"Ryan, spit it out," Claudia suddenly said, cutting into Clara's teaching about Jane Austen.
"But—!"
"Now, Sinclair."
Ryan grumbled as he's standing up and spitting his gum into a bin that Clara already held. "Will I get it back after school?"
All the kids in class grimace by his question.
"How will you know which one's yours?" Clara asked, which earned a laugh by all children, including Claudia who couldn't help herself smiling. "Fine, then. Right. Now, where was I?"
"Jane Austen," Claudia reminded Clara as she observed the view from outside.
"Right. Amazing writer, brilliant comic observer, and strictly among ourselves," Clara smirks, "a phenomenal kisser."
"Also a tiny bit psycho-killer werewolf," the bluenette added, frowning.
Clara shook her head, not even trying to explain to her students what Claudia meant by that. "That's a bit overkill, you know," she commented.
But Claudia didn't reply to her statement, still quietly looking at the window.
"Miss Claudia?" Ryan asked. "Miss?"
The brunette moves to her side, looking at the sky. "What is it…?"
She lost her words and found out why Claudia kept looking at the sky. An airplane motionless in mid-air.
"Everybody turn on their phones. News websites and Twitter," Clara ordered.
Claudia opens the window, pointing her sonic pen into the airplane as much as she can. She looks at the result, "Still freezing," she commented.
"Twitter?" Ryan asked, confused.
"Hashtag, #ThePlanesHaveStopped."
▪︎▪︎▪︎
Just like they both hope, soon all the world will start talking about the frozen airplane.
"How much will you bet this is something to do with the Doctor?" Clara asked Claudia as they put on their jackets.
"My pen picks up several readings," Claudia said as they're looking around the class, "but it's weird, Clara. It keeps showing me the origin of the tech." the bluenette lowered her head. "Gallifrey."
"That's not possible," Clara shook her head. "Is it?"
"Only one way to find out."
A minute later, Mr. Dunlop, the Biology teacher, enters. "Miss Oswald, Miss Redwood, a call at the office."
"Yeah, that would probably be UNIT," Clara answered as she and Claudia walked away into the hall.
Mr. Dunlop follows them. "They're telling me you're needed. They were going to put me through to the Prime Minister."
"Long short story, Clara and I deal a lot with weird incidents like this, so UNIT will contact us if it's necessary," Claudia replied.
Before he can say anything, Clara's and Claudia's already ringing simultaneously.
Clara looks at Mr. Dunlop. "We have to go, sorry."
▪︎▪︎▪︎
As soon as they arrive in UNIT HQ, Kate approaches them. "He's not answering his phone. Have you tried?"
"He dropped me a week ago, looking for a bookshop," Claudia shrugged.
"Bookshop?"
"For Arthur. He wants to buy a new book for him to read."
"Ah." Kate knows that despite his sarcastic attitude, the Doctor shows so much affection towards the young boy.
"How many planes?" Clara asked, getting back to the point, looking at the map, showcasing the airplane that had stopped moving.
"4.165 aircraft currently airborne," a woman responded. Claudia remembers her as Jac, Kate's new operative after Osgoods starting the Operation Double.
"That's a lot of passengers," Kate remarked.
"That's a lot of fuel," Clara added grimly.
"Oh, dear God. Yes, it is."
"4.000 flying bombs, essentially," Claudia concluded, her eyes moving narrowed. "For what?" She gazed at Jac. "Anything else?"
"Ah, well, 439 nuclear power stations currently active."
"What else?" Kate pressed.
"I dunno. Er, fault lines. Earthquake? A tsunami?" Clara guessed.
"Running simulations now," Jac said.
"So this is an attack?" Kate pondered.
"No," Claudia disagreed, "This is… way showing-off. As if, whoever's doing this clearly wants us to know, to get our intention."
"What's actually happened to the planes?" Clara wondered. "What are the pilots saying?"
Kate sighs. "We… we can't contact them."
"The planes haven't stopped. They're actually frozen. Like, frozen in time," Jac informed.
Clara and Claudia looked at each other's faces, "Just as you said," the brunette muttered.
Claudia nodded. "Which means, this isn't the Doctor's doing. There's no way he will use it, even if he wants to show off. And River would never use this. She's a sociopath, but even she had standards."
"Which leads us to one suspect," Clara speculated, her mind racing with dread as an UNIT member speaks up.
"We've got a message. The Doctor channel."
"He never uses it," Claudia said.
"Probably never remembers it exists," Clara guessed. "So, who is it?"
"Decrypting. We're getting text through, I think."
"Texting? Definitely not the Doctor."
The computer beeps as it creates the letters on screen.
You so fine.
"Have you got any more?" Kate asked.
"Coming."
You blow my mind.
Both girls still don't know what the message is about… until they read the rest
Hey Missy, you so fine, you so fine, you blow my mind! Hey Missy!
"Son of a grinch," Claudia cursed.
On a que, Missy appears on the screen. "Today, I shall be talking to you out of," her head suddenly pops up like 3D, "the square window!"
"What the hell was that?" Kate was shocked. "How did she do that?"
"Psychic projection, or probably one of Time Lord techs," Claudia noted, keeping her breath as calm as possible. Of all things that happen today, having Missy alive is not what she wants.
"Okay, cutting to the chase. Not dead, back, big surprise, never mind. I'm in a lovely little square in one of your, oh, I don't know, hot countries. There's a light breeze coming from the east, this coffee is a buzz-monster in my brain," she shows them her coffee cup before speaking fast, "and I'm going to need eight snipers."
"Why eight?" the bluenette demanded, crossed her arm around her chest. "Why bother?"
"Three for each heart, three for precaution, and three for my brain stem. You'll have to switch me off fast, before I can regenerate. How fast can you get here? Ooo, I'll need to arrange you a flight corridor," Missy offered, licking her finger before pressing buttons on her controller.
"Why do you need snipers?" Kate wondered. After all, this is the Master she's dealing with. Her father told so many stories where the Master's involved on Earth during his time in UNIT. She needs to be cautious.
"Because it's the only way those two lovers feel safe enough to talk to me. They won't like to see me without being together and have precaution," she shrugged, not bothering at all. "Shall we say 4 o'clock?"
With that, Missy ended the call.
"She knows we're here," Claudia mumbled. "And she needs us."
"But for what?" Clara pondered, pacing out as Kate ordered around UNIT members. "I mean, what could she possibly need from us?" The brunette's eyes glinted at Claudia's red leather jacket. "Unless…"
Claudia grasped the golden metal disc she received a week ago, the one she carried in her leather's pocket. She doesn't know who sent… whatever this is, but if Clara's hench is right…
"We better go."
▪︎▪︎▪︎
"Don't take action immediately," Claudia warned one of the UNIT operatives. "We're dealing with one of the most dangerous enemies in the entire universe."
"Are you sure about this?" Clara asks before they step outside, where Missy's waiting.
"No," Claudia replied, holding Clara's hand as they walked toward Missy.
"Go on, then," Missy said, allowing them to take a seat. Clara sits opposite Missy while Claudia sits between two. The Mad Time Lady keeps sipping her espresso. "How's your boyfriend? Still tremendously dead, I expect."
"Still dead, yeah," Clara replied without an emotional tone. She won't let her weakness show up. "How come you're still alive?"
"Death is for other people, dear. You and your lover here should know that," Missy commented. "Would you like to sit in the shade? I know how you humans burn." She uses her controller, and the shadow of a large plane moves over them. "Better? I expect you've tried to contact him by now. Well, you should know, I can't find him either. No one can." She stops for a moment. "Did he ever give you something?"
Remaining calm, Claudia takes the golden disc and shows it to Missy. "What is this?"
"It's a confession dial."
"A what?" Clara asked.
"In your terms, a will. The Last Will and Testament of the Time Lord known as the Doctor, to be delivered, according to ancient tradition," Missy gazed her eyes at Claudia, "to his trustworthy ally, on the eve of his final day."
"Why didn't he give this to Arthur?"
"And let him know that he's going to die? The Doctor would never let the young Explorer know. He rather kept it as a secret forever."
"Spoke like a true friend," Claudia mocked. "Friendship that is filled with extreme care and hate together."
"Oh, don't be disgusting. We're Time Lords, not animals," Missy rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Try, nano-brain, to rise above the reproductive frenzy of your noisy little food chain, and contemplate friendship. A friendship older than your tiny knowledge, and infinitely more complex."
"So the Doctor is your bezzy mate and I'm supposed to believe that you've turned good?"
"Good?" Missy repeats and then uses her controller to disintegrate an UNIT agent.
"Man down! Man down!" A
Claudia stands up. "What are you doing?!"
"By the ring on his finger, he was married, and I… I think I detected some baby leakage on his jacket, so he had a family," Missy remarked, sounding awkward, before speaking in a deep Scottish accent, "No, I've not turned good." She shoots another man. "Ooh, wow, I'm on a roll. Thanks for bringing spares."
"Stop it. Just stop it. Don't shoot anybody else!" Clara barked.
"Oi, you, sweaty one, on your knees," Missy alluded to another UNIT agent behind Clara, "Let's have a goodbye selfie for your kids."
"Missy, if you keep doing this—"
"What? What would you do? Kill me?" Missy challenge.
If this is kept going, Claudia will kill Missy for real. As much as she wants Missy dead for murdering Danny, for hurting Claudia's parents in The Year That Never Was, Clara needs to stop them. Missy is their good chance to find the Doctor and find a reason why he's hiding. "Claudia, Missy, stop!" She looks at the mad woman. "You came here for our help."
"Because the Doctor is in danger," Missy argued.
"Make us believe you."
"How?"
"Release the planes."
"Clara," Claudia shook her head, but before she could say more, Missy already beat her.
"The planes are keeping me alive. I mean, there's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight naughty little snipers ready to kill me."
"On my command," Claudia reminded her. Keep it together, Claudia. Your father won't like it if you do that. No matter how horrible they are. "But right now, that's not the point. Your best friend, our protector, is in danger. Show us you care. Make us believe you."
Missy didn't say anything. But she uses her controller and waves the shadow goodbye. It flies off. "It's only a basic Time Stop. Parlour trick. Couldn't have done anything with them anyway."
"What does it say?" Claudia asked. "His confession."
"It will only open when he's dead. Your mother had one, actually. Your father gave it to him."
"What?" Clara responded. Delaney had?!
"Oh dear, she never told you? Either of you?" Missy raised her eyebrow and formed a smirk. "Why do you think she knows about the Explorer before Demons Run?"
"And how on earth did you know about it?" Claudia demanded, sounding cold with a hint of anger.
"I found it already open, at Naismith Mansion," she waves her hand, unperturbed. "Question. If the Doctor has one last night to live, if he's certain he's facing the end of his life, where, in all of space and time, would he go?"
"Here."
"Well, yes, Earth, obviously! But where? When?"
Claudia gestures to two UNIT agents to bring them a laptop. After everything's set in the right place, they start searching the exact location the Doctor's in among many places.
"The algorithm generates probabilities based on crisis points, anomalies, anachronisms, keywords," Jac informed.
"Such as?" Kate asked.
"Blue box, Doctor. There we go. San Martino, Troy, multiples for New York. And three possible versions of Atlantis. It's easier than you'd think. The Doctor makes a lot of noise and he loves to make an entrance."
"That's it!" Claudia realized. "He's a drama queen. He loves to make entertainment. But considering he might die…"
"He will find a place that won't cause any crisis," Clara finished.
One by one, the red dots on the map slowly decreased into one spot only.
"There he is," Clara mumbled. 'Do not go gentle into that good night.'"
"You go, girls!"
Before Claudia can ask, Missy puts something on her wrist and Clara's, and they were gone.