A/N: I feel quite accomplished that I managed to do two chapters in a twenty four hour period time rather than one. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Things are getting a bit more interesting. Please R/R.

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Chapter Twelve: Reach Out and Touch Someone

Sarah Jane entered the TARDIS, Tash in her arms. The Doctor hadn't changed much; there hadn't been much question over who would carry Tash. She had thought about complaining, if she had been younger she probably would have, but that would have been counter productive. You just couldn't change the Doctor. More than likely the Doctor would change you. He left his influence in your life and it left a lasting impression.

"Put her on the floor, near the console."

"On the floor? But shouldn't she be in the medical section."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Yea, but then how could I hook her up to the TARDIS."

"Oh, sorry if I sounded stupid."

The Doctor grinned, "You're never stupid, Sarah. You're right she should be in the medical section. But she's not sick. Her mind just overloaded. Sensory overload would be the best term. Something traumatic occurred and caused her to pass out. Now technically, she shouldn't be receiving any telepathic messages at all, since technically at this moment in time, a past Ta'sheeka would be safe and snug back home on Mala'shi having that big ole family of hers. But…"

"But…." Sarah said. Leave the Doctor to leave her hanging.

"Tash is telepathic. The TARDIS is telepathic. Everyone that travels in the TARDIS, the TARDIS links with them. If Tash is receiving a message, it's from her future. It's brilliant; I have never seen such a link before. The TARDIS has developed a temporal displacement link with Tash. It's absolutely brilliant; Tash is getting a message from a future moment in time. It's incredible. It shouldn't be happening but it is. Usually only a Time Lord has that sort of link with a TARDIS. Then again….I suppose it could happen. After all Tash comes from a race that uses organic technology as well."

Sarah sighed, "So you're saying that she shouldn't but she is? Why?"

"I don't know why, Sarah. I guess the TARDIS is really fond of Tash. Who am I to argue who the TARDIS becomes fond of? She always liked you. She thought very highly of you."

Sarah stroked the TARDIS consol lightly and it let out a bit of a purr. The Doctor grinned, "Told ya. Do me a favor Sarah; I am going to link some of the TARDIS's telepathic circuits to Tash's brain. Since the message is temporally out of sync with her, only the TARDIS can translate it. When Tash got it, it made no sense and over loaded her mind. When I link Tash to the circuits, Tash will be part of the TARDIS for awhile. That's going to be a bit….awkward on both of them, the TARDIS and Tash. I want you to keep an eye on Tash. There is a possibility that, Tash's consciousness might become part of the TARDIS, if that happens, we will have to sever the link as quickly and delicately as possible. Otherwise, Tash will die and the TARDIS…."

"Tash will become part of the TARDIS. That's not good, is it Doctor?"

"No, Sarah. I want you to monitor Tash's vitals"

Sarah frowned, "And what are Mala'shraian vitals? I seriously doubt that they are like a human's."

The Doctor sighed, "They aren't and to tell you the truth I really haven't a clue what they are."

"You mean to tell me, Doctor, that you a Time Lord don't have any clue about an alien's physiology."

The Doctor grinned a bit sheepishly, "Nope. The Mala'shra are notoriously secretive about how their physiology is. Think about it, Sarah. If as a race, you don't function as the norm, and you become younger rather than older, would you seriously divulge what in your physiology cause that to occur? Would you reveal anything about how your body functions, if you feared that another race might take advantage of it?"

Sarah sighed, "Alright Doctor, point taken. But how am I supposed to monitor her, if I don't know what to monitor?"

The Doctor looked thoughtful, "Just make sure her pulse is strong and not weak. Her temperature isn't too cold or too hot. That's the only thing I can say, Sarah."

"Okay….I hope you're right."

"Me too."

Sarah Jane gave the Doctor a bit of a nasty look. She didn't like the idea that she had to be responsible for someone's life.

The Doctor proceeded to go to work. He managed to disconnect various wires and circuits from the TARDIS and began to connect them to Tash. Sarah didn't like this; it made her feel uncomfortable that the Doctor had to connect the TARDIS to a living person. And then finally the Doctor took his sonic screwdriver and made the connection between Tash and the TARDIS.

The TARDIS console flickered lightly and the room was filled with an Un-Earthly glow. He heard a familiar voice, "My children. Please help my children. Please help me…"

Tash began to shake suddenly in Sarah's arms. "Doctor!"

The Doctor put a hand to Tash's forehead, "She's boiling…"

The Doctor began to sever the connection. But he feared Tash's rising temperature. If she got too hot, it could cause brain damage. "Sarah. Get ice Get ice water. We have to bring Tash's temperature down. If I sever the connection with her temperature too high, it may cause brain damage."

Sarah Jane got up and ran further down the corridors of the TARDIS. She hoped she could find the items the Doctor needed. The TARDIS had changed considerably since the last time she had been in it. She wandered down the corridors of the TARDIS and muttered, "Come on TARDIS. Come on. Don't let me down. Don't let the Doctor down, and don't let Tash down either."

She entered into the kitchen of the TARDIS and gathered ice. She then got a bucket and filled it with water. She lumbered back to the control room with her load.

"Put some of the ice in the water, Sarah Jane." Sarah Jane went to work and put some of the ice in the water.

"What do you want me to do now, Doctor?"

"Pour the water all over her."

"But what about the TARDIS?"

"Damn it Sarah Jane, never mind the TARDIS right now. She'll be fine. I am worried about Tash."

Sarah Jane poured the ice water all over Tash. "Now dump the rest of the ice around her body."

Sarah Jane dumped the ice over Tash and then the Doctor bent down and felt her temperature and sighed, "It's lowering." He then proceeded to sever the connection. Tash's body gave a jolt as he finished.

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, and put a finger to her neck, "Heart still beating. She's alive. I just hope she isn't brain damaged."

"Now what?"

"We wait, Sarah Jane."

"What about the message? Did you get the message? I didn't hear anything at all."

The Doctor grinned, "Of course you wouldn't. It was telepathic. Humans won't develop telepathy till at least the 51st century and even then it's in isolated cases. Of course that's not saying that humans can't become telepathic now, you just have to have the right stimuli, usually it has to be traumatic."

Sarah Jane sighed, "So what did the message consist of?"

"In a nutshell, Sarah Jane, it was an SOS, a SOS for Tash. I can't do anything till she wakes up. Since technically the message was for her."

"But if only the TARDIS could translate it, doesn't it mean that the message might have been for you as well."

The Doctor sighed, "Probably. But it came to Tash's brain first. This means, it was intentionally meant for her to hear first. So we wait. I just hope there is no brain damage to Tash's mind."