Sabrina Noeland gazed with amazement as she once again entered the TARDIS, her eyes flickered around the control-room, and she could never see how anybody would ever get used to it.
Clara passed her, sending her a warm smile and a grin "took me forever" she said, as if she have read Sabrina´s mind… that, or it was printed on her face.
For Sabrina, stepping into the TARDIS was a new experience every time and the undiscovered territory made her eager to learn more about the blue box and the mad man who owned it…
The Doctor arrived lastly, gently pushing the outside door of the police box, closing it after him just as gently, if not even more. The TARDIS was not good shape and it was in The Doctor´s best interest to keep it from more harm. He let out a sigh "no trace" he said "no Auwl´s at all".
"Well they have to be here somewhere" Sabrina said looking at Clara who nodded, giving her new friend some sort of support.
The Doctor let out another sigh, this time not out of sadness, but annoyance "as I just said, there are no Auwl´s left on earth" he really didn´t want to admit it, but the search had been on for days now, and in that time The Doctor have looked all around the planet, both past and future as well.
…
It was about five days ago when The Doctor and Clara landed on planet earth for a quick trip to London. There they met Sabrina Noland; met or met… technically she bumped into them running away from a little creature with sinister shining eyes.
The commotion had caught the Doctor´s attention way before the meeting but he shook it off, probably just a street fight he thought… yet a strange fragrance did catch his nose. That was why he decided to stay, not to take action, but at least to be around if his help would be needed. And it did, screams echoed in the narrow ally´s and the sound of footsteps became clearer… from the top of the road a wave of humans rolled down towards them, like a stampede of freighted animals. Both The Doctor and Clara took cover as the mass of humans ran past them… only seconds after, everything was quiet again.
It was at that moment a young woman hammered into The Doctor, knocking both of them to the ground.
"Sorry" she apologized reaching her hand to The Doctor. While she seemed calm, well in contrary to the group before her, her voice was on the blink of break and her eyes were misty "but I have to go".
The Doctor did not let her, he grabbed her shoulder and pressed his hand down with enough force to hold her back "please stay" he said…
The young woman began to tremble and sniff not able to say anything.
The Doctor wasn´t interested in the woman herself more the information she could hold, he opened his mouth again "tell me, what did you see?" he moved his free hand towards her forehead and placed it there, soon his other hand followed "or rather, show me".
When The Doctor again removed his hands, the young woman fell to the ground, a mixture of stress, sadness, fear and wonder had been too much for her to handle.
Clara caught her, looking partly confused but mostly concerned with eyes shifting between the woman in her arms and The Doctors pale face.
"Are you coming?" The Doctor said in a monotone voice which just didn´t match his face. He then moved in the direction of the TARDIS.
"But we can´t just leave her here!" Clara exclaimed and caught The Doctor´s attention.
"Are YOU coming?" he just answered. His movement sped up, as if something was haunting him.
Clara took the young woman by her arms and dragged her to the blue box only a few feet away and with a snap of her fingers, the doors opened.
"Sabrina Noeland" The Doctor said "twenty years old and a local" he took a look at the young woman "or so it seems".
"I know that tone" Clara made sure Sabrina lay comfortably before she moved towards The Doctor "alien or what?"
The Doctor gave her a little smile before he turned his attention to the screen near the control centre of the TARDIS "a hundred percent human" he said "but there is defiantly something alien about her, I just can´t figure out what".
"I did notice that when you read her mind you..." Clara stopped; The Doctor´s eyes looked exactly like before, just as haunted and confused… "is something the matter?" she then asked.
"You know how you are not the first I´ve travelled with?" The Doctor said.
Clara nodded.
"It seems that this girl have been in contact with all of them" he continued, he knew that Clara would have interrupted him, she had that look in her eyes "but that is practically impossible".
"Says the most powerful creature in the universe" joked Clara but cleared her throat… "Oh, you mean it, but how?"
"I saw them" The Doctor said "but I´m afraid she saw something in me… something I´m not too fond of".
…
Sabrina awoke to a wheezing groaning sound, she couldn´t set a finger on it, it was unlike anything she had ever heard before and yet it sounded oddly familiar. She gently opened her eyes and saw how a blue police-box vanished just like her mother had. She suddenly remembered; what if her mother was still gone? She got up quickly but a jolt of pain in her shoulder forced her to her knees. As she categorised the pain she finally got to her feet. Her eyes danced around the scenery but all that met her were utter destruction. She took a deep breath and began walking. It was a barren wasteland of blackness. She shivered as the temperatures fell; soon she saw her own breath and heard her teeth shattering. There was no warmth or light here and probably no life too. It was a place where the only living thing left, was death itself.
From the distance a bright red light showed up, it came closer and closer. Soon Sabrina realized what it was, and she ran.
Fire, an all-consuming fire, it caught up to her, burned her flesh and carbonized her bones, the flames were so intense that Sabrina would never had have a chance, she was as good as dead. She saw a figure of a man walking away.
And then someone pushed her out of the fire.
…
"Thank goodness" shouted Clara as she looked Sabrina in the eyes "are you alright?"
Sabrina nodded, she wouldn´t say she was fine but everything was better than the place before, she looked at Clara again.
"The streets" she muttered "you were in the streets".
Clara nodded "and you were in a hurry".
Sabrina opened her mouth but The Doctor interrupted her.
"It was an Auwl attack, A-U-W-L" he started "what they want I don´t know, but they must have felt my presence" he turned around and looked down at Sabrina.
The strange man was around middle age and had dark grey hair and sky blue eyes; he wore a dark blue coat, and looked most like a magician.
The girl next to him was a little older than Sabrina, or so she looked at least, she had dark brown hair and eyes that matched in colour. Her clothes looked comfy and practical but still a bit stylish. But it was not the two persons who had caught Sabrina's eye, it was the location. Sabrina was inside what she only could assume was a spaceship… with all that have had already happened she would believe anything.
"It´s the TARDIS" Clara said "Time And Relative Dimension In Space".
Just as before Sabrina just nodded stars trucked, then she remembered "mum!" she got up and noticed that her shoulder still hurt, she made a foul grimace.
"Easy" Clara's voice was gentle and full of concern "you´re still a bit shaky… but what happened, suddenly you just started screaming".
"Thing is that she is awake" The Doctor interrupted "now we need to get you home".
"But my mum is gone!" Sabrina rose her voice "you did something to me and the next thing I remember is waking up in a hellfire!"
"And that was a mistake" The Doctor admitted "but staying here is far more dangerous than going home, with or without your mother".
Sabrina looked down "but that place, what was that?"
"A memory that could have been" The Doctor lowered his voice "this could have been the fate of Gallifery".
"Gallifrey?" Sabrina looked puzzled "what´s Gallifrey?"
"You already know!" The Doctor said, almost hurt "you have met them and they all know".
"Who!" Sabrina ignored the pain in her shoulder and moved towards The Doctor "who are you talking about and who the hell are you anyway?!"
The Doctor looked surprised, but not in a good way, something was bothering him. "Well if you don´t know, we definitely don´t have any use of you" The Doctor looked at Clara who gave him a mad glare "what?"
Clara got to Sabrina's side, pushed the girl a little back and got uncomfortably close to The Doctor "her family is gone and you just want to leave her?" she still looked at him "I´m kinda used to the new 'you' but if there is anything 'Doctor' over you, you do not just leave the innocent behind".
The Doctor gave in, one thing he had never learned was to figure out his Impossible Girl, the best thing he could do, was to agree.
For a long time no one said anything, and it seemed that nothing could break the awkward silence… so the TARDIS did.
All three was tossed around as the blue box made unsatisfied noises and blew out smoke from places it wasn´t supposed to.
The Doctor glanced around and in a quick swoop both he and Clara had jumped to the control-board and pushed buttons and pulled handles which just made the TARDIS sound even madder. It tossed it´s passengers around a couple of times more before it finally calmed down.
Burned circuitry was the smell that hit Sabrina´s nostrils. She opened her eyes and tried to locate the girl and the man. She saw figures moving and moaning, both voices recognizable. She tried to get up again but her arms wouldn´t let her. She saw how a dark spot formed around her sick shoulder… gun? no she would have remembered that, she knew that she couldn´t have felt like that in order to get hurt. No signs of claw marks, her red blouse wasn´t harmed… not an animal either. She felt a dull pulse in her arm, it followed the rhythm of her heart… whatever it was, it was healing… or so she hoped.
The Doctor moved fast, he moved around the TARDIS to make sure it was unharmed; his eyes kept falling upon Sabrina.
"What have I done?" Sabrina asked "why do you look at me like that?"
"My companions" The Doctor started "you have met them, all of them" he looked disturbed as he fiddled with some vires.
"What do you mean by 'companions'?" Sabrina got herself up a little "like that girl and me".
"Her name is Clara!" The Doctor bit back "her, Donna, Rose and Amy, all of my companions".
"Sorry" Sabrina sighed "never heard of any of them" she got The Doctor´s attention "I really want to help, but I really can´t".
"Of course you can´t help, you were just in the middle of the attack" he continued "we are going to find your mother and bring you both home, that's all".
"Wait!" Sabrina said "Clara, she called you Doctor?"
"Yes" The Doctor said unaffected "I am The Doctor".
"Doctor?" Sabrina almost whispered as an intense pain took over and made her arm spasm so she fell to the ground which made a hollow sound.
The Doctor jumped to her side "what is wrong?" he exclaimed.
"Don´t… know" Sabrina´s voice made a halt between her words "my… shoulder" she gasped for air "it… hurts".
The Doctor glanced at the dark and still growing spot on Sabrina´s shirt. He removed the top of the fabric, only to see a big red wound, freshly sprung with blood pumping out of it.