Chapter 14

His head was throbbing when he came to and for a moment the Doctor was sure that he would throw up. He swallowed the impulse and move around only to find his one foot a little heavier than usual. As he opened his eyes the first thing he spotted was the outline of a women inspecting her fingernails.

"Never took you for one to sleep in, Doctor," Missy said absent-mindedly, not taking her eyes off her nails.

The Doctor glanced around the room that looked a lot like a prison cell to him and soon found that his leg was chained to the wall. No way to get it off. At least not while he was guarded by Missy.

"That seems a bit old fashioned," he commented, trying to sit up despite his headache. Whatever she had used to drug him it seemed very effective and long lasting. He had no idea how much time had passed. And then his mind wandered back to Clara and suddenly he was highly alert again. Where was she? What had they done with her? Had they taken her as well?

"Well, I am old fashioned," finally Missy turned to look at him, smiling broadly and the Doctor wished he could just wipe that look off her face.

"Where's Clara?" he asked sharply, "What have you done with her?"

The smile didn't fade from her face. "Nothing," Missy shrugged, "We haven't touched your precious Clara at all. I told my boys to get you, not her."

The Doctor frowned at his old friend. Just how their friendship could have lasted so long he couldn't tell. He felt nothing but hatred for Missy now. "Then you're stupid," he spat, "I don't have what you want."

Missy laughed. "And how would you know what I want? It's not like you ever asked," she paused, looking down at him. The Doctor suspected that she must enjoy feeling superior for once because she certainly looked like she did. "For the record: I wanted Clara on her own. I wanted to see what she would do next after we took away her bodyguard and adviser."

He snorted. "Well, unfortunately for you Clara is a smart girl. She will have boarded her flight. You will never see her again."

Missy didn't speak for a long moment. Instead she reached into the pocket of her jacket and drew out her lipstick, applying it on her mouth before she looked at him again. "Well, it's obviously that you don't know her half as well as you think," she replied matter-of-factly, "Because I happen to know that she missed her flight. And I know where she is now."

"Where is she?!" the Doctor bellowed and launched forward, only to be reminded of his shackles once more.

Missy grinned at him from a safe distance. "Now, now," he tutted, "That would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?"

She turned around and headed towards the door, leaving the Doctor alone with his thoughts and worries. Missy was planning something and he hated not knowing what that was. There had been a time when he had known her so well, when he could have predicted her every move – or at least that was what he told himself. Now the Doctor had no clue what was going to happen next. All he knew was that he needed to get away and prevent Clara from doing something potentially stupid. He needed to protect her and only now he realized how miserably he was failing at that.

Clara turned the key around between her fingers, admiring the shape and the shininess for a long moment as she was lying on her bed. She felt dead tired because despite the comfortable mattress of a five start hotel she hadn't slept for a single moment. She couldn't sleep. Not while she knew the Doctor was in danger. Not when he wasn't lying next to her. Kate would help her get him back, she had promised her that she would personally lead the operation to find him and only bring in her most skilled and trusted men. But at what price?

The price was what Clara was holding in her hand. The key to his father's bank deposit box. She would do it, but on her own terms. Anything to get the Doctor back. Without him Clara was lost. She considered herself lucky that Kate had only suggested handing over the key and promise her her help in return, not taken it by force which, Clara realised, she could have done easily. Kate had even granted Clara a night to consider it but there were security guards stationed in front of her hotel room now, making sure she wasn't going anywhere. It was an imaginary choice at best because in the end Clara was sure that Kate would just take what she wanted. Even in her decency Kate hadn't been able to resist.

When the alarm clock went off, switching from 6:59 to 7:00, Clara rose from her bed. She had showered and changed her clothes an hour ago, only waiting for Kate to finally start her work day before she headed out to be greeted by her security guards. They looked as tired as she felt.

"Take me back to the headquarters," she ordered them without wishing them a good morning first and they escorted her back to the car.

Less than half an hour later Clara marched into Kate's office, determined to get her Doctor back as quickly as possible.

"Oh, good morning, Clara," Kate greeted her in a friendly manner, "I didn't expect you so early."

"I've made up my mind. You can have the key," Clara said determinedly, glad to get it off her chest, "But I have conditions."

Kate gestured towards a chair as she sat down, but Clara refused. She was small and only this way she could for once tower over Kate. Clara needed to convince her that she still had the upper hand, even though Kate could just order her men to take the key from her.

"What do you have in mind?" Kate asked her patiently, smiling at her, "Please, don't be so hostile. I'm not going to harm you and I'm willing to accept any terms you have if they end in both of us getting what we want."

Her calm voice reassured Clara a little and finally, after a moment of hesitation, she sat down at the opposite side of the table.

"You can have the key after we've found the Doctor. Once we're both safe I will hand it over to you," Clara said, "But not earlier. I need to make sure you do everything you can to free him."

Kate nodded. "That seems reasonable."

"And," Clara added, "I want to be there. I want to be part of the mission every step of the way."

The woman in front of her sighed. "That's not necessary, Clara. My team is fully qualified and I will personally oversee the operation. There's no need to put yourself in danger. Your father wouldn't have approved."

"But your father was okay with you being in danger?" she cocked an eyebrow.

"My father had this position before me. He raised me to follow in his footsteps. You don't even know how to fire a weapon and, make no mistake, Clara, there's a good chance it will come to that."

"Teach me then," Clara prompted her.

There was a moment of silence as her words hung in the air and it took Kate a moment before she eventually nodded in agreement.

"I need you to know that I don't want the key for my own personal gain," she said sincerely, looking straight at Clara, "I just want things to stay the way they are. Your father did an excellent job running the organisation and he will be a tough act to follow. But the contents of this box can't fall into the hands of the wrong people. You have no idea how much damage it could do to the entire country and part of my job is to keep this country safe. I admired your father and he was friend and I would never do anything he wouldn't have approved of with the knowledge he accumulated. I hope you understand that."

Clara hadn't even considered that. She had just assumed that everyone would be after the power the contents of her father's deposit box could provide them with, she would never have suspected Kate to be an exception. She just wanted to make sure people like Missy never go their hands on it. Too bad it collided with her own plans for revenge.

"I understand," Clara reassured her.

"Good," Kate smiled at her, "Do you have any other conditions?"

Clara shook her head.

"Then let's go and meet the team. See if we can find a match for your number plate," she said as she rose from her chair and walked towards the door. Clara had no other choice but to follow.