don't like to take any chances whenever we hear about this sort of thing however so I was sent to deliver word of it to you immediately, Marquise," The guard said.
"I'm definitely glad that you did. So it was just the creature that was found and not anything else? There was no strange metallic shell near it or anything similar in appearance?" Reinette asked curiously.
"No, not as far as I know. Is that important, Marquise?" The guard asked.
"Yes, it may be of the utmost importance. I'm sorry, Clara, but it looks like I'm going to have to place both of us in danger yet again because you and I are the only ones who know exactly how much of a threat that this entire world is under right now. I'm not sure that even we can handle this particular problem however. This time the situation may be far too dangerous even for us to resolve," Reinette said in a clearly frightened tone.
"Where are you, Clara? Things are just getting worse and worse here. Come on. Say something!" Clara said in frustration.
"Baroness?" The guard said in confusion.
"Never mind. It's nothing. I was just hoping that my cousin who's also named Clara was here now to help," Clara explained.
"With all due respect, Baroness, I doubt that she could handle the matter any better than the Marquise could," The guard said in a tone of reverence and respect that actually made Reinette smile in appreciation despite the danger that she was sure that they were all in now.
"Oh, you'd be very surprised at what my cousin can do when she sets her mind to it. She's a lot tougher than most people ever give her credit for," Clara said with an enigmatic smile.
"Yes, and that's why we shouldn't worry so much about why she's not here right now. She'll be along just as soon as she can I'm certain," Reinette said because she could tell that Clara was worried about the other Clara almost as much as she was about her.
"Will France still be in one piece when she finally gets here though?" Clara said with a frown.
"It will if I have anything to say about it. Let's go, Clara. Guard, arrange for the carriage to meet us in front of the palace immediately and take us there," Reinette said as she started towards the door.
"Yes, Marquise. What of the child, Josette?" The guard asked as he followed her.
"She's with Mademoiselle Sparrow in her room at the moment. She'll be safe with her until I return," Reinette said in a tone of absolute certainty.
Clara was a bit surprised by that actually. Neither one of them really knew Sally that well yet, but Reinette already seemed to trust her well enough to let her take care of Josette for her while she was away now. If it were up to her, she would have rather chosen Gabrielle instead. She liked Sally but she still wasn't sure that she would be willing to say with a hundred percent certainty that she trusted her without any reservations just yet personally.
Josette was Reinette's child though not hers so it really wasn't her place to contradict her. She just hoped that she knew what she was doing. At least the tin dog was with them anyway so hopefully he could be at least somewhat useful in keeping an eye on both of them while Reinette was away.
At least the metal pest would be useful for something anyway Clara thought to herself with a frown.
Even as Reinette and Clara raced off to their carriage, Sally was pulling various pieces of Rutan equipment out of her pockets and placing them all over her bed while Josette watched her in mute fascination from across the room. She had absolutely no idea what she was up to, but she couldn't help but marvel at all of the various alien objects that were currently being laid out in front of her as she tried to figure out what they all were and what they did.
Luckily K-9 was in an adjoining closet with the door shut so that they could speak freely without revealing Sally's secret. Sally had discreetly switched him off and placed him there as soon as she could so that she could do what she had to without the robot spying on her. Josette was definitely glad about that too because she was just dying to ask Sally a million questions when she stopped being so busy because she simply had to know everything that she could about what she was doing.
Sally smiled at her because she could already sense her growing curiosity and said in amusement, "Yes, Josette, I'll tell you all about each and every one of these objects when I'm finished with them. You might just explode if I didn't I think and I've grown much too fond of you to let that happen."
Josette smiled with appreciation as she said, "I like you too. I suppose it helps that you're the only one of Mother's monsters that I've ever met that didn't want to kill me."
Then she immediately looked ashamed as she quickly added, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you a monster."
Sally smiled as she said, "Why not? Surely that's what I appear to be to the rest of your species anyway. Lately I'm not sure that I can argue with that opinion either. I did try to destroy your entire world after all and I kidnapped you. What else would I be but a monster?"
"You've changed though. You're not even the same person that you used to be when I first met you. You're nice now and kind plus you never actually hurt me. I think you're much too hard on yourself. Everybody makes mistakes," Josette said with a warm smile.
Sally laughed as she said, "If everyone were as forgiving as you, the universe would probably be a better place, Josette."
"Unfortunately some things can't be forgiven or forgotten that easily . . . if ever," She said in a far more somber tone.
"What if you're wrong about that though? Maybe this is your second chance and you don't even realize it yet. That could be why you're suddenly human again. This could be your chance to start all over again and be a better person. After all, Sally Sparrow could be whoever she wants to be, couldn't she?" Josette suggested with a wry grin.
Sally smiled and gently nuzzled the little girl's hair as she said, "I wish I could believe that. I've seen far too much darkness in the universe though to ever believe that people really get second chances like that."
"Maybe but what if I'm right though? If I am, then you shouldn't throw it all away," Josette pleaded.
Sally shrugged and quickly changed the subject as she said, "That should do it. I think I had just enough equipment left over to construct a primitive DNA analyzer. If I've built it right, then this should be able to tell me exactly what's happened to me and what I am now. I hope."
Josette's eyes lit up with joy as she said, "Oh, this is wonderful. I actually get to see the technology of another world in action. I'm so glad that my Aunt Sally is an alien."
Sally looked at her in surprise at first but decided not to say anything when she saw the joyous look on the child's face. Besides she found that she liked being thought of as family by someone once again.
She hadn't had a real family in such a long time after all . . . since the day that the Sontarans killed them all.
"Are you okay?" Josette asked as she noticed a visible change in her mood.
Sally immediately smiled at her as she said, "I'm just fine. Okay. Here we go. Wish me luck."
Sally smiled as she saw Josette crossing her fingers and then immediately switched the machine on and anxiously awaited the results. She instantly gasped in surprise as soon as its analysis of her was finished.
"What? What is it? What did it say? Are you going to be okay?" Josette asked in an upset tone as she struggled unsuccessfully to make any sense whatsoever out of the Rutan language in the machine's display.
Sally looked shell shocked as she said, "It's true. I really am human now. No wonder the Doctor's metal dog was fooled. My DNA scan shows me as being one hundred percent human. Yet I'm also completely different from any other human on this planet because I still have the same centuries long lifespan that a Rutan does according to this readout. It's almost as if I really was remade into the very thing that I was pretending to be somehow but with an extra little twist added on."
Josette's mouth dropped open as she said, "How could that have happened though? Was it because Amy used Mother's sonic pen on you? You were alright until then."
Sally's eyes widened as she said, "Sonic pen? Is that what that was? Where was it from? Do you remember?"
Josette thought for a moment and then said, "Mother said something about it belonging to a woman named Miss Foster who killed several of the overweight people in Paris by turning them into these little white creatures. Mother stole her pen as she drove her away and back to her own world. Does that help any?"
"That has to be Matron Cofelia of Adipose-3. I remember reading something about her in the Rutan's files on the Doctor once. She turned the fat cells in human bodies into new bodies for the Adipose's young. If her sonic pen had anything to do with that transformation process, then Amy might have accidentally changed my body's cells in a similar way with it without even realizing what she was doing," Sally said with a sickened look on her face.
"Could . . . Could it be reversed?" Josette asked hesitantly.
Sally could tell that the child really didn't want her to change back for fear of losing her new aunt. Yet she also seemed to want her to do that if that was what would make her happy.
"No. Not according to my scanner. The change is permanent. I'll never be a Rutan again," Sally said sadly.
"I'm sorry," Josette said meaning it.
Sally kissed her forehead and smiled at her as she said, "Thank you. Maybe you're right about one thing though. Perhaps I really can start all over again. It looks like I'll have to somehow, doesn't it?"
Then her scanner began to emit an instant alarm which caused Josette to ask, "Why is it making that noise?"
"Daleks," Sally said in a terrified voice.
"Who?" Josette asked in confusion.
Sally raced to the closet and immediately switched K-9 back on without explaining however. The metal dog automatically began emitting his own alarm as soon as she did so.
"Alien presence detected approximately two miles from here. A DNA scan identifies it as one of the extremely hostile alien race known as Daleks. There is great danger there. Exercise extreme caution around it," K-9 warned.
"No kidding, Rust Pot. Can you track Reinette and Clara for me and tell me exactly where they are right now?" Sally asked in an anxious tone.
"I bet they're right there with that thing if I know them," Josette said echoing Sally's own thoughts.
"Tracking. Tracking. Yes, I know exactly where they are by tracking the Gallifreyan artifact in the Mistress' possession. They are rapidly closing in on the Dalek's position right at this very moment. I suggest that we go and help them immediately," K-9 said.
"My thoughts exactly," Sally said with an enthusiastic grin.
"Yeah, let's go help. I bet the five of us together can easily make quick work of whatever a Dalek is," Josette said with all of the complete and utter naivety of the young on full display in her features.
"Uh, no. I don't think so. You're not going anywhere, Josette. Your mother would rip my heart out if she even so much as thought that I was bringing you anywhere near one of the most dangerous creatures in the universe. You're staying right here in the palace with Reinette's friend, Gabrielle. Stay right here while I go find her. K-9, you make sure that she doesn't leave your sight. Got it?" Sally ordered.
"Affirmative, Mistress," K-9 said as he moved next to a frowning Josette.
"I never get to have any fun," Josette said in a disappointed voice.
"Stay here," Sally ordered in a firm tone as she raced off to find Gabrielle.
"Stay here while my mother's in danger? I don't think so," Josette said as she instantly started to walk out the door.
Then she hesitated as she saw K-9 following her and said, "Are you going to try to stop me?"
"Negative. I am merely following Mistress Sally's orders and keeping you in my sight," K-9 said.
"That's not what she meant though. She . . . What am I saying? Yes, that's a good boy, K-9. Sally will be really pleased that you followed her instructions so well like that," Josette said with an evil smile as she started to walk towards the nearest exit to the outside.
"I believe she will have the opposite reaction actually," K-9 said.
Josette laughed as she realized, "This is your revenge on her for locking you up in the closet, isn't it? You know I think I'm really going to like you, K-9."
"Affirmative," K-9 replied as if it was obvious.
K-9 wasn't about to let her actually get close enough to the Dalek to be endangered by it of course. He just wanted to get back at Sally not endanger his new Mistress' child. Josette didn't have to know that until much later however.
The palace guards never even batted an eye as they saw the strange metal dog go by and leave the palace with Josette. They had seen far stranger things in their time after all and nothing that the Marquise or her friends and family did surprised them at all anymore.
As soon as Sally came back with Gabrielle to find both Josette and K-9 missing, she immediately groaned and said, "I am so dead right now. I'm taking that metal monster down with me though if it's the last thing that I do!"
Gabrielle couldn't help but laugh at her despite the intense anger twisting her features in that moment. It seemed that Reinette and Clara's new friend was a kindred spirit to both of them in more ways than one.
Even as Sally prepared to chase all over Paris in order to save Josette and carry out her no doubt brutal and violent vengeance on K-9, Reinette and Clara finally arrived at the village where they had found the Dalek at last. As soon as they came within sight of it, their worst fears were instantly realized as they saw that the entire village was in flames and countless people were running from it screaming in absolute terror.
"Stay here, Marquise. We'll handle this," One of the small regiment of Musketeers who had followed Reinette's carriage said as they all headed out to see what was going on.
"No, wait! You won't stand a chance against it!" Reinette shouted as they all headed straight towards what Reinette knew from the Doctor's memories was the unmistakable sound of Dalek weaponry being discharged somewhere in the distance.
"Clara, where are you?" Clara said in a frantic voice as she heard several of the Musketeers suddenly cry out in pain.
"Marquise, we must leave immediately before it's too late," Reinette's coachman warned as he too heard the horrible sounds and cringed.
"It's already too late I'm afraid. It was the minute we arrived here. I'm so sorry, Pierre," Reinette said in a voice filled with regret.
Several more screams suddenly pierced the air and turned Reinette and Clara's blood cold and then they finally saw the source of all of this carnage a moment later as a Dalek slowly hovered into view in front of them. The Dalek's eyestalk seemed to be completely trained on Reinette in that moment as it studied her face with what might almost be considered intense curiosity in a human.
Finally he spoke at last a moment later as he said, "YOU ARE THE HUMAN HISTORICAL PERSONAGE KNOWN AS MADAME DE POMPADOUR. YOU MUST NOT BE HARMED OR THE WEB OF TIME WILL SUFFER SERIOUS DAMAGE AS A RESULT. YOUR COMPANIONS HOWEVER CAN BE EASILY DISPOSED OF WITHOUT ANY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES."
Then the Dalek fired on the coachman and instantly killed him while Reinette and Clara watched in horror.
Reinette quickly stepped in front of Clara then before she could be brutally shot down too as she said in a challenging tone, "You'll have to go through me first if you want to get to her, and you're not about to do that, are you?"
"YOU OVERESTIMATE YOUR OWN IMPORTANCE, HUMAN. YOU CAN EASILY BE TAKEN CARE OF WITHOUT DOING YOU ANY PERMANENT DAMAGE. THEN I WILL EXTERMINATE YOUR COMPANION ANYWAY," The Dalek threatened.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you, Dalek. Yes, that's right. I know exactly what you are. Just as I know that you crash landed here from some distant battle somewhere far above us. Maybe your shell was completely destroyed or just badly damaged, but you had to wait until it repaired itself didn't you? So you pretended to be a completely innocent creature to the local children so that they would keep you safe from harm from all of the local predators until then. Then as soon as your shell was repaired, you instantly turned on these poor people whose only crime was to take you in, didn't you?" Reinette said in a furious voice.
"THEY ARE AN INFERIOR SPECIES. THEY ARE FIT FOR NOTHING ELSE BUT EXTERMINATION REGARDLESS OF ANY ASSISTANCE THAT THEY RENDERED," The Dalek said in a completely uncaring voice.
"Of all of the creatures that I have fought, you're the one that I think the term monster fits the most. You definitely play that part to the hilt," Reinette said in a tone filled with raw, unfettered anger.
"YOUR OPINION IS IRRELEVANT, HUMAN. YOU WILL NOW STAND ASIDE OR I WILL SIMPLY STUN YOU INTO SUBMISSION AND KILL YOUR COMPANION ANYWAY A MOMENT LATER. THE CHOICE IS YOURS," The Dalek said in a completely dispassionate tone.
Reinette stood there in absolute terror now because she truly had no idea what to do next. She knew that the sonic pen was useless against something as powerful as the Dalek and so were the two stasers that she constantly carried with her. The Daleks had long ago made themselves largely impervious to most of the Time Lords' weaponry after all. This time she was well and truly completely defenseless against the malevolent being before her and completely unable to stop it.
Hurry. Open the watch before it's too late! A voice suddenly said in Reinette's mind.
"Watch? What watch?" Reinette said out loud in confusion.
"Jeanne, who are you talking to?" Clara asked in concern.
"THE HUMAN FEMALE HAS GONE MAD FROM FEAR," The Dalek suggested.
Reinette knew that she wasn't delusional in the slightest however because now she remembered exactly why the Gallifreyan artifact had looked so familiar to her. It was the protective outer casing used for the fob watch of a Time Lord. In effect, it was a Gallifreyan watch box. The watch inside of it was used to store the consciousness and memories of a Time Lord after they had made themselves human with the Chameleon Arch on their TARDIS.
She now realized with a growing smile on her face that inside of the artifact in her pocket was a watch containing the very essence of Romana herself.
"THIS PROVES THAT THE HUMAN IS MAD. SHE SMILES IN THE FACE OF DEATH," The Dalek said in a disgusted tone.
"Oh, I don't know. That just seems like completely normal behavior coming from her," Clara said with a nervous laugh.
Reinette slowly opened the watch box now as she said, "I'm smiling because I just realized that I have a weapon far more powerful than anything that you possess at my command."
"AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE?" The Dalek asked in an obvious tone of disbelief.
"The mind of a Time Lord," Reinette said with a triumphant smile as she quickly opened the box and then the watch in rapid succession.
An enormous burst of energy now escaped from the watch and pushed the Dalek back with irresistible force and straight into a nearby flaming building. The already heavily damaged building instantly fell on top of it as it screamed in pain.
"You fear me, don't you, Dalek? That's good because you definitely should. We may have lost the Time War to you, but the fight is far from over as long as even one of us remains alive. I will not idly stand by and let your one of your kind destroy anyone else if I can help it. Never again," A voice that was and yet wasn't Reinette's suddenly said as a stern look of defiance took over her features.
"Jeanne?" Clara said in stunned disbelief as she watched her friend almost seem to become a completely different person right in front of her.
"Not at the moment I'm afraid. I'm borrowing her for a while. Don't worry though. It isn't permanent. I'll gladly leave as soon as you're all safe," 'Reinette' said with an instant apologetic look.
"You're this Romana I keep hearing about then I take it?" Clara asked in an anxious voice.
"How could you possibly know that?" Romana asked suspiciously.
"I told her," The unmistakable voice of K-9 said from behind Clara.
"K-9?" Romana said in surprise.
"You know me?" K-9 asked in what might have almost been a surprised tone of his own.
"Of course I do. What are you doing here and what's happened to your memory circuits?" Romana asked with concern.
"Who cares? What I want to know is where is Josette? You know the little girl that we left you behind to protect, Tin Boy? She'd better still be in the palace and out of danger or I'll have you sold for scrap," Clara threatened.
"Rest assured that she is currently completely out of danger, Mistress," K-9 said.
"There you are! Mother wasn't in that building at all. You tricked me and locked me in it somehow. I thought you were my friend," Josette said in a furious voice as she suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"I could be mistaken about that however," K-9 said.
"Oh, you've been mistaken about a lot of things today. Let's start with the way that you follow orders. I told you to watch her not go with her wherever she wanted to go!" Sally shouted as she too appeared out of nowhere and approached the metal dog with a murderous look in her eyes.
"I say we carve him into little pieces together," Clara said as she started to like Sally even more in that moment since they now had a common enemy together at last.
"No one's doing anything until we're out of danger. That Dalek still isn't finished yet. They're never as dangerous as they are when you think that you've defeated them. You can believe me on that," Romana said.
"That's not Reinette anymore is it? What happened?" Sally asked as she pretended not to know that she knew that Reinette's box had contained a Time Lord's mind from the very start.
"It's a long story, Bird Lady, and it looks like I'm really not going to have any time to explain it to you anytime soon," Clara said in a frantic voice as she suddenly saw something emerging from the ashes of the house behind Romana/Reinette that she had thrown the Dalek into earlier.
"Run!" Romana shouted just as the Dalek flew out of the rubble and began firing on everyone in sight.
"YOU HAVE FINALLY BEEN PROPERLY IDENTIFIED AT LAST. YOU ARE ROMANADVORATRELUNDAR, FORMER LADY PRESIDENT OF GALLIFREY DURING THE WAR AGAINST THE DALEKS AND ALLY OF THE DOCTOR. YOUR ESSENCE WILL BE PURGED FROM MADAME DE POMPADOUR'S MIND AND THEN ITS RECEPTACLE WILL BE CRUSHED INTO DUST. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!" The Dalek shouted in a voice filled with undisguised hatred.
"Something tells me that you're not too popular where he comes from, Time Girl," Clara said as she began to run for her life alongside the others from the full, unfettered fury of the Dalek.
"You seem to have a true talent for stating the obvious," Romana said with a frown as she desperately tried to come up with some kind of plan to stop the Dalek before it caught up to them.
Meanwhile Reinette, who had been helplessly watching all of this the entire time while Romana used her body, wondered if she would ever get to hug Josette again . . . or smack the living daylights out of both Sally and K-9 for failing to keep her from coming here. Her heart was already filling with fear at that moment as she worried that she might be about to lose both of the people who meant the most to her at once now.
Then things grew even worse as her head exploded with pain. That was when she suddenly realized that having Romana's consciousness in her mind was slowly destroying it.
If Romana didn't find a way to stop the homicidal Dalek soon, she would wind up killing her herself long before the Dalek itself ever did.
Next: Will our heroes be able to find a way to stop the murderous Dalek in time before it destroys them all? Will Romana leave Reinette in time to avoid burning her brain out? What will happen to Romana's mind anyway and where is her body? What about K-9? Will he finally find out the truth about his past at last? And where is the original Clara during all of this anyway?
Readers of Clara Who will already know the answer to that last question. Clara Idris has plenty of troubles of her own these days after all. I'll explain all about that next time though for anyone who doesn't already know.