The Doctor had gone with the Captain to check Sexy out.
Astrid, the boy, and I were left with the remaining two pirates.
I didn't like how they looked at us with abject fear and disdain.
Astrid was talking with the boy and I stood over them, feeling like a protective mother bear.
I eyed the pirates right back, staring them down until they looked the other way. I watched them glance at each other before beginning to unblock the door.
"So you are running?"
"We are not staying to mollycoddle the boy. The Captain's gone soft. It's time for us to leave."
The coughing paused as the boy stood, his eyes glaring at the pirates.
"He told you to wait, you dog."
"Toby, hold on its best..." Astrid tried to hold back but paused as she saw the pair of puppy dog eyes turned on her. "Let them go, Toby."
Toby turned toward the sailors, his hoarse voice hardening, "He's your captain. He's a naval officer. You are honour-bound to do as he says."
"Honour-bound?" The pirate leaned forward, dashing Toby's dreams of his father. "We sail under the black flag. The Jolly Roger."
"Liar!"
I caught Toby and turned my own glare towards the pirate.
"You've said your piece, now go!"
"I don't listen to no doxy, no matter their fancy words."
The paranoid one with oily hair pulled at the other. "We should go."
I watched them leave before I closed my eyes. I searched out the Doctor's mind; a surge of worry, relief and inquiry came back. I sent the thought, 'Be careful, mutiny is afoot."
It wasn't long after the pirates that gunshots ran out through the ship. The siren's call and the screams of the pirates came afterwards.
The warbling sound of the siren neared.
My eyes widened. "Toby?"
I turned as I watched the siren come from the reflection of the medal around his neck.
"Don't be afraid." I looked at Toby and Astrid. "She won't hurt you."
Pounding on the door had me opening it for the Doctor and the Captain.
The captain jumped forward, grabbing his son's hand, "Toby, stand back."
"It won't hurt, father."
"I trust her." Astrid's voice was cloudy and I couldn't tell if she was speaking of me or the siren.
Astrid touched the siren, vanishing with a gasp.
We ran through the ship toward its front and the captain's cabin, where all reflective surfaces had been taken out.
The captain still wouldn't trust us.
I laid down on the cots provided as the Doctor went out and talked to the captain starboard.
It wasn't long before the ship rocked harder than before.
The captain shouted instructions as the remaining three of us made it onto the deck.
I looked at the Doctor, "What should we do?"
"Follow along for now. I have a feeling we aren't going anywhere with this ship too."
Rain spattered against the deck, getting into our eyes as we tried to follow the captain's rough orders.
The ship rocked as the Doctor, and I was able to get a sail unfurled.
As the captain sent Toby to get his coat and compass, I whispered. "Not long now."
The clatter of something metal hitting the deck was followed by the siren's song.
The captain shouted toward his son, "Don't let her take you!"
Toby, not listening, touched the siren disappearing with a yell.
I held onto the mast as I looked at the selfish man before me, rivulets of rain falling down our faces.
"You couldn't give up the gold." I shouted over the storm.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He kneeled on the deck, his hands clutching his head. Tears lost in the rain as it pounded on our backs.
The Doctor and I made our way over, my eyes widened. "Duck Doctor!"
The Doctor dropped to the deck, narrowly missed by a swinging lower mast.
We scrambled to the captain.
"Now are you willing to take the chance?"
"Are you mad?" He shook his head.
I looked to the Doctor who pulled a needle from his pocket.
"We'll prick our fingers and let her take us. All agreed?"
"Aye." I looked at the captain, who stared at the rolling treasure on the deck before looking at the Doctor with a nod.
"Aye."
The Doctor pricked each of us, the black dot forming on her hands before everything went blurry and fuzzy.
We woke up on a wet, cold floor.
The Doctor looked out the spaceship's windows at the pirate ship on the other side.
"How brilliant!"
We followed the sound of the siren and came across the spaceship's dead alien crew. A tonal alarm sounded off and on.
"The distress signal. There was actually one." The Doctor peered over the console we'd found.
"Of course, when hasn't Sexy taken us exactly where we need to go."
We went into an elevator-like room that brought us into a large white room. Laid out on what seemed like hundreds of slabs were the captain's crew.
"My crew! They are all here!" His ready aimed pistol dropped as he ran forward. "It's Toby."
The Doctor looked over the boy. His hand rested on his forehead before he pulled his stethoscope from his pocket. He checked the boy's other vitals.
"His fever is gone."
"Of course it is." I smiled.
"Oh...oh..." The Doctor nearly had gotten it. I watched as he put the rest of the pieces together.
The siren came to check on Toby and the captain shot at the 'siren'.
The Doctor's eyes widened. Taking a tissue from his pocket, he sneezed.
The siren went red and zapped the tissue when the Doctor threw it on the ground.
"Antiseptic!"
"What?"
I looked around for Astrid and found her on the far table, breathing easy, hands already healed.
The Doctor was nearly jumping with joy. "She's a doctor. This is an automated sick bay. Her crew is dead. The sick bay has nothing to do. It's been looking after your crew and most likely humanity, while it's been idle."
The Doctor pointed up at the many beds filled above our heads.
"She's a virtual doctor, able to sterilise a whole room."
He looked at me with his excited puppy dog look, and I nodded.
"That means...oh boy..." He ran his fingers through his hair, eyes widening. He returned to the captain's side. "We need to send this ship back to space!"
"What about Toby?"
I stepped forward. "Back in England, it would have only been a matter of time with typhoid. Here though..."
"Then what if I stay here? The siren will look after him. I can't go back to England and what home does he have now?"
"He has you and now he'll have the chance for the stars." I looked at the young boy and smiled, thinking of the whole adventurous life ahead for him.
The Doctor smiled at the captain, "Do you think you could sail this ship?"
This time a genuine smile spread across the captain's features, "Just point me to the atom accelerator."
I went back to Astrid, shaking her shoulder until she woke up groggy.
"What if I told you, you have the chance to fulfil your childhood dream?"
"Do you mean..."
"A whole spaceship of pirates. They'll need a modern perspective. Do you think you are up to the challenge?"
The captain spoke up from across the room. "She's welcome to stay. I'll need a woman's touch with Toby."
I cracked up, and Astrid chuckled, too.
"Never expected my pirates to be perfect."
The Doctor who had discovered the TARDIS was now leaning against it.
I glanced at him. "Doctor, do you think you could jerry-rig a cellphone for Astrid?"
He nodded, jumping into the TARDIS, coming back with a manual and cellphone.
Astrid looked at where he set the things on her cot before sprinting back to the TARDIS.
"What about you two? Will you at last talk?"
I suppose it was getting pretty obvious we needed one.
"I think so."
After waving goodbye, the Doctor and I walked up the ramp to the console.
My Doctor turned to me with a raised eyebrow, "So you've lived another life?"
