Jenny looked out across the square. It was cold, but she still wore her dark green t-shirt, and could feel the cold wind on her skin, bringing out goosebumps. She hadn't had the chance to buy any new clothes yet, and instead had mastered cleaning these ones. What was the point?
She smiled.
There was small clap of thunder.
She knew the decoy had worked. It was her friend, that she had met when she had stopped to refuel- where, she hadn't a clue. She was wearing a perception filter- as far as anyone knew, it was Jenny.
Her friend was some form of freedom fighter and was keen to offer herself up, which Jenny foud unnerving, but knew it was necessary should something go wrong, and she knew that knowing her father, there was more to this than met the eye.
Suddenly there was a soft bleeping sound. It was the phone Aggie had given her.
"Hello? Jenny's phone. Yes, well, it's not me obviously. Who is this?"
"Martha. Jones? It's just we seem to be locked in and there was a sign, 'please ring this number', so...what the hell's going on?"
"It's been too long and it's all dark. I'm the last resort."
"Like the Doctor, you instill me with confidence, as usual. We really need to get out of here, we have someone with a head injury-oh, God, what's happening?"
"I don't know. As far as they know, I'm already in there-I have to try, when we're safe, I'll ring you back. When."
She hung up. She had to get in somehow.
-
Please let them be OK, please. Please let them be OK, please. Please.
Why?
Something's not right. I almost like- drumming, from a distance. Oh don't back off, it's not coming from me...oh, dear. Be careful.
If we don't get out of here soon, Luke could die. Please be alright. Please hurry-
Please, no, please let them be OK. Doctor...
-
"We're going to die aren't we?"
"No," Aggie said firmly.
Isobel held on to her hand.
"Why are you so sure?"
"I'm always so sure."
"That's not funny-"
There was some banging from the floors above.
The only door was deadlocked, as were teh wondows at either end, which had layers of shutters, also dead locked.
The Doctor kicked it in frustration.
"Bugger this!"
"The back up will work," Aggie said calmly.
"They're going to gas us! We'll be dead before they even get here," Isobel said. "How do I know it even exists? You're patronising us again."
"I'm not lying."
"Then tell me!"
"No!"
"Why?"
"Because I can't, I promised."
"Promised who?"
"KNOCK IT OFF!" The Doctor interjected.
"You didn't have to come!"
"What was I supposed to do?"
"STAY WHERE I TOLD YOU TO, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD?"
"OH, YEAH, BECAUSE HISTORY CHANGES IF I DIE!"
"YEAH, IT DOES ACTUALLY, SMARTARSE! AND THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
""'Scuse me kids? Can we be nice?" Jack smiled at them.
The Doctor stalked away, and sat at the other end of the corridor. The two girls were both shouting still.
Mickey poked Jack and pointed at the two girls, and the Doctor at the opposite end.
"She might be clever, but she's still just a kid," Jack said. "This- this can't be it? There is backup. Everything she's said so far has been pretty dead on, so, despite the tantrum-"
"Oi! Captain of the State-the-Obvious-Brigade-" Mickey poked him harder.
"Yeah, well, near-death experiences tend to numb my quipping ability!"
Jack looked up. Isobel was almost crying. Aggie was in tears, on the floor.
"WHERE... ARE...YOU?" she gasped.
The Doctor wandered over, and sat next to her.
"This was you!" Isobel said accusingly. "She was trying to be you!"
"I know that, thanks."
"This is you! Look at all the people that will die because they know you! Including, well, you...!"
"What are you then? You have the choice you know, to get involved. I bet you've travelled with her- how many times have you said, 'I think you're wrong?' Judging by the tone, I'm gonna guess you've wanted to for a while, trust me, she will never learn, you have to tell her she's wrong, imagine if I had no one to tell me? Maybe this is my fault, but I don't force anyone to do anything there are some things you can't control, and people are one of them! No one has jurisdiiction over someone else's mind! You can walk away any time."
"Oh, you really are an arrogant bas-"
The lights came back on.
"We're going to die!"
"Whoever heard if switching the lights on at the end?"
-
The Master was leant over Romana, grinning.
The Rani had gagged the Doctor, who was yelling behind the cloth tied around his mouth and flailing his one uninjured arm and leg.
"They've all gone, no one can hear you."
"Mffg mfff-mfffk!" was all the Doctor can be heard to shout. "Yff-cffffrrr-fffuit!"*
Suddenly, the Master fell forward onto Romana, and the Rani fell to the floor, banging against teh desk in the process.
"Ouwfff!" commented the Doctor. He struggled to look up. "Mjff-nffy?" He announced seeing someone scurry past.
"They were stun guns!" Came the reply. "'Everyone's gone home'! What an idiot!"
She ripped the gag away.
"Why would he do that?"
"Being clever and being mad are so intrisincally linked that one day, one is accelarated at expense of the other. One regeneration too far."
"But how?"
"How? He tried too hard to control the regeneration- it's a lost art and for good reason- perhaps someone described it to him, perhaps he wished to be more intelligent, tried too hard. I think someone else tried to kill him first and he was he tried too hard this time- as opposed to last time..."
"What will we do with them?"
"One time, I would've said, they would stay with me, but I'm afraid, not now. Whatever Aggie used to fix people, it's a step away from being a Chameleon Arch. They'd be better off that way- and I'm quite good with..."
"Human?"
"Oh yes. Nice perception filter by the acting. Did you have to shoot me, though? I'm not sure I approve-"
"You'll live."
"Don't help or anything-" Romana shoved the Master off her.
"Put some clothes on!" The Doctor called, although, to be honest, he didn't care either way. Almost.
-
The door slid open.
"What an idiot!" The Doctor announced. "She's slipping!"
"NO ONE LEFT TO SAVE US MEANS NO ONE IN THE BUILDING! BACKUP!"
"Care to enlighten me?"
"JENNY!"
"Am I missing something here?" Mickey called after them.
"I don't broadcast the fact I have a sister that came out of a machine- makes people look at her differently..."
"What, is she half TARDIS or something-?"
"Oh, shut up-"
The Doctor looked baffled.
"She can't give birth-have you ever seen coral give birth to humanoid offspring?"
"Gross!"
"Just once!"
They all looked up.
Romana was carrying the Doctor (he was impressed, too) and Jenny was gingerly pulling the Master and the Rani along by their feet.
The Doctor hummed as he was being carried.
"I know where that bow tie is going next," Romana muttered, as he burst into full on song. "And you, be careful with their heads."
"Yes, ma'am!" Jenny replied sardonically.
"I'm so glad to be alive," Jack added.
"Oh! I GET IT!" Aggie cried after a few seconds. "Hooray!"
There was almost a collective sigh, half-happy, half...
"I do the stupid jokes, not you! That's not even funny!"