Hello dear readers!

Here we go with the rewriting of Journey to the Center of the Tardis! I do love this episode, I hope I'll make justice to it. So again, same idea, I take the episode and (try to) change the plot to lead towards the finale. I hope you will like it :)

Yesterday night was the starting of series 9 with The Magician's Apprentice, what did you think of it? (if you want to answer in review, please no spoil for the ones who haven't watched it yet, or send me a PM :) )
I really loved it for many reasons, one very linked to my next writing ;) It seemed so short though, I felt like it lasted only 20 min O_O and it left me looking at the screen for 5 long minutes trying to process everything and just say "Moffat, Moffat, Moffat... you bloody genius" (yeah because whatever you think of him, you can't deny he is a genius, try and do what he does before criticizing him)

Turtle: I'll never thank you enough for your support, you are just amazing!

I'll let you get on with the chapter now!

Enjoy!

Melody - x.

Chapter 44

"You said-"

"I know what I said, I was the one who said it!"

"You said you wanted to fly her!" insited the Doctor as he was walking behind Clara, both going round the console.

"Yeah well I don't know what crossed my mind that day, probably got over excited." she shrugged though, she seemed quite nervous.

"Eh, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

He looked at her with a concerned look on his face. Since this morning she seemed very nervous, wrapping her arms around herself and waddling from one foot to the other in her red flowery dress.

"Did she do something mean to you?"

"No! Not at all!" she exclaimed, opening her eyes wide at the fact he could think that. She stroked the console unit. "She'd never do that."

"Okay, take the wheel, well not the wheel but I'll make it easy." he said starting to push some buttons and controls. "Shut it down to basic mode for you."

"Basic?" she said raising her eyebrows. "Because I'm a girl?"

"No!" he said, serious. But as soon as she looked away, he smirked, making it obvious that it actually was because she was a girl. Preventing himself from laughing when she looked back at him, he reached for a key with "Smiths" engraved on it and turned it.

As he was behind Clara, showing her the different controls in front of her, they started to hear music and as the young girl pushed a switch, all the lights turned off before red ones started to go round the walls.

"That wasn't me, I just touched it!"

"Err… Okay…" he said, not understanding what was going on with his beloved Tardis.

"Doctor?"

"All the electrical impulses are jammed!" he said, trying hard to push a lever. "I can't get the shields back up, she's completely vulnerable!"

He managed to push the lever back up, but it created an explosion, sparks escaping the console unit as the Tardis was hijacked.

"Magnetic hobble-field, we're flying right into it! Clara! Stay by me!" he called, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him to protect her while the console kept fighting with sparks.

"Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this!" she said, holding onto him.

"Oh yes, big friendly button!" he shouted over the sound of explosions and music.

"You're lying!"

"Yep!"

"To stop me freaking out?"

"Is it working?" he asked, as he was still trying to regain the control of his time machine.

"Not so much!" she said, holding tighter onto him, her arms around his waist. As she was looking down, she suddenly saw a device looking like a grenade roll on the floor. She let go of him and took the object and soon let out a cry before dropping it on the floor, her hand burnt.

Suddenly it all went white, the Tardis shaking violently and a blinding light coming from the explosion.

"What is it, some kind of escape pod?" said a young black man, his voice sounding metallic with some words.

"Come on." said an older one designating the blue police box that had been dumped on a pile of cables, laying on it. "Crack it open." he ordered the other older black man.

The oldest of the three walked up to the blue box and with a heavy hammer tried to smash the doors.

Nothing.

"It's doing nothing!" he said, incredulous. It is just wood, it should have broke.

"Use the thermo-charge and blast it." said the one that seemed to be the leader, throwing a device that looked like a grenade. As the oldest was about to charge it, the youngest stopped him.

"No, no, no, wait. It's like she's alive. She's... she's suffering. I can feel it. I can feel it!"

"That's just robot rant, Tricky!"

"No, Gregor, he's right." said the oldest. "Looks like there's a broken fuel line." he continued, pointing at the smoke coming out of the machine.

"All right. All right, put it back." said Gregor. "No salvage today, boys. Open the bay doors."

"Wait." spoke up the youngest. His eyes glimmered with a green light. Bionic eyes. "Somebody's under that thing. The crew were still on board when we dragged her in!" he said, pointing at the cables where two feet could be seen.

Gregor took his two partners aside and whispered:

"We did nothing. If anyone asks, that ship was already busted. You got that? And you, make sure you keep your oily mouth shut, right?"

"It's rude to whisper. Hi. I'm the Doctor!" said the man in a bow tie as he put his arms around the men's shoulders. "And you are? Er, Van Baalen and... Van Baalen." he continued, shaking their hands. "Van Baalen and Van Baalen. That's going to get confusing later."

"We found you drifting." said Gregor.

"Yeah, your ship was junked up pretty bad." said Bram, the oldest of the Van Baalens.

"What broke my ship was a magno-grab." the Doctor said with his smart look. "Found this remote in your pocket. Eh? What are the chances? Outlawed in most galaxies, this little beastie can disable whole vessels unless you have shield oscillators, which I turned off so that Clara could fly. Damn it! Clara. Where is she? Girl, about er… so high." he said, trying to estimate her height. "Feisty." As none of the men in front of him seemed to have seen her, that could only mean one thing. "She's still on board..."

He ran to the Tardis doors and was about to open them when, once again, Tricky interrupted.

"No, wait. Your pod is leaking fuel. If she's still in there, she's dead."

The Doctor thought for a moment. No she won't be dead. She will not die.

"Ah, respirators!" he said, looking over them.

"We can open the doors for a split second, reach in and grab her." said Gregor.

"Trust me, we can't. Now please, help me get her out."

"I'm telling you, she fried" insisted the youngest.

"Shut it, tin mouth. What sort of fee are we talking?" said the leader.

"If you help me get her out, you get the machine, all the scrap, eh?" the Doctor said, trying to bargain.

"It's not worth the risk." said Bram. "Four feet of metal? Nah."

"What if I can guarantee you the best haul you've ever had?"

"Bram, open the bay doors." Gregor decided, ignoring the madman.

"No, no! Please, stop! Listen, listen. Right behind those doors is the salvage of a lifetime."

They looked at each other but in the end Gregor decided to risk it. They could still have a look and if it was not worth it they could easily get out and open the bay doors.

"Hey, are we really going to risk it?" asked Bram. "That thing is spewing poison. We should blow it back into space."

"Get your gear."

"Hey, I don't take orders from my kid brother."

"Don't try and form sentences, all right? Stick to what you do best." Gregor said, patting his cheek.

"Tell me." started the Doctor as he was grabbing a respirator. "since when does an android need a blast suit and a respirator?"

"Flesh coating, same as us." answered Bram. "He'd burn up."

"No fear, no hate, no pain." said Tricky, putting on the respirator.

The Doctor headed to the Tardis and taking his key, unlocked the doors, opening the time machine.

"Salvage of a lifetime?" asked Gregor.

"I feel pretty confident I can deliver on that." he answered. "Here we go."

They all follow the Doctor inside, who was already at the console.

"I don't get it. I thought she was lying on her side!" said the leader.

"The Tardis is special." said the Time Lord. "She has her own gravity. I'd explain if I had some charts and a board pen."

"It's... it's... it's bigger-"

"On the inside." he finished for him. "Do you know, I get that a lot."

"Whoa... Awesome!" exclaimed Tricky.

"Well put. Whoa and awesome." he said, appreciating the youngest of the group. He switched a button and the extractor fans vented the fumes from the console room. "Safe to breath!" he said as he took off the respirator, the other three doing the same.

He took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the area.

"Okay, now, the last thing I remember, you were right there. Come on, Clara, talk to me..." he mumbled.

"How big is this baby?" asked Bram.

"Picture the biggest ship you've ever seen. Are you picturing it?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now forget it, because this ship is infinite."

"It could take you hours to find the girl." said Gregor.

"Days." corrected the Doctor. "Plus this whole place is toxic. She could be dead by the time I reach her. So, here's the mission. We're going to find her in one hour."

"We?"

"You're my guys for this."

"That wasn't the deal!" exclaimed Gregor.

"'Tis now." said the Doctor, his face suddenly becoming very grave.

"What makes you think we'll help?" spoke up Bram.

The Time Lord pulled two levers and a countdown clock started on the scanner screen.

"I just activated the Tardis self-destruct system. One hour until this ship blows."

As Bram tried to escape by the door that was still open, the time machine herself shut the door right in his face, locking herself down.

"Don't try to leave. The Tardis is in lockdown. I'll open those doors when Clara's by my side."

"You crazy lunatic!" exclaimed Bram.

"My ship, my rules!" the Doctor shouted, his voice growling like the thunder, the atmosphere becoming strangely dark around him in everyone's eyes.

"You'll kill us all. And the girl." Gregor tried to reason him.

"She's going to die if you don't help me. And I won't tolerate that." said the Oncoming Storm. "Don't get into a spaceship with a madman. Didn't anyone ever teach you that?" And as Gregor and Bram were trying to get through the doors, the Doctor hovered his index finger over a red button. "Okay, a little gentle persuasion. Say thirty minutes."

He pressed the button and the countdown jumped to 29:59:10.

"She'll die even quicker now!" exclaimed Bram.

"We all perform better under pressure. Anybody want to go for fifteen minutes?" he proposed, hovering again his finger over the button.

"Whoa!" the brothers stopped him.

"It's your own time you're wasting." he said with a terrifying smile. "Salvage of a lifetime. You meant the ship. I meant Clara."

I hope you liked it, don't forget to tell me what you think :)