Lyssa glanced around as the shimmering colors of the Time Vortex faded away to reveal a grassy meadow underneath a pink sky. The area was small, though well maintained, with a few unused picnic tables sitting on the blue grass nearby. And... there was no sign of the Doctor or the TARDIS anywhere in sight. She sighed, reaching one hand up to press against her tingling lips. It had been fun to tease him, the uncertain give-and-take of the past few days while neither of them was one hundred percent certain of where the other stood... but she couldn't deny that she missed the certainty of later Doctors.

Not that she knew which Doctor she'd be meeting up with this time, given his lack of appearance. She scrunched her nose. Another waiting period - and on an alien planet at that. Lovely. She just hoped it wasn't going to be another three weeks without him this time. She checked her pockets, hoping she might have at least stuck a few pounds in there to grab something from a nearby shop to pass the time, but came up short.

"Excuse me, dearie, are you waiting for someone?" a woman with a heavy Scottish accent asked.

"Oh, just my friend," she answered automatically, turning and startling to find a middle-aged woman sitting at one of the previously-empty tables. She had reddish-black hair carefully styled into an elaborate up-do, and wore a violet Victorian dress that somehow rang a bell, despite her certainty she'd never met the woman before. "You..." she frowned uncertainly, eyes narrowing. "You look familiar," she said slowly; wary, but unsure why.

The woman smiled, delicately lifting an ornate teacup filled to the brim to her lips, pinky in the air, before taking a long, noisy slurp from it while maintaining eye contact. "Of course I do, dearie, we've met before," she told her with a smile as she lowered it. "Come and have a seat, there's a pretty thing." She gestured to the empty chair across from her, the sleeve on her wrist sliding back slightly to reveal a familiar looking gadget.

Lyssa pressed her lips together. A vortex manipulator would explain how the woman had appeared out of nowhere, along with her knowing Lyssa - obviously from some point in her future. But something about the Victorian garb was familiar - and not in a good way. She crossed her arms and took a few cautious steps closer, but remained standing, ready to run at a moment's notice.

"If you've met me before, and you're a time traveler, then you should know that personal timelines don't always match up," she said coolly. "I haven't met you yet from my perspective, so be careful about what you give away."

"Of course I know that, dearie." The woman gave her a dangerous smirk. "I know all about you," she crooned. "Lyssa Devons," she pronounced the name slowly. "You make things so delightfully interesting. I practically don't even need to intervene, just sit back and watch."

"Intervene in what?" Lyssa narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Want?" the woman repeated with wide eyes. "Just a chat for now - I'm bored. You wouldn't believe how long it takes to get things ready." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "No need to be so wary, dearie, I'm not here to cause any trouble this time." She set her cup carefully back down on the table with a clink and raised her blue eyes to wink exaggeratedly at Lyssa. "Cross my hearts," she promised, flicking a hand across both sides of her chest.

"Hearts - " Lyssa scrambled back a few steps as it clicked. "Missy?" she gasped.

"In the flesh. And it's even my flesh this time." Missy blew her a kiss.

Lyssa bit back a shudder. "Okay, so... why are you really here? The Doctor isn't here, if you were wanting to horrify him with some new scheme," she bit out, the memories of losing Bria still fresh despite the years that had passed.

Missy rolled her eyes. "I can see I need to clarify a few things first." She sighed. "The things I do for you..." She fixed Lyssa with her gaze. "I'm not the Master. Please don't keep comparing me to him. It was just a childish obsession, and I'm past that now. I've matured, you see. Bad enough I'm stuck with the name," she muttered with another disdainful roll of her eyes.

"I... what?" Lyssa stammered, taken aback.

"The Mistress?" Missy stated as though it were obvious, unamused. "I was going through a phase when I decided on my name. I'm stuck with it now, but at least Missy is better. A little less immediately associated with him," she made an expression of distaste.

"Right..." Lyssa said slowly, then shook her head. "Nope. Still don't get it. When you say you're not the Master, do you mean just this version of you, or..."

"Oh, I hate explaining things like this. I can't even gloat," Missy moaned. "I need a pamphlet or whatever it is you lot use." She sat up straight. "Listen closely, I'll try to use small words. The Master and I are two separate people - I'm the better one. The Doctor and the Master were friends as children, yes?" she waited expectantly for Lyssa to nod. "Good, you're not that hopeless. I was never a part of their little off-and-on-again frenemy mess. However, when I looked into the Untempered Schism, I saw the Master as he would be - and I was fascinated. And the rest, as they say, was history." She shrugged. "I modeled myself after him as best as I could. Did whatever it took to get his attention. And then," she sighed, tracing one finger around the rim of her teacup, "as with all love stories, I grew up. Stuck with the name, like a bad tattoo."

"So... you used to like the Master, but now you don't," Lyssa summed up, leaning against one of the nearby tables. "But I'm guessing you still like causing trouble?"

"Who doesn't?" Missy gave her an innocent smile. "You certainly happen to know enough people who do."

Lyssa narrowed her eyes. Even if she believed Missy - which she was inclined to, vaguely recalling the Master implying something similar while bragging about his plan with the animatronics - she didn't think she was suddenly a force for good. "What are you really here for?" she asked again. "Does this have something to do with the Cybermen?" she pressed, recalling the Time Lady's first true appearance in the show.

Missy's eyes flashed with interest that screamed danger. "So, you do know about that," she mused, tapping one sharpened nail against her lips. "Interesting." She straightened. "Like I said, I'm not here to cause trouble - yet. The Doctor doesn't know about me, and I'm planning my dramatic entrance for a suitable moment. I need it to be memorable, after all."

Lyssa raised an eyebrow "If it's anything like I recall, he definitely won't forget it," she muttered wryly.

"Oh, goody!" Missy clapped her hands excitedly, then took a deep breath, calming herself down. "I must be going, I'm afraid," she said regretfully. "I really was just popping in to say hello." She stood up, extending a hand across the table. "I do look forward to the future, when you're better able to handle yourself. It does make things more interesting."

"Ah, yes, my most important quality," Lyssa said dryly. She eyed the outstretched hand for a moment, then decided to risk it and stepped forward to take it, bracing herself for the still-unfamiliar chill of a Time Lord - or Lady's - hand. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I think it's a little early to be that optimistic," she said bluntly, shaking it.

Missy curled her lips into a smile as she pulled her hand back. "Oh, so you can still be fun," she purred, flipping back the cover on her vortex manipulator. She paused halfway through entering in the coordinates to look up at Lyssa, face sober for once. "In the interests of bothering the Master, I do think it only fair to inform you that he's very close to catching you," she warned. "Didn't you wonder why you landed somewhere so far from the Doctor?" She raised an eyebrow.

Lyssa backed up a step, feeling a chill run down her spine. "He can manipulate where I land?" she breathed in horror, looking around and half expecting him to pop up out of a nearby bush.

"Well, not him, exactly, but some of the rubbish company he keeps can come close," Missy scoffed. "It's obviously not quite right yet or you would've been found already." She paused, humming. "Actually, you know what will bother him more?"

"Children's laughter? General happiness? Peace on Earth?" Lyssa raised an eyebrow, trying to distract herself.

"Obviously, but that's not as fun for me," Missy waved her off. "No, what will really get his goat is not catching you. Actually..." she tapped her lip in thought. "Maybe I'll give him a goat. Would that be frustrating, do you think?" she turned to Lyssa.

"Uh... I'd be mad?" she shrugged, hopelessly lost at that point.

"Lovely," Missy smirked. She reached out and slapped the hand with the manipulator over Lyssa's wrist, then rapidly typed in the rest of the coordinates.

"Missy, no-" Lyssa cut herself off, closing her eyes as they disappeared with a bright flash of light. She staggered as pavement reappeared underneath her feet. She wrenched her hand out of the other woman's grasp, curling her arms around her waist as her stomach rebelled. "No wonder the Doctor prefers the TARDIS," she muttered, swallowing down a wave of nausea.

"Oh, the Doctor doesn't get sick, dearie, that's just you," Missy informed her casually. "Something to do with you holding pure time energy, I assume - you're not meant to travel that way. If you're going to be sick, please do it the other way, I just cleaned my shoes."

Lyssa gave her a dirty look - it was her own fault anyway - and cautiously straightened as the worst of it passed. "So, what are we doing here?" She looked around. It looked to be a city street on modern day Earth, with people bustling by, totally ignoring the two women who'd just appeared out of nowhere, one of them wearing very period-inappropriate clothing. A bright flash caught her attention and she looked back just in time to be blinded by yet another flash as Missy reappeared - with a goat that baaed miserably as it swayed by her side. "Is that... a goat?" she demanded incredulously.

Missy raised her eyebrows. "What a clever girl. You really have learned from your time with the Doctor." Lyssa rolled her eyes and she huffed. "If you must know, I plan on attaching your signature to it. It should buy you enough time for you or the Doctor to stumble into the other."

Lyssa stepped back warily. "Dare I ask how you plan on attaching my signature to it?"

"I'm not going to use your skin, if that's what you're asking," Missy informed her. "That's so old-fashioned, and I'm all about staying up to date. All I need is..." she reached out and plucked a hair from Lyssa's head before she could react, ignoring her indignant objection. "A little bit of DNA, and this handy device that I discreetly nabbed from Rassilon's desk before I left Gallifrey," she said, pulling out a small silver rectangle with a little blue orb hovering at the top. "Well, I say discreetly. I mean I threw something heavy at him and stole it while he was spluttering. It wasn't like he was doing anything worthwhile with it anyway," she said as an aside, clicking open a compartment and placing the hair inside before closing it again. "And... ta-da!" she exclaimed, displaying it proudly to Lyssa as it began to whir. "Aren't I clever?"

"Well, you're completely mad, I'll give you that one," Lyssa muttered, taking care to step out of reach.

"All the best Time Ladies are," Missy smirked. "Well, this is where you told me to bring you, so I've done my part. Come along, Stevie," she clucked to the goat. "Lyssa, dear, I'll see you around. Do try not to create any big explosions before I get there, I do so enjoy watching you work. Toodles!" she blew her a kiss and vanished, the poor goat giving one last pitiful bleat as it disappeared.

Lyssa blinked, struggling to process the last few minutes. Glancing around, she saw a few empty tables on the patio outside a nearby coffee shop, and collapsed onto the nearest one with a heavy sigh. She crossed her arms across the wood and leaned forward, letting her head rest on her arms. However she'd expected the day to go when she'd jumped... that had not been it.

"And now I have to add meeting Missy to my agenda," she muttered grumpily, scrubbing a hand over her face. "Assuming I even get the chance," she added grumpily, thinking of the ever-increasing hints that whoever was hunting her was getting closer. She idly picked up the little red shield charm Ten had given her, studying the back of it. He'd added what was essentially a perception filter to it when they were hiding from the Family of Blood, making her appear as human to all but the most in-depth of scanners, and she'd never gotten around to asking him to turn it off once the Family had been dealt with. It probably wouldn't do much to deter the hunters, but it couldn't hurt.

And who knew? Maybe it was working to some degree, and that was why she hadn't been caught yet.

Still didn't make her feel any better about sitting out in the open without the Doctor or the TARDIS nearby.

But... where could she go? Wishing she had her phone - she really needed to get better about keeping it on her - she let her charm fall back against her shirt and heaved herself to a semi-upright position, resting her chin on her hand as she tapped her nails against the chipped paint on the table. If she knew what year she was in she could try and find Jack - she knew he'd set up a base in Cardiff at some point in the early 21st century.

"Lyssa?"

She startled at the sound of her second Scottish accent of the day, elbow slipping on the surface as she spun before she managed to catch herself. "Doctor?" she blurted in relief, eyes wide as she took in the Twelfth Doctor standing a few feet away. He wore his familiar magician's coat, hair cut close to his head, and was holding a sheet of paper with some writing scribbled on it.

"When did you get here?" he asked, furrowing his thick brows together. "You looked half asleep, is the line for coffee that long?" he glanced at the bustling lobby to the coffee shop.

"What?" She followed his gaze. "Oh, no. I just got here a few minutes ago. It's just... been a day." She sighed, then shook it off and stood up, offering him a smile. "I'm very glad to see you again," she told him earnestly, coming around the table to pull him into a hug.

"Me me, or just me in general?" he asked, slow to return the embrace, but arms strong and sure around her once he did.

She paused. "Both, I guess?" she said uncertainly, wrinkling her brow. "I mean, I'm always glad to see any version of you, but it's been a while since I've seen this you. And after the day I've just had, it's doubly nice to see any version of you. Why?" she asked, leaning back in his arms to glance up at him.

He hesitated. "I'm a bit... different now, more than I have been for some time," he admitted. "Older. Less outgoing. I don't... care... like I probably should."

She frowned, too concerned to make a joke with something about his words striking a chord, then inhaled sharply as realization hit. "You've just regenerated, haven't you?" she asked, searching his face. His hair was shorter than she'd ever seen it on this version of him, and... she could see it now, the hint of uncertainty in his eyes as he met her gaze in return, the slightly hesitant way he held himself, as if he hadn't settled into himself yet.

He stilled, eyes dropping from hers, and that was confirmation enough. She winced. His regeneration had been the roughest, if it'd gone anything like it had in the show; for both him and Clara, leaving both of them floundering and uncertain where they stood with the other - despite the fact that neither of their feelings for the other had changed in the slightest. And if this version of him was still in a relationship with her, then he was probably even more sensitive to her potential rejection than he had been to Clara's.

She raised a hand to cup his cheek, giving him a small smile when he glanced back up at her. "If I was there with you when you regenerated, then I should have told you this already, but it can't hurt to hear it again. And if not, then it's a good thing I can tell it to you now." She held his gaze. "You're still my Doctor," she told him firmly. "There's no escaping that no matter what you regenerate into, so don't even try."

His lips slowly curled up into a smile. "Should've known," he said fondly, raising his own hand to brush a loose curl behind her ear and leaving a trail of warmth on her skin from the touch. "I'm still the Doctor across regenerations... and you will always be my fairy-girl. You were there with me," he told her. "And you told me the same thing then."

"Of course I did," she smirked. "One of my youngest selves jumped to this you very early on. It was a disaster, I was half-blind due to extenuating circumstances, but you know what I could see? You." She softened. "I've always seen you, no matter how old I get, no matter which version I'm with - no matter what you look like on the outside, you're still the same man who cares about me, and his companions, and all the other pudding brains out there."

He gave her a small but real smile, dropping his hand from her face to take her hand in his. "Well, now that we've established that we're exactly the same as we used to be, shall we determine where we're actually at?" He tapped at the little TARDIS key on her necklace. "This covers quite a lot of ground, you know."

"Spoilers, Doctor," she teased, raising an eyebrow. "And here I was thinking I was due another one any time now." She laughed, shaking her head. "I was with Ten and Martha, that whole Lazarus debacle," she waved a hand in the air. "I was totally winning that competition on disassembling his machine thingy when I jumped."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's odd. I seem to distinctly recall finding a small bottle of acid hidden by your pile shortly after you left."

She blinked up at him innocently. "Wow, that's so crazy. I'm glad it didn't accidentally open while I was breaking all those pieces with my bare hands."

He hummed disbelievingly. "We'll agree to disagree. I just happened to stop by because I promised Clara and the Ranger I'd pick up the coffee. You disappeared before you could pay for your share," he informed her, giving her a teasing glance as they joined the line.

She bit back a snicker. "Well, that's unfortunate. And oh, darn, this me is straight out of cash," she told him, pulling her empty pockets inside out to demonstrate.

"I suppose I can't say anything, I don't have anything either," he admitted. "The TARDIS gave me a few extra pounds on my way over, I suppose because she knew you were coming." He paused as the line moved forward. "I'm guessing you don't want actual coffee?" he turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

She gave him a dimpled grin. "You guessed right! I've yet to acquire a taste for it. So probably just the usual. Actually, do I have a usual?" she asked curiously. "I haven't actually gone out for coffee with you yet."

"Medium hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and topped with chocolate shavings?" he rattled off, an amused smile spreading across his face. "You tell me."

"Ooh, that does sound delightful," she hummed. "Extra chocolate. All the chocolate. And maybe even a few sprinkles," she added consideringly. "Possibly some more chocolate on top of that."

"Extra chocolate?" he repeated, smile fading slightly. "Did something happen?" he glanced down at her in concern. "You mentioned you had a rough day, but when you were with my Tenth self, I seem to recall us having a grand old time."

"It was really nice," she assured him, cheeks heating slightly at the memory. "Just getting to spend time together, with no pressure to be anywhere or do anything. I loved it," she smiled wistfully, though it faded a moment later. "But... after I jumped..." She sighed. "I can't say much because of spoilers, but let's just say that I was reminded of the group that's hunting me and Vina. They weren't able to find me, as far as I'm aware, but... they came close," she shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Apparently they can manipulate where I land when I jump."

He stiffened, jaw clenching. "Were you harmed at all?" he asked, eyes burning as they raked over her for any sign of harm, one hand coming up to grip her elbow.

She shook her head. "A little freaked out, but I was brought to safety before anything could happen, and then you showed up a minute or two later. And I think the TARDIS helps protect me, right? That's why they were able to get so close during the Family of Blood thing, because she'd been powered down. And before, they... pulled me? I think? To a place where you weren't going to be at, so neither of you would've been around to help. But then I was brought here, so... I guess I'm okay, for now? Until I jump again," she realized disconsolately. "I can't trust the person who helped me this time to help me again in the future if I need it. And... things are getting closer, aren't they?" she glanced up at him. "I can feel it. Vina's almost ready to have her baby, and I know they're going to try something by then at the latest."

He sighed, eyes dark. "Yes," he confirmed reluctantly. "They will move soon in your personal timeline. Not while you're here with me, but... shortly after."

She grimaced. "Lovely."

"I can't... do anything to stop it," he bit out with a scowl. "Too many things happened there that are connected to fixed points, whether there or later on down the line." He glanced down at her. "Just... know that whatever happens, I will always come for you. No matter where you are, no matter what has happened."

She bit her lip. "Why do I get the feeling you're talking about more than just the hunters?" she whispered, searching his face.

He gave her a sad smile. "Because I am."

xXx

"So where are we picking Clara and the Ranger up from?" Lyssa asked as they stepped into the TARDIS, tray of drinks held securely in hand. "Or are we just aiming for a year and hoping for the best?"

"We'll pick her and the Ranger up from the school," the Doctor explained. "She's the only one that teaches there, but he has a knack for knowing where and when I'm going to land and showing up there with her, though he refuses to tell me how, the little scamp."

She tilted her head to the side. "Didn't you say once that you thought he might be time sensitive?" she pointed out as he took the tray and set it on a shelf, the air around it shimmering in the familiar manner of a stasis field. "Could that be how?"

"Yes, but I have a feeling it's more than that," he grumbled as he sent them off. "It's the gleam in his eye. The one that says he knows more than he's telling, and he's enjoying the secrecy - the same one you and River both have more often than I prefer."

She snorted, gripping onto the console for balance. "Because you would never do anything like that, of course. I've certainly never seen that gleam in the eyes of literally every single version of you I've met." She gave him a pointed look.

He sniffed. "I'm a Time Lord, it's my job to be secretive."

"River's part Time Lady," she countered. "I'm literally connected to the timestream. And the Ranger is... well, whatever he is. Shouldn't that count?"

He pretended to consider that for all of a moment then shook his head. "Completely different circumstances for all of you. Can't be compared. Sorry."

She snorted. "Of course. Should've known."

The TARDIS jerked and he straightened, distracted from whatever he'd been about to say, attention switching to the monitor. His face tightened. "She caught a distress signal. Hold on tight, this one's going to be rough," he cautioned her, pulling down a lever.

Lyssa frowned, strengthening her grip on the console as the ship began to toss from side to side. "What's the situation?" she asked, flickering through her hazy memories of Twelve's episodes from the show for any focused on distress signals. "Ship crashing into the sun again? Ship under attack? Just general distress?"

His fingers flew across the controls. "Under attack." His jaw tightened. "Damage consistent with Dalek weaponry."

She sucked in a sharp breath. "What can I do to help?"

"Just hold on for now," he directed. "Their ship is lost, but if I'm clever, which I always am, I can materialize us around the life signs and bring them aboard before they crash - and without us being detected."

She nodded, glancing up at the monitor as he worked. It had been split into two screens, one showing a small ship similar in design to an airplane, trailing smoke as it darted frantically through space. The other looked more like a heart monitor, showing the life signs of two individuals - one steady and the other too rapid to be all right, the numbers flashing an ominous red.

"I think one of them is injured," she called to him over the noise. "Vital signs are all over the place."

"Can't do anything about it from here," he told her, not looking up.

She clenched her jaw and nodded, turning her attention to the TARDIS. "Old girl, any chance you could beam the injured one directly to the Infirmary?" The ship hummed a hesitant confirmation, flashing a light on the console to draw her attention to it. She frowned. "You can? But... you need something done here first?" she guessed uncertainly, and their bond hummed with affirmation. She drew a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "All right, show me what to do," she directed. The view on the monitor switched to a simulation of the console, and she managed a quick smile as a switch that matched one on the console flipped. "Oh, you brilliant thing," she breathed, reaching for the real one and switching it.

She focused on the screen after that, filtering out the external stimuli as she followed the displayed directions and automatically balancing when the TARDIS shook and jerked. It was only when the screen flashed red and returned to the replica of a galaxy - the Doctor's version of a screensaver - that she snapped out of it. The fading remnants of a shrill scream rang out and she whipped around to see a young woman in a black soldier's gear sprawled on the floor, blinking uncertainly up at the ceiling and looking physically unharmed.

Her eyes widened. Ignoring the young woman, who at least looked unharmed, and the Doctor, who was beelining for the coffee, she darted up the stairs. The TARDIS had moved the Infirmary so it would be the first room in the hallway, the doors swishing open at her approach. She moved into the examination room to see a young man, with similar getup and appearance to the woman, resting on the examination bed. His outfit was torn on his side, revealing a deep gash that oozed red blood down onto the bed, with a few beads trickling down the corner of his mouth.

"Right," she breathed. "I don't..." She shook her head. "First things first," she reminded herself, scrubbing her hands in the sink before pulling on a pair of sterile gloves. She glanced up at the monitor set up by the bed displaying his vitals and grimaced. "Rapid heartrate, low blood pressure, breathing... mostly steady, no spinal injuries, at least that's one good thing," she muttered. "Breathing is good, so focus on the bleeding first."

The TARDIS highlighted a drawer for her and she popped it open to reveal packets of gauze. Ripping one open, she began packing it into his side - it was far from professional, but she needed to keep him from bleeding out until someone who was a professional could take a look at him. Once she'd gotten enough in that the blood was no longer immediately seeping through, she began to wrap it, keeping the heavy pressure on it until she could secure it.

"Right," she nodded once she was done, stepping back with a sigh. "Anywhere else I need to check?" she asked, glancing up at the screen which held an outline of the human body. The side was lit red in the area of his wound, and there was an ominous red in the center of his head that she could do nothing about, but the rest of the outline was reassuringly green. Still, wanting to be sure, she carefully peeled back his lower lip and sighed in relief when she found the bleeding to be coming from several teeth marks deep in the flesh. "Must've bitten himself when he got injured," she muttered, dampening a sterile cloth and dabbing at his mouth while she waited for the Doctor.

"Lyssa?"

She turned and found the Doctor peering in, brow furrowed. "Oh, thank goodness," she sighed in relief, shoulders sagging. Quickly explaining the situation to him, she more than willingly stepped aside and let him take over. "What about the girl?" she asked as he set about examining the man. "Is she all right?"

He snorted. "She's fine. Bit of shock about the situation, thinks her brother - aka Sleepy here," he indicated the unconscious man, "is dead. Other than that, she's uninjured. Perfect soldier, ready for action," he remarked with a light air she doubted he felt as he used a slender device to begin closing the wound on his side. "More than capable of pulling a gun on me and trying to force me to take her back."

"What?" she said incredulously. "Are you all right?" she asked in concern, looking him over.

"Of course I'm all right, who do you take me for?" he scoffed, skillfully inserting an IV catheter into the man's wrist. "I talked her around, she remembered her manners, and once I'm done with this fellow, we'll be dropping her off. He might need a bit longer."

"And... will he be all right?" she asked awkwardly, glancing down at the man as the Doctor moved to a sealed cabinet to retrieve supplies.

He paused. "Time will tell," he said eventually, hanging a blood bag on an IV hook and connecting it to the catheter. "Lost quite a bit of blood, took a nasty blow to the head. I'm giving him a transfusion now, took care of the surface damage, but it's up to him if he wakes up. And we don't have time to stand around and wait," he informed her, stripping off his dirty gloves and disposing of them before flipping a switch on the monitor.

She frowned, disposing of her own gloves and washing up. "Why, what's going on?"

"Our friend with the gun out there is quite insistent we drop her off," he said dryly. "And I'm not exactly inclined to keep her around. I slowed down time in here so she won't notice how long we've been gone, and I've connected his monitor to my sonic, so I'll be alerted if anything changes or if he wakes up. In the meantime, let's drop her off and be done. We can always come back later for him."

She shrugged. "All right," she agreed uncertainly, glancing back at the man as they left, the door swishing shut behind them and blocking her view. "So... what's the girl's story?"

"Hard to say, she wasn't very chatty in between pointing her gun at me and demanding answers," he told her dryly. "I'm back, please don't point your gun at me even if it makes you feel better," he announced as they entered the console room. The girl, now standing in a wary position, gave him an odd look, then frowned at Lyssa, weapon held uncertainly by her side. "Ah, right, introductions. Lyssa, meet Wander Red," he waved a hand vaguely at the poor girl, who looked thoroughly ready for bed, a few tear stains on her cheeks.

"It's Journey Blue," she snapped, glaring at him.

"At least I had the idea right," he shrugged, approaching the console. "Now. The Aristotle's the big fella parked in the asteroid belt, yeah?" He pulled down a lever and the lights down below began to spin as the ship took off.

"Yeah, but... it's shielded," Journey told him.

"More or less," he muttered under his breath. The TARDIS landed with a groan and he gestured to the door as it opened with a creak, revealing bright lighting and what looked to be the walls of a ship. "Dry your eyes, Travel Pink," he said as Journey glanced outside incredulously. "Crying's for civilians. It's how we communicate with you lot."

Lyssa shook her head uncertainly as he stepped past the two girls to the outside. "I'm so sorry about him," she apologized genuinely as Journey swiped at her cheeks. "I promise he does have manners sometimes. He just doesn't use them sometimes," she said with a glare at his back as she followed him.

Journey followed after her, the TARDIS door swinging shut immediately after and locking with a click, and she swung around, eyes going wide with amazement. "It's smaller on the outside!" she breathed.

The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "It's a bit more exciting when you go the other way."

"And life's more pleasant when you're not rude to someone for no good reason, but we don't always get what we want, do we?" Lyssa told him with feigned sympathy as she joined him. He glanced down at her with a confused frown but she didn't respond, focusing her attention on Journey. "So, where are we going?"

"My uncle's here, I just need to find him," she said, leading the way further into the ship. It was huge - as evidenced by an officer driving an entire utility vehicle down one of the passages in the background - and filled with harried looking soldiers bustling about, sleek silver shuttles lined up against one wall and a large heap of mangled machinery against another.

"This isn't a battleship," the Doctor realized, stopping by a glass wall with the word 'Aristotle' written in white over a red diamond insignia. "That's a medical insignia," he nodded at it. "It's a hospital."

"We don't need hospitals now," a gruff voice said, and they turned to see three armed soldiers approaching. "The Daleks don't leave any wounded," the man in the middle, obviously in charge, announced grimly. "And we don't take any prisoners."

The Doctor straightened. "We saved your little friend here," he indicated Journey, "if that's in any way relevant to mention."

"That's true, sir, he did," Journey nodded, also straightening, though with respect rather than wariness.

The man eyed the Doctor for a long moment before nodding briefly. "Thank you."

The Doctor smiled faintly. "You're welcome. I wish I could've done more."

Lyssa glanced at him, wondering why he hadn't brought up Journey's brother, but followed his lead and kept quiet.

"Then you should have," the man said gruffly.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Okay."

"But you did save Journey, and for that I am personally grateful," the man continued.

"Well -"

"However, the security of this base is still absolute," he cut the Doctor off. "So we're still going to have to kill you."

"Oh, it's a roller coaster with you, isn't it?" the Doctor muttered. "Did you skip your coffee this morning? Amy was always violent if she didn't get her coffee first thing."

"Shoot them both, bag them, and throw them outside," the man ordered, turning to leave. Journey tried to protest and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. But they might be duplicates."

The soldiers readied their weapons and Lyssa froze as the Doctor thrust an arm out in front of her, reaching the other into his jacket for his sonic.

"He's a doctor!" Journey burst out, and they all froze. The leader turned back to her, and she met his eye, trying to convince him of her sincerity. "And we have a patient, don't we, Uncle?"

There was a long pronounced pause, the leader's hand held in the air, before finally, he lowered it. The soldiers relaxed their weapons, and Lyssa let out a long breath, though the Doctor remained tense. "This way," he jerked his head. "I'm Colonel Morgan Blue, commander of what's left of this ship."

"I'm the Doctor, that's Lyssa," the Doctor said tersely, gripping Lyssa's hand and following after him, Journey by their side and the two gun-happy soldiers behind them. "Why does a hospital need a doctor?"

"The Aristotle wasn't always a hospital," the colonel said grimly. "The Daleks got here first."

"You don't like soldiers much, do you?" Journey observed quietly as they walked. "Why is that?"

"You and your uncle were both perfectly happy to see me and Lyssa dead for the crime of saving your life," he said tightly. "You're armed and ready to used them, you don't need to be liked."

Lyssa pressed her lips together, keeping her gaze on the floor as they entered a laboratory and the Doctor promptly began exploring the equipment. She wasn't sure if this was from an episode or not, but it didn't have to be for there to be trouble. Especially not with Daleks involved.

"A moleculon nanoscaler," the Doctor breathed, tracing his hands over the glass of a large capsule filling most of the room. "It miniaturizes living matter. What's the medical application, though? Do you use it to shrink the surgeons so they can climb inside the patients?"

"Exactly," the colonel nodded.

Lyssa frowned, glancing back at the capsule several times as they left it behind and the Doctor rambled excitedly about its uses. Just like with Missy, something about it rang a bell - and not in a good way, like a bell that was out of tune and being aggressively rung by a hyperactive toddler.

"Are you going to miniaturize me?" the Doctor was asking curiously when she tuned back in.

"You're a doctor, aren't you?" Morgan countered, as if that explained everything. He nodded at a guard standing by a set of doors, who swiped a card over a scanner. It beeped, and the doors swung open with a creak that wasn't at all ominous. "And this is your patient." He gestured inside to a room dimly lit with blue light.

The Doctor took one look inside and staggered back, thrusting Lyssa back behind, heedless of the way she staggered back several steps. "No, you don't understand. You can't put either of us in there," he breathed in horror.

Peering around him, Lyssa's eyes went wide as she saw the patient, one hand coming up to clutch at the Doctor's sleeve. "Doctor..." she whispered slowly, trying to tug him back out of reach.

Before them, dented and scorched, covered in cables and chained to the ground, was a Dalek. The eyepiece swiveled to look at them, its dome lights beginning to flash.

"Doctor?"


A/N: *Hand waves medical scene* Don't look too closely, everything is fine. It's, um, space medicine. That's just how it works. Totally.

I'm so sorry this is so late, my life has been insanely chaotic for the past few months. Work became record-breakingly busy for several months in a row while we were short-staffed, one friend is dealing with some serious issues and another friend was diagnosed with cancer (prognosis is good, thankfully), a family member had to have surgery, and there's been an ongoing family emergency that's left me struggling with my mental health for several months now. Long story short, I ended up having to take a break from writing at all, and while I can't guarantee a regular update schedule anytime soon (lol could I ever?) I am hoping I'll be able to continue posting.

It's been hard to find the motivation to deal with things at work, let alone writing, but I do want to say thank you to everyone who left such kind and supportive comments. That really helped me get through some tough days, and helped me be able to come back to writing. Thank you all for your support and understanding.

I'm struggling a little bit with how to characterize Missy, given that I do have plans for her arc that deviate greatly from the Master's and this is my first time writing her, but I hope that I'm at least doing a decent job of staying close to her chaotic energy, which is one of the reasons I love her. She'll definitely be showing up again, so I hope you all enjoy her!

Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to everyone who's commented. You guys are amazing.

Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa

Steve's Disclaimer : Steve the goat was completely fine. He chewed on the Master's pants a little before he noticed and wandered away to live a happy goat life with a lovely goat wife and a dozen goat children.