With a groan, Katy shrugged off Saxon's grip on her, reeling away from him. Her head was still spinning. She wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol she had consumed or how she had been teleported away from the reception. Katy's eyes widened as she remembered the Doctor rushing off into danger, explosions occurring all around him, barely appearing to faze him. She needed to get back to him.

"What the hell did you do?" Katy murmured, rubbing at her aching head.

"Saved you from a rather nasty accident, if I remember rightly. Hasn't the Doctor taught you anything about gratitude?" Saxon huffed, waving his golden screwdriver around in the air.

"How...how did you even know I was on Earth?" Katy frowned.

"I'm Minister of Defence now. I put an alert out on you, which you triggered when you used an ATM in town. I thought it was time for another one of our little chats" Saxon explained, as Katy's eyes narrowed.

"Well, this has been nice and all, but I've got places to be" Katy muttered, as she turned around and went staggering off down the high street.

"Worried about the Doctor and the bride?" Saxon called after her, as she whipped around to face him.

"How could you...wait, you said you saved me from an accident. What do you mean?" Katy pushed.

"You were hurt at the reception. One of those pesky bombs. Chasing after your boyfriend I imagine" Saxon informed her, as her frown deepened.

"But I'm fine?" Katy pointed out, gesturing to her unharmed state.

"Because I saved you" Saxon replied, slowly as if he was speaking to a child.

"You...you changed the timeline? You can't do that—" Katy started, when Saxon cut her off.

"Says who?" He scoffed, arrogantly.

"...If you knew about the reception, about all of it...then why the fuck haven't you done anything to stop it? People were hurt!" Katy exclaimed, in disbelief.

"What, a few little human insects?" Saxon retorted.

"Unbelievable" Katy muttered, before shaking her head and storming off in the opposite direction.

She didn't have time for whatever game Saxon was playing. She needed to find the Doctor and Donna. For all she knew they might have still been fighting against the roboforms back at the reception. And Donna was only human after all, she knew how fragile they were...

"You're a little strange for a Krillitane" Saxon pointed out, suddenly appearing close to her side, matching her pace with ease.

"And you're a little strange for a Time Lord" Katy stated, watching the older man's face go slack for a moment.

"Come again?" Saxon replied, feigning ignorance.

Raising an eyebrow, Katy reached out and placed her hand in the centre of his chest, able to feel the double beats of his hearts with ease. She had a feeling the man had been a Time Lord since the first time they had met, but she couldn't be sure. Not until that moment.

"Oh, please. Like it was hard to work out. Only a Time Lord would be so arrogant and...bloody condescending" Katy huffed, as Saxon pursed his lips.

"I think you just wanted to put your hand on my chest" Saxon grinned, as Katy rolled her eyes.

"Why are you still following me?" Katy complained.

"We still haven't finished our conversation," He told her.

"I have nothing to say to a Time Lord" Katy huffed, as he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Now, now. Don't be racist" Saxon teased, as she tugged her arm free from his grip.

"Your people killed mine. This isn't prejudice. This is my survival instinct" Katy spat out, pulling herself to her full height to look Saxon square in the eyes.

"Which you seem to be lacking around the Doctor. Here you are, after all, running after a Time Lord" Saxon pointed out, as she grit her teeth, hating to admit he was right.

"He's my friend. He's earned my trust. You...I don't know you. But maybe I should ask the Doctor and find out?" Katy suggested as Saxon tilted his head to one side.

"I wouldn't recommend that" Saxon stated, pulling his laser screwdriver out again, and waving it in front of her face.

"Go on then. Send me somewhere else. I'll just tell the Doctor I meet about you. Past, or future, I'm pretty sure he'll know who you are" Katy explained.

"It's not just you I could send through the vortex with this device. I could send the Doctor, but for a Time Lord...well, that would cause little more than a headache. A human, however...think what all that vortex energy could do to poor, defenceless Martha Jones?" Saxon suggested, watching Katy tense at his words.

"Threatening my friends now? Classy" Katy huffed, as Saxon took a step closer to her, whilst Katy held her ground, refusing to step back.

"You call a human a...friend? You really have been spending too much time around the Doctor" Saxon murmured, in a disgusted tone.

Shaking her head in annoyance, Katy tried to rack her mind for a way to get away from the Time Lord. It didn't seem like he was about to let her just run off. Remembering what he had said about being Minister of Defence, one thought came to mind as they rounded another corner finding it crowded with pedestrians.

"Holy shit, isn't that guy a celebrity?" Katy announced, in a loud voice, as a few heads turned toward them.

A crowd was quickly forming around the pair, some calling out Saxon's name and asking him questions about whether he was going to put himself forward to be Prime Minister. Sneaking away from the crowd, Katy's lips twitched into a smirk as a man in an army uniform pushed his way to the front and began hounding Saxon with questions about his military plans. Katy was rushing into the nearest shop before Saxon could catch sight of her, glad her plan had worked. Now, all she needed to do was figure out where the Doctor was.

"Could really do with that teleport from the base" Katy sighed, thinking of the device she had made on her past adventure with the Doctor and Rose.

Rushing down a flight of stairs, she planned to make her way through the shop and out the back when her surroundings suddenly changed. She fell forward, her hands raising up to stop her from faceplanting the ground beneath her, as wind blew through her hair. It was only then she realised it wasn't stairs beneath her...but a moving vehicle.

"Oh my God" She cried, finding she was somehow lying on top of a car, staring directly into the eyes of the male driver who was desperately trying not to veer off the road.

His muffled screams could be heard as Katy's head snapped up to find she was back on the motorway that Donna had been on just hours earlier. How the hell did that happen? Was it Saxon again?

"Uh, fancy letting me off?" Katy called out, wincing as the man in the driving seat only started to scream louder.

Just as she was debating how to get off the car driving at over sixty miles per hour, a sudden gust of wind had her scrunching her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she found she was lying on the floor of the reception, which was covered in tinsel and broken baubles. Her vision blurred as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, finding carnage all around her, a few paramedics helping people up who had been injured in the roboforms attack.

"Don..." Katy trailed off, when she saw a familiar blonde giving her a horrified look.

A second later, Nerys was screaming at the top of her lungs, presumably having seen Katy appear out of thin air. The girl in question, reached up to place her hands over her ears which were already ringing from being thrown around from place to place.

"Doctor, where are you?" She sighed, pushing herself up onto her feet.

Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind on her back and in the next moment, she was colliding with a wall. Letting out a groan, Katy all but collapsed against the wall, her eyes fluttering open, finding green and white lights surrounding her. Now, where was she?

"Spacewoman!" Donna's voice cried, as Katy twisted around to find the bride gaping at her.

She took a step forward to walk toward her, but a wave of dizziness almost had Katy's knees buckling underneath her. She reached up to grip the wall she was leaning against, but as her vision went black, she expected to feel her head connecting with the ground at any moment. The impact never came as instead, strong arms were wrapping around her waist, pulling her upright.

"I've got you. I've got you" A familiar voice reassured her, as Katy looked up to find brown eyes staring back at her.

"Doctor?" She mumbled, reaching up to grip onto the collar of his suit, still feeling as if was about to pass out.

"Are you alright?" He questioned; his face contorted with worry as she continued gazing at him.

Katy found herself completely lost in his brown eyes, feeling how his hands tightened around her waist when she didn't reply. She had never noticed the freckles that dusted his nose and cheeks before. Or how soft his messy hair looked, a few brown strands twitching whenever he blinked.

"Did you say something?" Katy frowned, realising his lips still seemed to be moving.

"He asked what happened to you?" Donna said, hiding the slight smirk on her face as she watched the pair.

"I...I don't know...I was at the reception and then..." Katy stuttered, wincing as the pain in her head returned.

"It's okay. You're back now. You're back" The Doctor mumbled, more to himself than her.


"Jesus, I feel like I've got the hangover from hell" Katy complained, as the Doctor continued shining his sonic screwdriver in her eyes.

He had brought them into some secret underground lab underneath the building that Donna and her fiancé worked for. Katy watched as the pair wandered around the room, which was filled with glass tubes, bubbling with an unknown substance. They hadn't seen another soul since they entered the labs, which had a small amount of dust collected on the worksurfaces. It had been a while since anyone had been down there.

"Maybe that's it...the alcohol combined with the vortex energy you absorbed. Maybe it triggered something" The Doctor theorised, as Katy realised something.

"I should be able to teleport. I should be able to jump through the timelines. Any Krillitane who gets their hands on even a speck of vortex energy should be able to do that" Katy sighed, dropping her face into her hands.

"Was that what you were trying to do?" The Doctor frowned.

"I don't know. Maybe. I wanted to get back to you...and Donna" Katy added, as the Doctor nodded slowly, taking a seat next to her.

"...My mother...she didn't want me to learn our ways. She didn't think I was ready. Now, I'm never gonna' be, am I? There's no one left to teach me" Katy pointed out.

"I'm sorry" The Doctor replied, knowing there was nothing else he could say.

"It's probably better this way. Now, everything they did, what we were capable of...it's just gonna' die with me" Katy muttered, with a shake of her head.

"It doesn't have to" The Doctor told her, reaching out to place his hand on her thigh for a moment, in a comforting gesture.

Katy's eyes flickered up to his, finding a nervous expression on his face before he quickly pulled his hand back. The pair stayed in silence for a few moments, a strange tension having grown in the air.

"What were they doing in this lab then?" Katy asked, desperate to change the subject when she saw the look the Doctor was giving her.

"Particle extrusion. They've been manufacturing Huon particles. Course, my people got rid of Huons. They unravel the atomic structure" The Doctor announced, jumping to his feet and walking over to one of the glass tubes, knocking on it with his finger.

"Your people? Who are they? What company do you represent?" Lance called out, as Katy bit back a laugh.

"Oh, I'm a freelancer. But this lot are rebuilding them. They've been using the river. Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result, Huon particles in liquid form" The Doctor explained, pulling out a small container from the tube.

"And that's what's inside me?" Donna inquired, as the Doctor turned the knob on the container causing the liquid to glow.

"Oh, my God!" Donna gasped, as her entire body started to glow too.

"Genius. Because the particles are inert, they need something living to catalyse inside and that's you. Saturate the body and then. Ha!" The Doctor cheered, a sudden realisation hitting him.

"The wedding! Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle. Oh, your body's a battleground! There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine. Wham! go the endorphins. Oh, you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven. A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away. The particles reach boiling point. Shazam!" The Doctor cried, as Donna stepped forward and slapped him across the cheek.

"What did I do this time?!" The Doctor complained, as Katy stood up from her seat.

"Doctor, she's terrified" Katy pointed out, as his face fell when he recognised Katy was right.

"Just tell me. These particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?" Donna asked.

"Yes" The Doctor nodded, as Katy let out a scoff.

"We've talked about lying to people before...well, actually I guess we've talked about it in the future. Look, just tell her the truth" Katy insisted, coming to stand beside the pair.

"My people...they got rid of Huon particles because they were deadly. But I promise, I'll sort it out, Donna. Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it. I am not about to lose someone else" The Doctor told her, his mind wandering to Rose once more.

"Oh, she is long since lost!" A new voice announced, as a large wall in front of them rose up to reveal a tiered hole descending deeper than any of them could see.

"I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!" The voice continued, as Katy looked up to find more than twenty roboforms dressed in black cloaks, aiming weapons at them.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Lance running out the exit, unsurprised by his actions. He didn't seem to care much about Donna from what she had seen. Carrying on with the reception, barely saying a nice word to her since she had returned...he seemed like an ass.

Someone's been digging. Oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?" The Doctor questioned, taking a step closer to the large tunnel.

There was that word again. Torchwood. It had something to do with Rose's disappearance. But what?

"Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth!" The voice informed them.

"Really? Seriously? What for?" The Doctor pushed, astonished by the answer.

"Dinosaurs" Donna suggested, as the Doctor turned to her in confusion.

"What are you on about, dinosaurs?" The Doctor frowned.

"That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs. Trying to help" Donna replied, with a huff.

"Yeah, getting back to it. Where are you? Too scared to face us?" Katy announced.

"High in the sky. Floating so high on Christmas night" The voice retorted.

"I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom. Come on, let's have a look at you!" The Doctor shouted, growing irritated.

"Who are you with such command?" The female voice scoffed.

"You really don't want to know, lady. Now, show yourself!" Katy interjected.

In the blink of an eye, a large half-humanoid, half-arachnid being, with blood-red skin and a crested skull appeared beside the tunnel. Three pairs of eyes blinked back at them, as Katy's jaw dropped open, instantly recognising the create in front of her.

"Racnoss" She murmured, hardly unable to believe her eyes.

They were supposed to have died out billions of years ago. The carnivores had ten razor-tipped limbs, two of which were arms that strongly resembled blades; and were powerful enough to cut through almost any being. The Racnoss had spinnerets at the base of their abdomen, allowing them to produce miles of webbing strong enough to restrain humans and form spacecrafts. Katy's people had always been in awe of what the Racnoss once were.

"Empress of the Racnoss" The creature corrected her.

"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss? Or, are you the only one?" The Doctor realised.

"For once I guess I know more than you. The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago. Billions. They were carnivores. They devoured whole planets. But they disappeared. No one knows to where" Katy explained.

"HC Clements, did he wear those, those er, black and white shoes?" The Doctor inquired, as Donna nodded with a laugh.

"He did. We used to laugh. We used to call him the fat cat in spats" Donna answered.

The Doctor then pointed to a pair of feet sticking out of the web across the ceiling, wearing black and white shoes. Katy grimaced at the sight, imagining that explained where the rest of the lab technicians would have ended up.

"Mmm. My Christmas dinner" The Empress grinned, as Katy made a gagging sound.

Katy and Donna noticed Lance had appeared on the metal walkway behind the Empress, a large axe in his hand. But it was only Katy that realised that for some reason the roboforms weren't attacking him.

Shit.

"But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing. Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles? Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me!" Donna called out, trying to keep the creature's attention off Lance.

"The bride is so feisty" The Empress mocked, as Lance crept down the metal stairs behind her.

"Yes, I am! And I don't know what you are, you big thing, but a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!" Donna cried, as Lance swung his axe high up in the air, and the Empress turned around.

For once Katy wished she had it all wrong, but as Lance burst out laughing, dropping the axe to his side, she realised she had been right about him. Donna's shoulders deflated beside her, her mind still trying to understand what was happening as the Empress joined in with the mocking laughter.

"I'm sorry, Donna" The Doctor sighed, as Katy looked down at her feet.

"Sorry for what? Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!" Donna insisted, making Katy grimace.

"God, she's thick. Months I've had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map!" Lance exclaimed, as Katy took a step forward.

"Oi! That's not her fault, the geography teachers in this country wouldn't know their arse from their elbow" Katy huffed.

"I don't understand" Donna frowned.

"Donna, he made you coffee" The Doctor stated.

"What?" Donna gaped, as the pieces slowly began to fit.

"You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months" Katy added, as Donna looked like she was about to be sick.

"He was poisoning me" Donna realised, as the Doctor turned to Lance with a scowl.

"It was all there in the job title. The Head of Human Resources" The Doctor pointed out.

"This time, it's personnel" Lance joked, getting a laugh out of the Empress.

"Oh, fuck off" Katy rolled her eyes at the ridiculous joke.

"But...we were getting married" Donna said, in a heartbroken tone.

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I had to say yes. And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap yap yap. Oh, Brad and Angelina. Is Posh pregnant? X Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me. Dear God, the never-ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia. I deserve a medal—" Lance was cut off as a clipboard was thrown for the air, hitting him in the face, as he staggered backwards.

"Nice shot" The Doctor commented, looking to Katy who had thrown the object.

"He's lucky I'm not the one with the axe!" Katy warned, bristling with anger.

"But I love you" Donna mumbled, as the smirk returned to Lance's face.

"That's what made it easy. It's like you said, Doctor. The big picture. What's the point of it all if the human race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to go out there. To see it. The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor?" Lance pointed out.

"So, you're uh...gonna' be her little pet then?" Katy teased.

"No. No, we have a...strictly professional relationship" Lance retorted, as Katy and the Doctor gave each other a look.

"Boy-toy" Katy mumbled, under her breath.

"Hey, I heard that!" Lance snapped.

"Yeah? Well, why don't you come down here and have it out with me then?" Katy suggested, raising her arms out.

"Enough! Kill these two chattering idiots. Leave the bride!" The Empress ordered, as all the roboform weapons turned to them.

"Don't you hurt them!" Donna cried, pushing herself in front of them.

"No, no, Donna. It's all right" The Doctor replied.

"No, I won't let them!" Donna insisted, bravely.

"Appreciate the sentiment but you're the only human here, so you better get behind us" Katy whispered, as she went tried to pull Donna back.

"Ah, now. Except, I just want to point out the obvious..." The Doctor trailed off, reaching into his jacket pocket.

"They won't hit the bride. They're such very good shots" The Empress stated.

"Just, just, just hold on. Hold on just a tick. Just a tiny little, just a little tick. If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my spaceship. So reverse it...and the spaceship comes to her" The Doctor announced, turning the knob on the Huon container, before reaching out to grab Katy's hand.

"Fire!" The Empress screamed, as the TARDIS materialised around them.

Katy let out a sigh of relief as she heard the familiar TARDIS hum all around her, finding herself surprisingly comforted by the sound. A moment later, the Doctor was racing off to the console and sending them hurtling through the time vortex.

"Oh, do you know what I said before about time machines? Well, I lied. And now we're going to use it. We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet's core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene. I've always wanted to see this. Donna, we're going further back than I've ever been before..." The Doctor trailed off, when he saw how Katy raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Empathy, Doctor. Just a little bit of empathy" Katy sighed, gesturing to where Donna had her back to them, her shoulders shaking as she silently cried.

"Donna, are you...alright?" The Doctor asked, as Katy slapped his shoulder.

"Of course, she's not alright!" Katy complained.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" The Doctor retorted.

"I don't know, something reassuring" Katy shrugged, as the Doctor mulled it over.

"...We're still alive?" The Doctor stated, as Katy dragged a hand over her face.

"Fine. Fine, I'll do the feelings thing" Katy stated, making the Doctor snort.

"What was that for?" Katy huffed.

"You can just be a little...brash sometimes..." The Doctor stuttered over his words, as Katy gave him a look of disbelief.

Just as she was about to argue, Donna's crying got worse as she turned to the pair, mascara running down her cheeks. Katy's eyes softened as she walked over to the older woman, placing her hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry" Katy murmured.

"No, it's not...it's not that. It's just...you two are arguing like an old married couple and it made me think about..." Donna sighed, wiping at her wet cheeks.

"Hey, who are you calling old?" Katy teased, as Donna forced a smile onto her lips.

"He never loved me at all, did he?" Donna exclaimed.

"You'll find someone better, okay? I swear. Someone who deserves you and...is less bald" Katy told her, as a real laugh left Donna's lips.

"We're arrived. Want to see?" The Doctor suggested, gesturing to the TARDIS doors.

"All I want to see is my bed" Donna groaned, but pulled herself to her feet, nonetheless.

"Donna, Katy, welcome to the creation of the Earth" The Doctor announced, as both women came to stand beside him.

He then pulled the doors open, and the three were almost blinded with an ethereal light, as their eyes adjusted to the wonders in front of them. Rocks drifted past them, as different coloured gas clouds swirled together creating colours Katy had never seen. A smile grew on her face, as the Doctor's eyes flickered down to her.

"We've gone back four point six billion years. There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas. That's the Sun, over there. Brand new. Just beginning to burn" The Doctor told them, placing his hand on Katy's shoulder, turning her to look toward the shining star in the distance.

"Where's the Earth?" Donna asked.

"All around us in the dust" The Doctor replied, his hand remaining on Katy's shoulder.

"Puts the wedding in perspective. Lance was right. We're just tiny" Donna mumbled.

"No, but that's what you do. The human race makes sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed" The Doctor pointed out, as Katy thought of what his future self had said recently.

That was why he brought people along with him. So, he could see the wonders through their eyes.

"It's amazing" Katy exclaimed, feeling the Doctor give her shoulder a squeeze.

"I think that's the Isle of Wight" Donna said, earning a quick laugh from the pair.

"Eventually, gravity takes hold. Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in. Everything, piling in until you get. But the question is, what was that first rock?" The Doctor went on, as a spaceship came into view, in the form of a seven-pointed star.

"The Racnoss" Katy gaped.


After being pulled back to the Earth, the group snuck back into the lower basement, but they knew it wouldn't be long until the Empress found them. Katy had a feeling things were about to get a whole lot worse.

"But what do we do?" Donna asked.

"I don't know. I make it up as I go along. But trust me, I've got a history" The Doctor replied.

"I usually just try to keep him from getting killed until he finds a way to save us all" Katy shrugged, as the Doctor pulled out his stethoscope, trying to figure out the combination to open the door in front of them.

"But I still don't understand. I'm full of particles, but what for?" Donna pushed, as the Doctor pressed his stethoscope to the metal door.

"There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth, but my people unravelled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss were stuck...and...and..." The Doctor trailed off, as he felt Katy pressed up against his back.

"You're taking too long" Katy stated, placing her ear against the metal door, as he started to turn the hatch lock.

"Right. Yes, as I was saying. They've just taken hibernation for billions of years. Frozen, dead, kaput. So you're the new key. Brand new particles, living particles! They need you to open it and you have never been so quiet...Oh!" The Doctor cried, when he realised Donna was nowhere to be seen, having been grabbed by a roboform when he had been distracted.

"God, I really hate those things. Try setting seventy one" Katy suggested, as the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and shone it on the door.

"Like I said, good hearing" Katy stated, as they heard the door's lock click.

The Doctor was then ripping the door open, only to find himself face to face with one of the roboforms, a gun pointed directly toward him. He staggered back a step, as the roboform followed suit, walking through the doorway. Unbeknownst to the machine, Katy was lying in wait and the moment the roboform was in sight, she was tackling it to the ground, as it smashed into pieces underneath her weight.

"Hey, look. I got a gun!" Katy grinned, as the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"And I've got a cloak" The Doctor announced, as she gave him a confused look, wondering what his plan was.


Katy grumbled underneath the scratchy cloak that covered her as she stumbled up the metal stairs underneath her. She heard a groan from in front, realising that she had once again stepped on the Doctor's heels. Serves him right, she thought to herself. How did he think the Empress wouldn't recognise them both hiding under the cloak in the guise of a roboform?

"There's no way this is gonna' work" Katy complained, from where her face was pressed up against his back.

"Always the optimist, aren't you?" The Doctor retorted, as she nudged him with her elbow.

"Harvest the humans! Reduce them to meat!" The Empress yelled, as they slowly approached her.

"What's that noise?" Katy frowned, hearing explosions from above them.

"She must have brought her ship down to Earth" The Doctor replied, realising how many people could be killed by her ship alone.

"My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them, so you might as well unmask, my clever little doctor man and girl" The Empress called out.

"Told you" Katy muttered, as the Doctor threw off the black robe the pair had been all but suffocating in.

"Oh well. Nice try. I've got you, Donna!" The Doctor cried, pointing his sonic screwdriver up as the web started to give way.

"I'm gonna' fall!" Donna panicked.

"You're going to swing! I've got you!" The Doctor insisted, as Donna reached out to grab a piece of the web that had come apart from the rest.

She screamed loudly as she swung across the hole, past the Empress and stopped just underneath the landing where the Doctor was standing. Katy winced as she heard a loud thud, as Donna flopped to the ground, likely gaining a few more bruises.

"Oh. Sorry" The Doctor exclaimed, looking down to find her collapsed on the ground.

"Thanks for nothing" Donna huffed.

"The doctor man amuses me" The Empress grinned, as the Doctor turned his attention back to her.

"Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you and your children a place in the universe to co-exist. Take that offer and end this now" The Doctor announced, all humour gone from his tone.

"Oh, I'm afraid I have to decline" The Empress replied, in a mocking tone.

"What happens next is your own doing" The Doctor replied.

"I'll show you what happens next. At arms! Take aim! And—" The Racnoss began, but was immediately cut off by the Doctor.

"Relax" The Doctor said, as the roboforms all slumped forward, now useless.

"What did you do?" Donna frowned, looking up at the pair.

"Guess what I've got, Donna? Pockets" The Doctor smirked, revealing the remote controller he had been hiding.

"Roboforms are not necessary. My children may feast on Martian flesh" The Empress muttered.

"He's not from Mars" Katy stated, watching as all of the Empress' eyes narrowed.

"Then where?" The Empress questioned.

"My home planet is far away and long since gone. But its name lives on. Gallifrey" The Doctor announced.

The growl that left the Empress's mouth was enough to make Katy flinch. The way the Racnoss looked at the Doctor with such hatred brought back her own memory of the first time they had met. She couldn't help but wonder just how many species the Time Lord's had destroyed.

"They murdered the Racnoss!" The Empress spat out.

"I warned you. You did this" The Doctor told her, pulling out some baubles from his other pocket, which were far from normal decorations.

Once he had thrown half a dozen in the air, he used the remote controller to fly the baubles through the various pipes and vent in the underground lair. Katy knew what he was planning to do, she had even helped him come up with the idea. After all, how better to kill spiders than to drown them? But now...

"Doctor..." Katy trailed off, taking a step forward to stand beside him, a nervous expression on her face.

"They would destroy this world" The Doctor said, in a cold tone.

"I know. But...they're kids. They're monsters, sure, but...they're kids" Katy pointed out, able to hear the high-pitched squeals from deep down in the tunnel.

"Everything dies in the end" The Doctor muttered, before pressing a button on the remote, causing the first bauble to explode, causing water to rush through the pipes.

It only took a few moments before the entire room was thrown into chaos, as water from the Thames flooded into, and fires broke out near the Empress. The water had nowhere to go but down, as Katy could hear the squeals from before becoming muffled as water poured down on the children of the Racnoss.

"No! No! My children! My children!" The Empress screamed, before descending into a fit of despair.

A pipe burst above them, as water started to rain down on them, drenching the group from head to toe. The Empress continued sobbing for her lost children as the light from the tunnel was fully extinguished, and no more cries could be heard from below. The Doctor stayed rooted to the spot, appearing in a trance-like state.

"Doctor! You can stop now!" Donna called out to him, as he finally blinked, coming back to reality.

He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand touching his shoulder, as he whipped around to see Katy looking up at him. There was a haunted look in his eyes, as Katy wasn't sure it was only water from the Thames on his cheeks. He was crying.

"We can leave. We need to go" Katy insisted, as the Doctor slowly nodded.

Just as she was reaching out to take his hand, she felt a shift in the air and was suddenly being thrown to the ground. When she looked up she found the night sky above her, and the Doctor and Donna were nowhere to be seen. Her eyes widened when she saw the Empress ship drifting past her, energy lancing out from the points of the web, destroying everything below it.

"Merry Christmas, London town" Saxon's voice murmured from above her, as Katy hit her fist against the ground.

"What the fuck? You pull me here again? What is wrong with you?" Katy complained, jumping to her feet and twisting around to face the man who was tutting at her.

"And you kiss the Doctor with that mouth?" He scoffed, as she rolled her eyes.

"I am done with your bullshit. What do you want from me? Just tell me!" Katy insisted, angrily.

He gave no reply, but reached out to touch her wet cheek and then was suddenly pulling her closer. The moment their foreheads touched; Katy could feel a psychic link open before she was deafened by an all too familiar sound.

The drumbeat.

It was worse than she had ever heard it before. Every beat was like a stab to her head, drowning out everything else around her. And it was all coming from him. But she had heard that sound before...

The pain was soon too much to bear, as she pulled herself away from the link and away from his hand. She lurched to the side, almost collapsing against the pavement, as the sound started to fade into the back of her mind. Saxon was staring at her intently as she pulled herself together, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"That sound...it's in your head" Katy exclaimed, as he slowly nodded.

"The never-ending drumbeat. Every second of every day" Saxon admitted.

"And I can hear it too?" Katy realised.

"I knew it was real! I knew it wasn't just in my head. I told them, I told...it's real" Saxon muttered.

"But I've heard that before. Not just when you're around...before you, before the Doctor..." Katy trailed off, horrified by the discovery.

"The drums. They led me to you. And they led you to me" Saxon nodded, as her eyes narrowed.

A loud explosion above her caused Katy to whip around, just in time to see the Empress ship being torn apart by tank fire. It soon collapsed in on itself, parts of the web coming loose and falling toward the ground. She grimaced as the dark sky filled with ash and smoke, feeling too much like a warzone. Katy flinched when she felt something being placed over her shoulders, her forehead wrinkling when she found Saxon had shrugged off his jacket and placed it over her drenched form. She hadn't realised how cold she was until she recognised she was shivering.

"My work. Minister of Defence, remember?" Saxon smirked, hovering over her shoulder.

"You could have done something earlier" Katy retorted.

"Oh, no. I wanted to show you. What the Doctor would do. What we both knew he would do" Saxon explained, as Katy pursed her lips.

"He didn't have a choice" She stated.

"He has you trained well, doesn't he?" Saxon sneered, as Katy turned to face him fully.

"The Doctor could help you. Whatever is in your head, he could stop it" Katy insisted, as Saxon's eyes darkened.

"Of course. The Doctor. The man who makes people better" Saxon muttered, with disgust.

"...Has he fixed you yet?" Saxon asked, something about his words causing her chest to tighten.

And then...she woke up.


Katy jolted upright in her bed, her heart still hammering hard in her chest as the panic flowing through her slowly dispersed. It was just a dream. A nightmare. But they had been getting worse recently. Strange dreams of the future, the Doctor, Martha...even that man. An overactive imagination she was sure Matron would say. Shaking her head, Katy swung her legs out of her wooden bed and stumbled over to the window. Pulling the curtains open, she found the sun was shining over the school. Another normal day was about to start. Looking down at the newspaper that Matron had left in the nurse's office, her fingers trailed over the date on the front page.

Monday 10th November 1913.

It was odd. Somehow that date seemed wrong to her. Then again, according to her dream, she had just been in 2006. But that was just madness. She was human. As was John Smith, who she for some reason seemed to be fixated on. Running a hand through her hair, she flopped back down onto her creaky bed and pulled her pillow away, finding the strange Fob watch, with writing on it she still couldn't understand.

Just a dream, she thought to herself.