The second kidnapping (this time fake) revealed its consequences almost immediately. If the way to the center of the Temple of Nobility was at first lighted and later dimmed, this time it was equally darkened. The situation with the sound was opposite as well: first silence, now high-pitched squeals echoing like insane.
"Where are you taking me?! Let me out! Or I..."
"Or you what?" Jamie snapped, attempting not to lose the sound of the Doctor's steps, now not running, but faster than casual walking. He didn't see the girl's face in the dark, but he would swear that now it was puzzled - really, what could she do against a grown-up strong man?
"No matter", the girl muttered. "It's obvious that you kidnapped me".
"It's unknown who kidnapped who", the Doctor's voice sounded from distance. "Just trust us..."
"Why should I?!"
"Because now you have no one else to rely on..."
Having hastily pushed themselves through the narrow patch between the walls which led to the outside, they stopped upon the unexpected sight. The snow pyramids circling the Temple of Nobility were now much closer to each other, though their size remained the same. The distance between them and the building was slower as a result, and moreover: the snow around them was of odd greyish shade.
"Whipper-snapper..." the Doctor mumbled. "Those snow flesh gobblers didn't lose time... No way, we'll have to run over. It's too far to jump".
"But it's just dirty snow". The girl's right brow arched.
"You'd better not imagined what will happen if that dirty snow gets you!" The Doctor examined the girl head-to-toe with his look and clocked his tongue upon the sight of her bare feet with curled toes. "Jamie, how many steps do you need to cross the dangerous area?"
"Five or six, I think, and with a jump", Jamie assumed, having observed the pyramids. "But..."
"I got it. Jumping isn't easy with such makeweight".
"I'm not a makeweight! I'm Erfin Wilma Temple!" the girl interfered.
"Stay here, Jamie". The Doctor almost didn't hear this interruption. "When I cross the line, you set off. You'll pass Jealous Urfin to me, and then... if it goes on without mistakes, all we need to do is get to the TARDIS as quickly as possible".
Within that, he scampered to the circle of pyramids and covered the dangerous area in three steps, but didn't avoid the consequences: his shoes looked rather torn after that. But that didn't seem to bother him.
"Come on, Jamie! Now!" he called.
Jamie hardly remembered how he crossed the patch infected with "snow flesh gobblers". One, two, three, pass, jump... and running again. Not only that: the "dirty snow" zone didn't lose time following them.
"Doctor! It's chasing us!" he yelped.
"This means we need to run faster!" the Doctor panted - he was carrying Erfin as if she weighed nothing. Perhaps Gallifreyans grew wings on their feet as well as humans, Jamie only thought.
The TARDIS doors slammed shut. After that Jamie's feet refused to carry him on, while the Doctor found strength to let Erfin go, get to the console and jerk the take-off switch. And the girl didn't lose time in crawling into the farthest corner.
Jamie's soles and toes were red and wrinkled, and heat was pulsing in them, not allowing to stand up. No wonder, after such run!
"I didn't see that coming", the Doctor confessed. "I guess whatever infected that snow was chasing us because of you, Jamie".
"Because of me?"
"Yes. They sensed you because you carelessly allowed them with your touch, and therefore began chasing you... Finny?" The Doctor stood up and, limping just a little bit, made his way to the girl. "Finny, my sweet, it's safe now".
"No, it's not. And I'm not Finny to you", the girl mumbled, staring at the floor. "Is this the end?"
"Who said about end?" the Doctor wondered. "We're going to get you home. Your brother asked us to do it".
"My bro?" Erfin raised her head, but didn't stand up. "Where did he find such crazy detectives?"
"You'd better ask WHEN he found us. In 1960s".
"Crazy, just as I said", Erfin shrugged. "Or desperate liars. 1960s? It's not Back to the Future to ya".
"Erfin, you need to tidy yourself up before going home". The Doctor reached out to her, but Erfin again didn't react from the start.
"What? Flying saucers have bathrooms?"
"It's not a flying saucer, it's called the TARDIS", the Doctor explained. "And there's not only one bathroom here".
"No. Insanity!" Erfin combed her hair with her fingers. "I swear that you ran into the blue box... and then such huge space... I must be nuts. Or you kidnapped me to get to some odd fair and send me as some exotic animal".
Jamie snorted, this time with laughter. But the Doctor didn't.
"Why do you think so, Erfin?"
"Well, this is obviously a spaceship". Erfin's voice was full of sureness instead of aggression. "And DARTIS is an alien word".
"TARDIS, Finny, TARDIS. And you're only half right. It stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space".
"A very promising start. Did you say something about 1960s?"
"Hm... Tell me, Finny: have you ever heard of vortex manipulators?"
Erfin shook her head. The Doctor almost saw gears turning under her black mop in attempts to glue this word combination to a certain item, but uselessly.
"Doctor, that kid Lionel said that she had the one", Jamie recalled, having finally stood up. "And we saw it".
"I'm going to solve this riddle as soon as possible", the Doctor assured. "Come on, Finny, I'll show you where you can tidy yourself up".
"No watching. I broke the front teeth of those who spied me in school shower", Erfin said, having clenched her little sharp (and perhaps very firm) fists as an approval. "And I don't care about age".
Tidying herself up and changing clothes obviously increased Erfin's mood - at least she was not as grumpy as before when she returned to the console room. The TARDIS must've helped her get the shortest way.
"So, enlighten me". It was an almost-request with just a hint of demand. "Who are you and where did you kidnap me from?"
"I'm the Doctor". The Doctor, having finished entering his own search request in the TARDIS database, sat onto the huge wooden box (it was to be removed a long time ago, but here it worked well), and Erfin joined him not without a bit of reluctance. Meanwhile, Jamie was in one of the TARDIS distant rooms, taking care of his injured feet.
"Doctor? Doctor Who?"
"Just the Doctor".
"And your son? Is he... don't know... Reaper or something, if so?"
"You'd better said Piper", the Doctor chuckled. "He's not my son, just a good friend of mine. That's Jamie. Now let's talk about you. It was your brother requested us to find you... do you even have one?"
"Definitely", Erfin nodded. "Lionel Temple".
"And you were born in... 2008 or something?"
"Yes. Does that matter?"
"It does, Finny. What is the last thing you remember before you met us?"
Erfin scratched the back of her head:
"It was just a trip to Harrods..."
"Without any manipulators?"
"Feet only. I know there's plenty of gadgets, but I've never heard about whirlwind manipulators or else".
"Vortex manipulators. Nevertheless your brother used one to find us in the past. And you know why? There's a man. A very ambitious man, if you wish, a classic villain who searches for unusual ways of taking over everything. This time he decided to use you as his main resource. He brought you to Middle Ages, made you emit life energy and used it as the catalyser, which made time-travelling possible in your time. I replaced you with a short reserve of my own life energy, and when we left, the process was stopped, therefore history should restore itself as it originally was. You'll come back to the world which will be as you know it".
"Sounds like a sci-fi scenario". Erfin began playing with the edge of the coat she was now wearing. "But... why me? Why me and nobody else?"
"This is it. Finny, I don't know how is that possible, but you're only partly human".
"WHAT?!"
"No-no, wait! The other part is my race!"
Erfin eyed him for some seconds and, having not found anything to stick to, muttered:
"But you're human too".
"Yeah? Then listen... I mean, feel". Without a warning the Doctor grabbed Erfin's hands and pressed them to his chest on both sides. It took her half a minute to understand what was very wrong there.
"No", Erfin finally whispered. "That's... preposterous".
"Satisfied?"
"How do you know I am? I'm not going to be surprised anymore... But if what you say is true, then... Say, Doctor, if I am part like you, won't I... don't know... grow a second head or develop a taste for grass or needles?"
"Trust me, you won't. Your Timelord particle is about your energy, which can't be seen from the outside".
"Timelord? Phew, I'd better not asked. Something like that was just BEGGING for a place in such web!"
"And you were begging for real and true explanation. I gave it to you".
"Are you a mind-reader as well as two-hearter?" Erfin squinted.
"I didn't read your mind. You told me. You didn't swear when I called you Finny. More than once".
"Old cheater".
A/N: The moment when the Doctor calls Erfin "Jealous Urfin" is a reference to the fairy tale Urfin Jus and His Wooden Soldiers (the name of the main character is sometimes translated as "Jealous Urfin" or "Cunning Urfin").