"You have to leave me here then."
The Doctor stared incredulously at Katie. "What?"
"Doctor, it's the only way you can get out alright. They have enough mirrors here that we can set them up with suits. You take them back to TARDIS, find a good place for them to start over. I'll stay here."
"I'm not leaving you."
"You've got to," Katie said firmly. "Look, potential energy is just the time that people could have had, right? So that means that TARDIS is full of potential energy, which is time. If they're in my head, and they aren't going to come out any time soon, then I can't just walk into TARDIS and hand them an unlimited supply of food. So, you have to leave me here."
"Kathryn. I'm not leaving you here. Now, what exactly have you been seeing?"
Katie sighed. "The energy is silver, streaks of purple running through it. Mental stuff. Probably left over bits of psyche."
The Doctor ran his hand through his hair, trying to think. There was no way he was going to lose Katie, but she was right in the aspect that he couldn't take her back onto the TARDIS.
"Your ship got shielding?"
The Doctor stared incredulously at Aiden. "What?"
"How well sealed off is it?"
The Doctor looked away, flabbergasted. "I'm trying to figure out how to keep all of us alive, and you want to know schematics?"
Aiden looked askance at the Doctor. "Gee, thanks. Lot of faith you put in the only three survivors. Look, I don't understand everything that Katie has going on inside her skull, but it seems to me that if those things use potential energy with brain waves to get inside her head, they have to use it to stay there. So, if you stuck her in a place where they no longer had the brains to mess with her head, then it would all be fixed."
Katie and the Doctor stared at Aiden. Then Katie looked at the Doctor. "You know, for a human, he's not half bad."
"Well, that's rich coming from you," Aiden said, vaguely insulted. "Talking like you aren't even one."
Katie and the Doctor both raised an eyebrow at Aiden. He looked nervously from one to the other. "You're joshing."
The Doctor and Katie turned away from him. "Doctor, you're better with arts and crafts than I am. How about you get the girls fitted out while I find you your metal? Aiden, you can help me. I need to see where you keep your best supplies."
"How are we supposed to walk in these?" Katrina asked. Katie smiled wryly.
"It's either that or get eaten. We'll need you to carry a few things as well. Just a bag. Aiden, you get to have the glass. I already put it in a leather bag you had lying around. I'll take the metal, seeing as it's heaviest." A tug on Katie's pant leg drew her attention down towards Jaya. Jaya's lips never moved, but Katie distinctly heard her request. She wasn't quite able to suppress the laugh that bubbled up from her throat.
"Doctor, Jaya has asked for you to carry her. Katrina, do you happen to have some kind of carrier, possibly one the Doctor could wear on his back?"
Katrina nodded and went to go get it. Katie looked at the Doctor, biting her lip in an effort to quiet further merriment. She was certain she was the only one of the group that could see the near-terror in the Doctor's eyes. It made her worried though, that the fear was under his usual practiced blank look, the one that always signaled a hidden pain.
"Here it is," Katrina said, holding up something that resembled a backpack. It looked a little small, but would suffice. "How far is your…what did you call it? Your ship."
"She," Katie instantly corrected. "TARDIS is a her, not an it."
Katrina looked at Katie oddly as the Doctor answered, mind not entirely focused. "Around a mile. Katie, are you sure Jaya wanted me to carry her?"
Katie smiled, her tongue poking out from between her incisors. "Yes, I'm sure. It makes sense actually. Aiden's toting glass shards, Katrina's probably still partially wiped from my earlier defensive measures and has to carry the self-insulating compartmentalized giptheorium thermos and your other bits and bobs, I'm lugging some of the heaviest metals you could possibly pick and might kill Jaya if we made skin to skin contact. You, however, are a tall, strong man who is carrying things that are relatively light." Katie tilted her head to study him for a moment. "You'll have to take that coat off though."
The Doctor looked her up and down incredulously. "My coat?"
Katie nodded. "Mm-hm. The carrier isn't gonna fit over the mirrors and the coat. May not even go over the suit coat. So off with 'em."
The Doctor looked like he wanted to protest further, but did as Katie said. He still couldn't let it go without some kind of protest. "You're getting awfully bossy lately."
"Yep, I know. It's what happens when you hang around with a guy who considers himself the center of the universe."
"I know a hermit who lives there, actually. Brilliant bloke. Bit of a narcissist."
"You two must get along famously. You'll have to take me to meet him some time." Katie took the trench coat and tossed it to Aiden.
"Put it on, it should protect you from extra glass shards." She turned back to the Doctor, who was nearing speechlessness. "Doctor, off with the suit coat. Jaya needs as much room as possible." She caught the look on his face. "Oh come on, stop the protesting. You and Jaya get along just fine, and Aiden's not going to damage the coat Janis Joplin gave you. Next question is how we're traveling."
"I thought we were walking," Katrina said.
"She means what order we're walking in," Aiden corrected. "I think the Doctor should go first with Jaya. After all, he knows where we're going. Then Katrina and Katie can walk in between and I'll bring up the rear."
Katie raised an eyebrow as the Doctor leaned backwards as though settling in for a show.
"Why are you last?"
Aiden shrugged as though it were obvious. "You have no mirrors and you're female. The men always protect both ends."
"I don't think ya'll quite get it," Katie said, her Californian accent becoming a light Texas drawl. The Doctor made a mental note to ask more about that, after she was done with her speech. "Those angels out thar have decided to nest in mah head. Therefore, they have plans to use me, and that means they ain't likely to try bumpin' me off anytime soon. And if you try to pull the gender card again, I swear I will hog tie you and carry you in to TARDIS's console room." Her California accent came back for her last comment. "Comprende?"
Aiden nodded silently, seemingly impressed by Katie's speech rather than offended. She tossed the Doctor's suit jacket to Katrina, who silently put it on after placing Jaya into the carrier on the Doctor's back. Katie gestured towards the door.
"Shall we commence our journey?"
The Doctor watched Katie's eyes as she stepped out of the store behind him. Instantly, he saw them start to cloud, and knew that the Angels were asserting their hold on her mind again. He had to prevent that, not just for her safety, but wasn't sure how to do it. His roaming faze landed on Aiden, and a small light bulb moment came to him. How to pass it on?
The distinct feeling of someone sending him a message invaded his mind, and he immediately knew it was Jaya. Had she heard his thoughts?
She must have, for a few seconds later Aiden blinked, then nodded at the Doctor. The Doctor smiled lightly, thankful that Jaya had been able to help.
You're welcome.
"So where do you come from?"
Katie blinked, trying to clear out the dreamy state enough to recognize the question. "Sorry Aiden, what was that?"
He moved so that he was walking next to her and pronounced the words slowly. "Where…do…you…come…from?"
"America. West Coast area."
Aiden seemed confused momentarily. "Oh, you mean New Canada."
"You want to run that by me again?" Katie said, her voice nearly a growl. Her head was suddenly very clear.
"America is now known as New Canada. A few hundred years ago there was a war. Not much of one, America caved easily."
Katie fought to keep herself from smacking Aiden for what was obviously a cruel prank. "So America is once again under British rule?"
Aiden shook his head. "No, Canada broke off a couple million years back, just before the United Earth Senate began. They just decided to take over America. Purely for the taxes, of course."
"Doctor, will I get into trouble if I put Aiden into a coma?" Katie called forward.
"Yes," he called back, not missing a beat. "We'd have to carry him, and it would slow us down. We've just hit the Angels. Single file."
Katie glared at Aiden, though it was a bit playful. Her Californian accent thinned just enough for her Texan one to come through. "Just watch your mouth, Bubba Jo. I know my country's history, thank you very much, and it ain't never even touched by Canada."
"Where does that accent come from?" Aiden asked as he maneuvered around the first few outstretched hands.
"Texas," Katie answered, using her broadest. She hardly paid any attention to the Angels as she effortlessly wound around them. She blinked a few times, her mind feeling foggy. Katie smiled lightly and allowed it to come. Aiden glanced up towards the Doctor, and then back to Katie.
"What about your—?"
A deep rumbling stopped his next words. Katie felt it too and looked up as rocks started to fall.
"Cave in!"
Jaya started screaming in terror and Katrina looked worried. Katie and Aiden had fallen behind while they were talking. Aiden now tried to close the gap, but Katie latched onto his arm, yanking him behind her, knocking over several statues in the process.
"Kathryn!"
Katie didn't answer the Doctor. Instead, she unslung the metal from her shoulder, twirled around a few times, and let it fly. It landed near the Doctor's foot as she dragged Aiden further back.
Rocks fell onto the spot they had been moments before. Katie and Aiden kept running, the rocks still crashing behind them. Aiden felt a sudden shove that sent him sprawling and shattered the mirrors. He laid flat on the ground covering his head as the dust settled.
He slowly lifted his head, looking for Katie. He didn't see her.
Aiden jumped up, a cut on his head making him sway. "Katie! Katie!" He worked his way along the wall of boulders, searching.
"Kathryn!"
Suddenly, a bloody hand sticking out of the rocks caught his eye. A sinking feeling hit his stomach.
"Katie!"
Swiftly moving rocks, he uncovered the rest of her body. Her head lolled grotesquely and blood covered her tattered clothes. Aiden pulled her out, trying to be as gentle as possible in his fear.
Once she was completely out, Aiden laid his fingers against her neck, checking for a pulse.
There was nothing.
*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*