I was angry and more than just annoyed. I'd been thrown out into the world with nothing once again and it was starting to grow old. At least it's modern-day this time. I huffed, digging through my hoodie for anything helpful after spending the last week as a homeless person just outside of London. Ate the rest of my granola bars, drank all my water but one, and… I frowned at the meager amount of money that I had in my pocket. Enough for a bus ride into town. I begrudgingly sighed, knowing I didn't have much of a choice when I wasn't anywhere near food.
"Bus stop it is."
Thankfully, I had enough to get well into London and the driver was kind. He'd sighed lightly upon seeing me offering my meager amount of change and told me to get on and not to cause any trouble without taking payment. I thanked him quietly and picked a seat well away from the other passengers, settling in and lightly dozing until I'd get kicked off at the last stop. At least it's not the desert and I actually have a chance at surviving until I find the Doctor.
A small frown settled on my face as I folded my arms over my stomach and leaned against the window, closing my eyes and trying not to think about him or what his last self had told me. Being stuck in this universe was one thing but despite what I'd told him, I was a bit worried about this new changing thing my body was doing.
He made it sound like it would be hard… That when things start to really change I might have issues coping with it. He was worried just telling me and… I'm not scared about not being human. I'm just… I opened my eyes and stared at the back of the seat in front of me solemnly. I don't know what to expect. I don't want to end up like Jack did. No offense to him but I never thought living forever or even for a long time was a good thing. It just seems… sad and lonely.
"I will be there to help you through it."
I sighed softly, trying to relax again as I idly reached over and ran my fingers over the scars left behind on my arm; a reminder that while I healed quicker now, I didn't heal magically. It could be worse, I told myself as I had my entire life whenever I thought things were going poorly. It could always be worse.
"Hello, I'm the Doctor."
My eyes snapped open and I stared in surprise at the back of the Doctor's head as he held up a foil-wrapped chocolate egg to the woman beside him.
"Happy Easter."
I jinxed it. I one hundred percent jinxed myself. I sighed and sat upright, reaching over the back of his seat and taking a piece of the chocolate egg for myself.
"You know, if I keep popping up weeks early, I'm really going to need a pack or something to bring."
"Asher!" He chirped, looking pleased as he twisted and draped an arm over the back of the seat. "How have you been?"
I shot him a drab look, eating another piece of chocolate. "Homeless, mostly. It's been a week. Can't you make like… a detector or something to let you know when I show up early? I'm really tired of trying to live off nothing until you show up."
"Sorry, no can do," he apologized, handing me the entire chocolate egg. "You and the Tardis give off the same sort of signature so anything I make would just…" He twirled a finger in a circle. "Spin. Wouldn't know what to look for."
I stared at him silently for a moment and he gave me an awkward look.
"What?"
"Just the fact that you and your future selves can't seem to think before they speak. You're lucky I already knew I was connected to the Tardis," I lightly chided him, making him wince and rub the back of his neck.
"Right. How, um… How early are you?"
"Only met you a handful of times," I hummed, sitting back in my seat. "When are we, anyway? I haven't bothered to look at a paper."
"Ah! Easter! 2009. Nice year," he chirped, looking pleased and then glancing at the woman seated beside him who was eyeing us like we were mad. "The funny thing is, I don't often do Easter. I can never find it. It's always at a different time. Although I remember the original. Between you and me, what really happened was—"
A beeping went off and he began digging through his coat and pulling out a hand-held device of some sort. It was beeping and lighting up as he shook it.
"Oh, we've got excitation. I'm picking up something very strange."
"I know the feeling," the woman beside him muttered as I leaned over the back of the seat.
"It's not me, is it?"
"No, no. Something else. Rhodium particles. That's what I'm looking for. This thing detects them. Look, this should go round, that little dish there," he pointed out, flicking the dish.
"Don't think flicking it will help. You might just break it," I mused as the annoyed woman beside him spoke.
"Right now, a way out would come in pretty handy. Can you detect me one of those?"
I raised a brow at her. "We're on a bus. Driving. You want off, you gotta signal the bus driver and jump off at the next stop." I paused though, frowning lightly and looking back at the Doctor. "Though, I'm not really a bus person. Are they different here? Only buses I've ridden were in Ireland. The Republic, not Northern."
"Nah, it's all public transport. Generally works the same. Ah!" He cheered with a grin, showing me the device again. "The little dish is going round."
"Fascinating," the woman drawled, but I noticed something else.
"Is the beeping getting louder?"
"Just a bit, yeah," he said before it sparked and he jolted to his feet as the woman in front brushed sparks off her hair in annoyance.
"Excuse me. Do you mind?" She complained.
"Sorry. That was my little dish."
"Can't you turn that thing off?" The woman beside him complained as this all started to ring a little familiar.
"I don't think you'd want him to. Doctor? What's going on?"
He turned and looked at the woman in front of me, tucking the device away and sitting beside her. "What was your name?"
"Christina."
"Christina, hold on tight," he warned and I immediately braced myself between the two seats and the side of the bus. "Everyone, hold on!"
The bus lurched and I grabbed the back of his coat out of instinct, hauling him back into the seat I was on before he could fall to the floor of the bus.
Windows shattered as the lights above sparked before we were all blinded by bright light and the bus gave another hard jerk. For a moment, it almost felt like we were spinning and my stomach clenched uncomfortably as the rest of the windows shattered. The Doctor's arms wrapped around me, holding me in place before everything stopped. I looked up at him as he glanced down at me, both of us out of breath and my hand still fisted around his coat.
"You alright?" He asked and I shakily nodded before he lightly kissed my forehead and moved away from me.
Though I was still a bit stunned, I followed him up and out of the bus; my shoes sinking into the sand outside as Christina joined us as well.
"End of the line. Call it a hunch, but I think we've gone a little bit further than Brixton," the Doctor muttered, tucking his hands into his pockets as I shielded my eyes from the sun and groaned.
"And of course, it's another desert."
"Another?" He questioned lightly and I gave him a look.
"Yeah, trust me, I seem to find myself in them often while stuck waiting on you."
"Huh," he mused, putting on some glasses and crouching down on the sand. "Anything you know about this one?"
I glanced at the people behind us, but they weren't paying attention so I joined him as he picked up a handful of sand and let it slip through his fingers.
"Not sure. It's all ringing familiar. I remember the bus and Christina a little bit." I glanced at the woman briefly before frowning down at the sand. "And that this isn't actually sand."
He raised a brow at that, clapping it off his hands as we both stood. "Really?"
I nodded solemnly, knowing what it was but not sure how to explain it. "It's… sad and I'm not sure how to explain it without kind of giving it all away. We need to find a way back though, and quickly."
He nodded firmly as the other bus passengers stepped out, one woman staring up at the sky in shock as she removed her scarf.
"It's impossible. There are three suns. Three of them."
"Like when all those planets were up in the sky," a man said as another glanced at him.
"But it was Earth that moved back then, wasn't it?"
"Oh, man. We're on another world."
The bus driver hopped off then, giving the bus a once-over. "It's still intact, though. Not as bad as it looks, and the chassis's still holding together. My boss is going to murder me."
"Can you still drive it?" The woman asked.
"Oh, no, no, no. The wheels are stuck. Look at them. They're never going to budge."
I gave them and the bus a look, shifting uneasily on my feet as Christina dropped her backpack on the ground beside the Doctor and me, skimming through it and pulling out some sunglasses.
"Ready for every emergency," she chirped as the Doctor soniced his glasses to turn them into tinted lenses.
"Me too."
"And what's your name?"
"The Doctor."
"Name, not rank."
"The Doctor," he repeated as I leaned over.
"Just… Just call him that. Won't go by anything else, really."
"And you?"
"Ah, Asher Watkins," I gestured at him as he played with the sand. "Friend of his."
I saw him pinching it between his fingers a little too close to his mouth and lightly nudged his arm, drawing his attention to me as he dumped some of it.
"Don't eat the sand," I chided, making him wrinkle his nose.
"I wasn't."
"You were thinking it," I countered and he went to argue but I raised a brow and he huffed. "I'll tell you later, okay? Don't eat it."
He cracked a cheeky grin and got up again just as one of the passengers stormed over.
"Hold on a minute. I saw you, mate. You had that thing, that machine. Did you make this happen?"
"Oh, humans on buses, always blaming me," the Doctor sighed before explaining. "Look, look, if you must know, I was tracking a hole in the fabric of reality. Call it a hobby. But it was a tiny little hole. No danger to anyone. Suddenly it gets big, and we drive right through it."
"But then where is it? There's nothing. There's just sand," the driver questioned.
"All right. You want proof? We drove through this."
He tossed sand over at the air behind the bus, making the sky warp like a pebble being dropped into a pond.
"And that's…" Christina started as he explained.
"A door. A door in space."
"We can't go back through it without the bus, though," I added, pointing to said bus. "Even the bus got all warped. Imagine what it'd do to one of us. It'd kill us probably."
"Not probably, definitely," the Doctor corrected as the driver eyed it hesitantly. "The bus was protecting us. Great big box of metal."
"Rather like a Faraday cage?" Christina asked as one of the guys nodded in understanding.
"Like in a thunderstorm, yeah? Safest place is inside a car because the metal conducts the lightning right through. We did it in school."
"But if we can only travel back inside the bus… a Faraday cage needs to be closed. That thing's been ripped wide open," Christina argued as I frowned over at the bus.
"But a bus isn't fully sealed. It's got gaps all over. Windows, doors, emergency exits."
"Asher's right," the Doctor agreed, hugging my shoulders. "Slightly different dynamics with a wormhole. There's enough metal to make it work, I think… I hope."
"It will," I reassured him, making him smile a little and squeeze me close once more.
"All right. Bit of faith and trust in the ol' Ash."
Christina looked over at the bus. "So, we have to drive five tons of bus, which is currently buried in the sand, and we've got nothing but our bare hands. Correct?"
"I'd say nine and a half tons, but the point still stands, yeah," the Doctor replied.
"Then, we need to apply ourselves to the problem with discipline. Which starts with appointing a leader," she declared as I let out a soft sigh.
Here we go.
"Yes. At last. Thank you. So—" The Doctor started before getting cut off by her.
"Well, thank goodness you've got me. Everyone do exactly as I say. Inside the bus immediately."
The Doctor stared in shock as she herded the others onto the bus before looking down at me as I awkwardly glanced away.
"And you," Christina urged, glancing our way. "Asher and… the Doctor."
"Yes, ma'am," the Doctor muttered with a small pout as we got on the bus.
"Not often you get out-Doctored, is it?" I teased lightly, making him wrinkle his nose.
"It is a bit different. Not, not a bad different. Not really."
I shot him a look. "You're pouting."
"I am not!"
"Yeah, you are," I said with an easy smile as we sat down. "My little sister used to make that face all the time when she was frustrated but didn't want to show it. I might not have known you long, Doctor, but there is one thing I know about you."
"And what's that?" He questioned, leaning in closer to prod at my cheek as I lightly slapped his hand away.
"You hate it when you can't show off," I answered as Christina stepped on board and started up the rules for our situation.
The Doctor cracked a smile as Asher lightly dozed with her head on his shoulder, having drifted off somewhere around point three of Christina's rules. It was good to know that she was sleeping. It meant there wouldn't be much trouble on this trip. Or, well, not currently anyway. Though there's the possibility she just forgot but I'm sure it's fine. He perked up when he heard his name called, offering a small hello to the group of uncertain humans and introducing Asher since she was sleeping.
"Hello. This is Asher, by the way. She's had a long day," he chirped as the others went on to introduce themselves.
Nathan was the young man in front with the other young man behind him nodding briefly.
"I'm Barclay."
Angela was the woman whose hair had been singed by the Doctor's gizmo, Dan was the bus driver, and the older couple in the back were Lou and Carmen. The Doctor half expected Christina to go on with five more points, but she stopped at point seven and gestured to him.
"Point seven. Assessment and application of knowledge. Over to you, the Doctor."
"I thought you were in charge," he said in surprise.
"I am. And a good leader utilizes her strength. You seem to be the brainbox. So, start boxing."
"Alright," he hummed, shifting Asher with a murmured apology.
He kissed her temple as she stirred. She gave him a light glare before she settled against the window, and he perched up on the back of the bus seat to speak to everyone.
"So, the wormhole. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just an accident."
"No, it wasn't," Carmen stopped him, surprisingly. "That thing, the doorway? Someone made it for a reason."
"How do you know?" He asked, curious, and her husband spoke up.
"She's got a gift. Ever since she was a little girl, she can just tell things. We do the lottery twice a week."
"You don't look like millionaires," Christina pointed out in disbelief and he smiled softly.
"No, but we win ten pounds. Every week, twice a week, ten pounds. Don't tell me that's not a gift."
"Tell me, Carmen. How many fingers am I holding up?" The Doctor asked, holding up three behind his back.
"Three."
He added another and she changed her answer.
"Four."
"Very good. Low-level psychic ability, exacerbated by an alien sun. What can you see, Carmen? Tell me, what's out there?"
"You won't like it," Asher muttered, drawing his attention as Carmen responded.
"Something, something is coming. Riding on the wind, and shining."
"What is it?" He urged her, worry settling in him with the Ood prophecy still rather fresh in his head.
"Death. Death is coming."
The others started panicking a bit, growing louder and louder until someone clapped twice and shouted over them all.
"Hey!"
Everyone went quiet as Asher huffed, frowning at them all.
"Honestly, if I wanted to deal with a group of children I'd be at home. She didn't mean we were all going to die."
The Doctor lightly took her hand, sensing she was frustrated with the people on the bus who were now eyeing her uneasily. "What do you mean, Ash?"
"I'm saying that people with gifts don't always know everything they're seeing," she grumbled and Carmen's gaze went to her.
"You have a gift too."
Asher eyed her for a moment before glancing away. "Probably, I don't know. Point is, things like visions or voices aren't always clear. You've seen psychics and mediums on TV. Whether you believe in them or not, they only see bits and pieces."
"But she said death," Nathan pointed out.
"Yeah, and maybe it's symbolism. Maybe this planet was once inhabited and whatever killed them is still out there making its rounds or whatever." She was quick to continue before anyone could say anything. "All that means, is the sooner we work together to get out of this mess, the sooner we're safe. Panicking won't get us anywhere, especially over half a prophecy." She glanced over at Carmen. "No offense, of course."
Carmen bowed her head with a small smile, holding no ill feelings for what she said as the Doctor cleared his throat.
"Right. Come on, then. You were all headed somewhere when you got on the bus right? Think of that. Because that planet out there, all three suns, wormholes, and alien sand, that planet is nothing. You hear me? Nothing, compared to all those things waiting for you. Food and home and people. Hold on to that, because we're going to get there. I promise. We're going to get you home."
"Nicely said," Christina chirped. "Now, let's get to work. We need to get the bus out of the sand. Any suggestions?"
"We'll need something flat to shove under the tires," the Doctor pointed out, patting the bus seat in front of him. "Can we take some of these apart? Use them?"
Dan sighed, knowing his boss would kill him for the destruction of the bus but also that they had no other choice. "I might have a spare wrench in the glove box."
The Doctor beamed and nodded. "Let's get to it then. Allonsy!"
He leapt up and hurried back outside and Asher sighed, trailing after him. The Doctor eyed the outside of the bus but glanced over at Asher as she shielded her eyes against the suns. He nudged her and offered another pair of sunglasses from his coat. She shot him a look before shaking her head and taking them as he moved to look at the underside of the bus.
"You've been a bit chatty today," he remarked, pushing some of the sand out from behind a tire.
"Have I?" She idly questioned, staring out across the sand in the distance.
He sat up and glanced at her with a hint of worry. She was early, after all, and didn't say as much about things, unlike her future self. She kept mentioning her siblings though…
"Do you miss them?" He blurted out, making her turn with a raised brow.
"What?"
"Your family. Home."
Her expression shifted a bit and she turned away slightly. "I… don't know."
"That's okay," he said, earning a small surprised glance before Nathan and Barclay came out with two partial seats; making him stand with a grin and take one. "That's my boys. See, we lay a flat surface between the bus and the wormhole, like duckboards, and we reverse into it."
"Let some air out of the tires. Just a little bit. It spreads the weight of the bus, gives you more grip against the sand," Christina added, earning a mildly impressed look from the Doctor.
"Oh, that's good."
"Holidays in the Kalahari."
"Yeah, but those wheels go deep," Barclay pointed out.
"Then start digging."
"With what?"
"Hands?" Asher suggested with a shrug but Christina dug through her bag.
"No need. Here."
She passed the Doctor a folded shovel that he opened up and passed to Barclay. He eyed the bag she had as she went back to digging through it.
"Got anything else in there?"
She passed a handaxe to Nathan with a smile. "Try that. It might help with the seats."
The Doctor smiled back at her smug smirk before heading toward the bus door. "Try starting it up, Dan."
He nodded and tried but the bus couldn't get running, making a grinding noise instead and making the Doctor grimace.
"Ooh, that doesn't sound too good," he said, rushing to the back of the bus where the engine was with Christina and Dan. "Oh, never mind losing half the top deck. You know what's worse? Sand. Tiny little grains of sand. The engine's clogged up."
"Anyone know mechanics?" Christina asked as Dan rubbed the back of his head.
"I'll need help. I only know the general stuff."
"Me," Barclay offered, standing from where he was shoveling. "I did a two-week NVQ at the garage. Never finished it, but…"
"Off you go, then. Try stripping the air filter. Fast as you can," the Doctor told him. "Back in two ticks. Ash, you coming?"
Asher glanced at the bus briefly before sighing lightly and catching up. Christina wasn't one to be deterred either and hurried after him, searching for answers to her questions. The Doctor glanced at her as she hefted her pack on her back and followed them in the sand.
"Easier if you left that backpack behind."
"Where it goes, I go."
"A backpack with a spade and an axe. Christina, who's going so far away, and yet scared by the sound of a siren. Who are you?" He asked, earning a cautious look from her when he pointed out that he knew the police who'd been behind the bus were after her.
"You can talk. Let's just say we're two equal mysteries. You and your friend, anyway. Are you two a couple?"
Asher and he exchanged a look before they both answered.
"Yes," he said as she replied: "No."
The Doctor glanced back at her as she rolled her eyes and sighed.
"It's complicated. Not yet… for me, anyway," she muttered, turning away slightly as the Doctor winced.
As she'd said, his future self gave things away and while he wasn't sure how far their relationship was in the future, it was obvious she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea currently. She allowed the hand-holding and small fond actions, but he could feel the hesitation—the awkwardness—when he did. The only time he didn't see that was when she was half asleep earlier; not awake enough to comprehend or bother to complain when he kissed her temple. A part of him wished she was older just to have that but her situation was… complex and he knew he had to be the one to adjust to her or he might just ruin things for his future. I need to be patient.
"All right," Christina said, confused and not entirely convinced. "Come on then. Tell me. If Carmen's right, if that wormhole's not an accident, then what is it? Has someone done this on purpose?"
"It's not malicious," Asher said then, earning a raised brow from both of them as they paused at the top of a dune.
"Right, because you're gifted too?" Christina questioned and Asher rubbed the back of her neck as the Doctor hastily intervened.
"We keep quiet about it. She doesn't like the attention and it's not always accurate."
Asher shot him a look at that but didn't argue as he continued.
"What I do know is every single instinct of mine is telling me to get off this planet right now."
"And do you think we can?" Christina questioned and the Doctor beamed, nodding and hooking an arm around a startled Asher, who stumbled slightly in the sand when he pulled her to him.
"I live in hope and Asher said it'll work. I trust her."
"That must be nice," Christina muttered, taking a breath before sticking her hand out. "It's Christina de Souza. To be precise, Lady Christina de Souza."
"Ooh, that's handy, because I'm a Lord."
Asher rolled her eyes as they shook hands. "Don't question it," she muttered. "He won't give you a proper answer."
Christina cracked a small smile at that while the Doctor pouted. "She knows you well."
"Too well, sometimes," the Doctor grumbled.
"But there's something more about you. That device you were carrying, and the wormhole. Like you knew. And the way you stride around this place, like…"
"Like?"
"Like you're not quite…"
"Yeah, I'm just gonna… go," Asher drawled, moving past them to keep on trekking as the Doctor groaned, hurrying to catch up with her.
"Asher! Ash, it's not like that!"
She glanced at him as he caught up, entirely unbothered. "Never said it was."
He was a bit embarrassed by his over-the-top reaction but pouted as she cracked a slight smile. "Are you just teasing me?"
"Might be," she hummed as they crested the next dune and stared out at the approaching dust cloud.
"Ah, don't like the look of that," the Doctor muttered as Christina eyed it.
"Storm clouds. Must be hundreds of miles away."
"But getting closer."
"If that's a sandstorm, we'll get ripped to shreds."
"It's not sand though," Asher replied, giving them both a look. "Not that it changes the fact that we should be leaving."
They hurried back to the bus and the Doctor asked if anyone had a cell phone. Barclay did and he scrambled to get to it and sonic it despite Christina's argument that it wouldn't work.
"Right. Now, bit of hush, thank you. Got to remember the number, very important number," the Doctor said as he got it working.
"Hello, Pizza Geronimo?"
"Wrong one," Asher mused as he grimaced, trying again.
"And again. Ah, seven six, not six seven."
"This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Please select one of the following four options. If you want to—"
"Oh, I hate these things," the Doctor complained as Angela spoke up.
"If you keep your finger pressed on zero, you get through to a real person. I saw it on Watchdog."
"Thank you, Angela," he chirped as the phone was picked up and he took a seat.
"UNIT helpline. Which department would you like?"
"Listen, it's the Doctor. It's me," he admitted almost begrudgingly. "I need to know if there's anyone searching for a missing bus. I need to speak with them immediately."
"The Doctor? Yes. Yes, I can transfer you through. There's a group at the north entrance now."
"Excellent. Quick as you like," he hummed, ignoring the looks being aimed his way before the phone was answered again.
"Doctor? This is Captain Erisa Magambo. Might I say, sir, it's an honor."
The Doctor made a face at her slight pause. "Did you just salute?"
"...No."
"Erisa, it's about the bus. HQ said you're at the tunnel, yeah?"
"And where are you?"
"I'm on the bus. Ash is here too," he said, shooting Asher a smile as she rolled her eyes.
"Ma'am."
"Don't salute me," Asher grumbled as the Doctor went on.
"But apart from that, not a clue, except it's very pretty and pretty dangerous."
"Have you sustained any fatalities?"
"No, and we're not going to, but we're stuck. I haven't got the Tardis, and I need to analyze that wormhole."
"We have a scientific advisor on site. Doctor Malcolm Taylor. Just the man you need. He's a genius."
"Oh, is he? We'll see about that—Ow!" He complained when Asher lightly smacked the back of his head.
"Be nice. You'll like him," she scolded as Erisa tried to get Malcolm to answer the phone.
Unfortunately, the group on the bus could hear every word of praise they were giving and Asher sighed before stepping out to help Nathan dig out the bus wheels. She knew it would be a long technical discussion between Malcolm and the Doctor and she felt a bit useless on this trip. The least she could do was try and help clear out the sand under the tires even if she had to use her hands. Reminds me of the dig I went to in the Mojave Desert. Obsidian flakes everywhere, having to take lead because I was the only one with experience, pizza on the last day, and hiding out in a burger joint as a storm rolled in; hoping our tents would still be there once we could get back. She cracked a small smile just as the Doctor bolted out of the bus with Christina on his heels.
"Ash! Let's go!"
She perked up, wincing when she cracked the top of her head on the bus, spitting out a curse and clambering to her feet to hurry after him. They hiked across the dunes again, Asher adjusting her hoodie that she'd pulled off and was using as a shield from the sun over her head and neck.
"Doing okay, Ash?" The Doctor asked as she huffed.
"It's hot and if I don't end up sunburnt like a tomato after this I'll be stunned," she complained, swatting away his sonic when he went to scan her. "But I'm fine. No need to sonic me. I've got a water bottle left that I'll drink from when I need it."
"You should have drank it already," he protested. "If you need water—"
"Doctor, I've done digs out in the Mojave before. Survived just fine with my 16oz bottle emptied once a day maybe. The girl who brought her 64oz jug got heatstroke, not me. I know when I need it and when I'm not feeling well, but I'm seriously fine."
He wanted to protest, concerned about how her early self would hide things like that but bit his tongue. He could tell she was annoyed already—possibly just the heat making her a bit cranky—so pushing it wouldn't help. As it was, she was frowning at him as though daring him to question what she said, so he nodded with a soft sigh.
"At least try to tell me if you're feeling off."
"Yeah," she drawled, eyeing him as he went to take pictures of the incoming storm in front of them. "Has anyone ever told you how clingy you are?"
Knowing that she herself had told him that before jokingly, the Doctor cracked a fond smile.
"Well, there is this one person."
"There's something in the clouds," Christina cut in, drawing their gaze out into the storm. "Something shining. Do you see it?"
"Like metal. Why would there be metal in a storm?"
"It's not a storm like I said," Asher chimed as Christina shot her a look.
"And when will you tell us what it is?"
"Will telling you get us anywhere?" She asked, raising a brow as the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
Definitely cranky then. She never did like the heat, he mused as he turned his focus onto the phone. There was an odd clicking noise then, drawing Christina's attention.
"Did you hear something?"
"Hold on. Busy," the Doctor muttered.
"There was a noise, like a sort of—"
A tug on his sleeve forced his gaze away from the phone and toward Asher as she stared off at something not too far away.
"Yeah, bit important, Doctor. We've got company."
Christina took a step back as the fly-like alien wielding a gun approached, and the Doctor tucked Asher slightly behind him, mimicking the strange clicking sounds the creature was making.
"That's wait," he informed Christina and Asher, translating. "I shout wait, people usually wait."
"Do you speak the language?" Christina questioned.
"He speaks a lot of languages," Asher replied, giving him a small glance. "Should teach me some. I always pick them up fast, though I'm more of a writer than a speaker."
He cracked a small smile at her. "We work on it." He made a few more noises to the fly. "That's begging for mercy."
The fly gestured with the gun and even Christina understood the order to move, the trio walking in the direction the fly wanted uneasily with the gun pointed at their backs.
"These fly things, they must be responsible. They brought us here," Christina offered as they approached a wrecked ship.
"No, no, no, no, no. Look at the ship. It's a wreck. They crashed, just like us," the Doctor corrected as they entered the ship and she complained.
"Ugh, but this place is freezing."
"Rather be cold than melting," Asher grumbled, wiping some sweat off her face with her hoodie; tying it around her waist for now.
"The hull's made of photafine steel," the Doctor explained. "Turns cold when it's hot. Boiling desert outside, freezing ship inside." He cooed as they got further into the ship. "Oh, this is beautiful. Intact, it must have been magnificent. A proper streamlined deep spacer."
"I'll remember that as I'm being slowly tortured. At least I'm bleeding on the floor of a really well-designed spaceship," Christina huffed as Asher raised a brow.
"Why do you think they're going to torture us? Not every alien species is mean, you know."
"Asher's right. Most species are pretty peaceful," the Doctor mused.
"Need I remind you of the weapon being pointed at us?" She argued.
"Course, let me crash land you on a planet and see if you don't aim your weapon at the first thing you meet out of caution. Relax. Not everyone is out to get you," Asher complained, pulling out her water and drinking some.
The alien fly met up with another and stepped in front of them, pressing a device on its chest and explaining something that the Doctor nodded to.
"Oh, right, good. Yes. Hello. That's a telepathic translator. He can understand us."
"Still sounds like gibberish to me," Christina argued.
"That's what I said. He can understand us. It doesn't work the other way 'round." he then translated what the flies were being said. "You will suffer for your crimes, etcetera. You have committed an act of violence against the Tritovore race. Tritovores. They're called Tritovores," he explained. "You came here in the two hundred to destroy us. Sorry, what's the two hundred?"
"It's the bus. Number two hundred. They mean the bus," Christina explained.
"Oh. No, look, I think you're making the same mistake Christina did. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this is Christina—the Honorable Lady Christina, at least I hope she's honorable—and Asher. We got pulled through that wormhole. The two hundred doesn't look like that normally. It's broken, just the same as you."
They discussed things among themselves before lowering their guns.
"What are they doing?" Christina asked.
"They believe me."
"What, as simple as that?"
"I've got a very honest face. And the translator says I'm telling the truth. Plus the face," he said with a cheeky grin as Asher rolled her eyes before he bounded over to the ship's controls. "Right. So, first things first. There's a very strange storm heading our way. Can you send out a probe?"
The Tritovore clicked at him and he sighed.
"Oh, they've lost power. Hmm, the crash knocked the mainline crystallography out of synch. But if I can jiggle it back—" He jerked up on a lever and gave the console a kick, powering it up. "I thank you. Yes, I am," he replied to the Tritovore who complimented him. "Frequently. Okey-doke, let's launch that probe."
We sat and stared at a hologram of the galaxy we were currently in as we waited for the probe; the Doctor rattling off facts about the place.
"The Scorpion Nebula. We're on the other side of the universe. Just what you wanted," he hummed as he glanced at Christina. "So far away. The planet of San Helios."
"And that's us? We're on another world?"
"We have been for quite a while."
"I know, but seeing it like that."
"It's good, isn't it?"
"Wonderful."
The Tritovores started chattering, so the Doctor went back to translating for us.
"The Tritovores were going to trade with San Helios. Population of one hundred billion. Plenty of waste matter for them to absorb."
I wrinkled my nose slightly at the thought, sipping more of my water and silently being grateful to be out of the sun. My gaze drifted to the backs of my hands which had started to itch and I frowned at the red patches of skin. Just my luck. Damn heat rash. I glanced over at the Doctor, about to ask if he might have anything for it, but he was chatting away with Christina so I turned away and just rubbed my thumb lightly over my hand.
I wasn't upset or anything. While my future self might have been in a relationship with the Doctor, I wasn't and even if I was, I wasn't the jealous type really. He was welcome to talk to whoever he wanted and I already knew his Eleventh self was touchy-feely enough to snog River and Rory, amongst others. Thinking of that just made me wonder what made me different enough that we got together. Is it the popping around? Or maybe it's the whole… Tardis piece thing? That I'm being changed into something… weird? New? My brows furrowed in thought. Wait, so I age slower, will become telepathic, and heal faster but still get heat rashes? I lightly shook my head at the distraction. No, focus. We can ask about that later.
A phone rang, drawing my attention to the Doctor as he answered it. I couldn't hear what was being discussed other than him questioning something getting bigger. Then, he switched to another call and slowly lowered the phone.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Christina asked. "Doctor, tell me."
"Is it the people on the bus?" I questioned instead, drawing his gaze to me with an unreadable look. "Doctor, we can use the Tritovore ship for parts."
His eyes went to mine in mild surprise as I glanced slightly away.
"Right? It's too damaged for the Tritovores to use it. So, we just take what we need, bring them with us to the bus, and—"
I stiffened when he suddenly grabbed my head, tipping it toward him to kiss my temple.
"You're a genius," he muttered, bringing the phone back up once he let me go. "Nathan, I have a plan. You lot just sit tight."
An alarm went off as he hung up and Christina looked between the both of us in mild annoyance.
"What did he say? Is there something wrong with the bus?"
The Tritovores started clattering though and the Doctor ignored her question.
"It's the probe. It's reached the storm."
"And what's he saying?"
"It's not a storm," the Doctor breathed, glancing at me as they brought up video from the probe. "Just like you said."
"It's a swarm. Millions of them," Christina breathed.
"Billions," the Doctor muttered as the probe cut out. "Oh, we've lost the probe. I think it got eaten. Everything on this planet gets eaten."
"How far away is that swarm?"
"A hundred miles. But at that speed, it'll be here in twenty minutes," he said before a Tritovore clattered at him. "No, no, no, they're not just coming for us. They want the wormhole," the Doctor explained.
"They're heading for Earth?"
"Not intentionally," I replied, drawing her attention as I shifted a little uneasily. "They're just… creatures, right? It's just what they do. Like… Like bird migrations except… big, metal stingrays."
"Exactly. Show the analysis," the Doctor asked and another hologram of one of the stingrays was pulled up. "Incredible. They swarm out of a wormhole, strip the planet bare, then move on to the next world. Start the life cycle all over again."
"So, they make the wormholes?" Christina questioned.
"They must do."
"But how? They don't exactly look like technicians. And if the wormhole belongs to them, why are they a hundred miles away?"
"Is it like centrifugal force?" I added. "They spin round the planet over and over until they fling themselves off to another one?"
"That's it!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Not the same thing, mind you but billions of them, flying in formation, all around the planet. Round and round and round, faster and faster and faster, till they generate a rupture in space. The speed of them, and the numbers, and the size, all of that rips the wormhole into existence."
"And the wormhole's getting bigger?" Christina asked.
"Because they're getting closer."
"But how do they get through? Because that wormhole's a killer. We've seen it."
"No, no, no, look. See the exoskeleton."
"Metal stingrays," I pointed out.
"They've got bones of metal. They eat metal and extrude it into the exoskeleton. So their velocity makes the wormhole, then their body makes it safe. Perfect design."
"Those things are going to turn the entire Earth into a desert. So why exactly are you smiling?" Christina questioned as I lightly sighed.
"Because he's an idiot."
"Oi!"