Rory's heart was pounding as he raced through the TARDIS doors, panting loudly as he tried to catch his breath. The sound of the doors clicking shut behind him was enough to bring Rory back to his senses, as he whipped around to find River slumped against the doors, unable to meet his gaze. The tightness in his chest was becoming unbearable, but not because they had just been running for their lives.
They had left Katy behind.
Then, Rory realised why River still hadn't moved away from the doors. She was making sure he couldn't get out to go back for her. She had told him Katy would be alright, she had promised him. But his best friend was still nowhere to be found.
"Where's Katy?" The Doctor's voice broke through Rory's thoughts.
He turned around as slowly as possible, trying to find the words to tell the Doctor what they had done, but no sound left his lips. He watched as the Doctor's brow furrowed, walking down the steps toward the pair. Amy and Canton remained by the console, clearly just as confused at the missing member of their group.
"Where is she?" The Doctor asked, turning his attention to River.
"She stayed behind so we could escape" River replied, as the Doctor's expression changed in the blink of an eye.
He didn't utter a word. The fury behind his eyes was enough to tell them exactly what they needed to know. He marched toward the TARDIS doors, but River intercepted him, holding her hands out in front of her, grabbing onto the lapels of his jacket. It was all she could think to do to stop him from running after Katy and putting them all in danger.
"She'll be okay. You have to trust—" River began, as the Doctor grabbed her wrists, and yanked them away from his jacket.
"You?" The Doctor spat out, harshly.
"I don't" The Doctor muttered, with a cold look in his eye as he went to push past her.
A second later, the TARDIS doors were swinging open, and a familiar face was racing through. Katy doubled over, clutching at her stomach, sharp pants leaving her lips. Everyone was rushing over to her, as she glanced up to look at their stricken faces.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Rory panicked, as Katy ran a hand over her sweaty forehead.
The group waited with bated breath to hear what she had to say, the worst-case scenarios running through their minds. If the creatures were powerful enough to make a person forget they had ever been there, what could they have done to her? Torturously slow, Katy finally straightened up and sucked in a deep breath before speaking.
"...Stitch. Man, I haven't run like that in a while" She huffed, as Rory practically launched himself at her, embracing her tightly.
"So, are we gonna' wait around for those creeps to catch up with us or get going?" Katy exclaimed, patting Rory on the back.
"You're sure you're alright?" The Doctor insisted, his eyes darting over her, his anxiety palpable.
"All limbs still attached. You can check later if you want" Katy teased, making Amy snort.
"Yeah, she's okay" Amy said, letting out a sigh of relief, as she ran her hand down Katy's arm.
"Can those things get through the doors?" Canton questioned, as the Doctor sprinted over to the console, pressing an array of buttons.
"Let's not find out" He murmured, sending them flying off into the vortex.
Katy reached out for the nearby railing as the TARDIS lurched to the left, pain radiating from the wound on her hand that had re-opened. She was thankful to see there were no shadows seeping out of her palm, but wasn't it only a matter of time? She couldn't control herself. She didn't know how to.
"How did you escape?" Rory frowned, as Katy pursed her lips, debating on whether to answer truthfully.
"I told you lot, I can handle myself" She shrugged.
There had been something so familiar about the woman who saved her. It felt almost instinctive to hide the strange encounter from the others. The woman had said she was an old friend, but how could that be possible? Wouldn't she remember her?
"Is anyone else feeling really confused right now? I know we're running from something but...I can't remember what it was" Amy admitted, as Katy nodded, walking up the stairs to the console.
"I think you saw one of them back at the White House. You said you remembered then" Katy theorised, as she continued walking through the console room, disappearing behind one of the walls.
"A creature that you can only remember when you're looking at them" The Doctor exclaimed.
"But if they were in the White House and in the warehouse...I mean, how many of them are there?" Rory pushed.
"That's what we need to...to find..." The Doctor trailed off, as they heard Katy ransacking the drawers and boxes behind the wall.
"Ah. These'll do" Katy muttered to herself, coming back into the group's line of sight.
The Doctor's cheeks turned a bright red as he saw what Katy was now clutching in her hands. All eyes darted to him as Katy began securing the item to one of her wrists, completely oblivious to the judging looks. Even Canton had quirked an eyebrow at the Time Lord, an amused smirk growing on his lips.
"Uh, Doctor...why do you have handcuffs?" Amy sniggered, as the tips of the Doctor's ears turned bright red.
"...I have a lot of things! I love things, all sorts of things! They're just...one of those things..." The Doctor stuttered, scratching at his cheek.
"Why did she know where to find them?" Canton pointed out, as Amy had to bite her lip to stop herself from cackling at how the Doctor's face somehow turned an even brighter red.
Katy was enjoying watching the Doctor suffering too much to admit she had seen the cuffs whilst his future self had been looking for the stabilising agent he had given her. She walked back down the stairs and looped the handcuffs through the metal railing, before securing the other cuff around her free wrist.
"Tighten these, would you?" Katy exclaimed, raising her bound wrists up in the air.
"Do you two want some time alone or...?" Amy teased, as the Doctor ran a hand down his face.
"I figure they'll have to do before we can find a more permanent solution" Katy suggested, tugging at the cuffs to make sure they wouldn't come loose.
"Permanent solution?" River frowned.
"You saw what happened down in those tunnels. I shouldn't be around anyone right now" Katy sighed, with a shake of her head.
"What happened?" The Doctor asked, as he strode toward her, the almost permanent look of concern back on his face.
Without meeting his gaze, she tugged the bowtie away from her palm and turned her hand over to reveal the wound. It still had barely healed. Instead of blood oozing from the broken skin, an almost black substance dripped down her palm. They didn't need to be a doctor or nurse to realise that meant nothing good.
"Why didn't you tell me you had integrated?" The Doctor exclaimed, as Katy's forehead wrinkled.
"I did..." She trailed off, as she realised it was the future Doctor she had confided in.
"I didn't think it was important" She finished, as the Doctor gently took her hand in his, examining the wound.
"It started to overwhelm her in the tunnels. She almost changed into an Elemental Shade" River confessed, as the Doctor ran his thumb over her outstretched fingers.
"Does it hurt?" He inquired, as she gave a half shrug.
"Not really. It just aches. But it's been days now. Why hasn't it healed? It's getting worse" Katy explained.
"Krillitanes use psychic fabrication to teach their young how to integrate. They're the only ones who know how" The Doctor admitted, as Katy's face contorted for a moment.
"Well, I can't exactly pop home for a quick chat. There's no one left to teach me" Katy pointed out.
"But you can do something, can't you, Doctor?" Rory questioned, in a hopeful tone.
A smile spread over the Doctor's lips then, before he leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Katy's forehead. She was surprised by how reassured she suddenly felt. The Doctor would know what to do, he always did.
"Follow me" He announced, shining his sonic screwdriver on the handcuffs, which dropped to the ground.
"It's a med-pod. Fiftieth century, right?" Katy guessed, surveying the futuristic machine in front of her, as the Doctor began typing into the control panel on the side.
The glass lid of the med-pod slid open then, as a red flashing light began gliding up and down the device, searching for organic material. Katy peered closer to see there were half a dozen openings on the inside of the machine, with a strange translucent fluid leaking out.
"Haven't used it in a while but it should still work...there we go. Set to Krillitane DNA" The Doctor murmured, as dozens of numbers flew up on the screen.
"But what does it actually do?" Amy questioned.
"Most medical procedures. Including stabilisation of DNA. It excretes millions of tiny nanobots in a viscous fluid that encompass every cell and creates a state of—" The Doctor began, as Rory cut him off.
"In English?" Rory exclaimed.
"It'll put Katy in a medically induced coma" The Doctor answered, watching as the woman in question stilled beside him.
"For how long?" Katy asked.
"A few months, maybe. It depends on the machine's calculations" The Doctor answered, as Katy's brow furrowed.
"But it's safe, right?" She insisted, trying to calm the panic that was flooding through her veins.
"One hundred per cent safe..." The Doctor trailed off, as a warning light flashed up on the screen.
They watched as he tapped a few buttons on the control panel, which only seemed to make matters worse, as smoke billowed from the top of the med-pod. River Song ushered him out of the way, pressing a button on the side and then giving the machine a deft kick with her foot. The warning light immediately stopped, as did the smoke, though it didn't help Katy's nerves.
"Ninety-seven per cent" The Doctor clarified, making Katy groan.
"The TARDIS will watch over you. If anything goes wrong with the process, she'll get you out" The Doctor told her.
"And what're you guys gonna' be doing for three months?" Katy inquired.
"Fieldwork. We need to figure out how long these creatures have been here, how many they are and what they want" The Doctor explained, as Amy and Rory shared a look.
"That easy, eh?" Rory muttered.
"Hold on a minute, you said that the nanobots need to encompass every cell...how exactly does that work?" Katy pushed, a bad feeling settling in her stomach.
"You breathe them in" The Doctor replied, making Katy wince.
"And they're carried inside a liquid? So, in other words...I'm gonna' drown" Katy realised, unable to keep the panic off her face.
"The med-pod releases an anaesthetic. You'll be asleep, your body will relax, you won't even know what's happening" The Doctor said, attempting to soothe her frayed nerves.
Katy looked down to her wounded palm, her mind being made up in an instant. The whole process sounded hellish, but what was the alternative? Do nothing and risk hurting her friends? There was no choice.
"Let's get this party started then" Katy sighed.
"I'll link the med-pod to my tricorder, keep an eye on you" River Song suggested, placing her hand on Katy's shoulder, who gave her a grateful smile.
"Make sure you keep the old man in line, yeah?" Katy replied, as River nodded.
"Are you sure you want to do this? We can try something else—" Rory started, as she cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"I'll be okay. Besides, I could use the beauty sleep" Katy joked.
Rory and Amy were then surging forward and hugging her, their arms wrapping around her shoulders, gripping the back of her shirt. None of them liked the idea of being separated for so long.
"Be careful" Katy murmured, her arms circling around the pair.
"You too" Amy mumbled, before pulling away, looking almost as worried as Katy felt.
The Doctor waited by the med-pod, a conflicted expression on his face. It was obvious he wanted to embrace her too, but he was worried she'd push him away. His future self had done something heinous, and now he wasn't sure Katy would ever be able to look past it. When she looked at him, would she just see what he had done?
"Promise me you won't do anything stupid while I'm gone" Katy's voice broke through his thoughts, as he gave her a slight smile.
"When do I ever do that?" He grinned at her.
"I'll see you on the other side, Doc" She replied, sucking in a deep breath as she turned to the med-pod.
She jumped up onto the cold surface of the machine and hauled her legs up, as the machine instantly started scanning her. Slowly, she lay down, grimacing as the red light flashed before her eyes.
"Krillitane DNA confirmed. Begin process?" A mechanical voice announced, as the Doctor tapped a button on the control panel, and the glass lid immediately lowered.
It clicked into place around her, cutting off all sound from outside, as a horrible feeling of claustrophobia washed over Katy. Her eyes darted down as she heard the sound of water and saw the fluid had started spewing from the dozens of openings on the inside of the med-pod. She grit her teeth together as she felt the fluid cover her ankles in a matter of seconds, doing her best to stay calm. She had taken on Weeping Angels and the Devil himself, why did she feel so scared of something as pathetic as a med-pod?
A thud caused her to glance upwards to see the Doctor had placed his palm against the glass, noticing her panic. She reached up to place her palm against his, only separated by the strengthened glass. She kept her hand there even as the fluid engulfed most of her body, only her head and neck remaining above. Inhaling sharply, she gave the Doctor a nod before she closed her eyes and leant backwards, allowing her face to become submerged. It was freezing cold, but she could feel how her heart had slowed, the anaesthetic beginning to take effect. Her hand slowly slipped away from the glass as she fell into a restless sleep.
"Now, what?" Rory questioned, watching as Katy's face grew peaceful.
"We take the TARDIS back to 1969. Find out what we can. I'll turn on the TARDIS' defence settings, send her somewhere safe" The Doctor mumbled.
"But what happens if we get in trouble? What will we do without the TARDIS?" Amy stated.
"She's defenceless like this. As Canton said, we don't know if those creatures can get through the TARDIS doors. I need her to be safe" The Doctor explained, as Amy nodded, slowly.
"She will be" River insisted, placing her hand on the Doctor's shoulder.
Katy's eyes shot open, gasping for air but finding nothing but water all around her. She banged her fists against the glass, but it was useless. She could hear the water slowly draining out around her, but it was too slow. She needed to breathe. Water began to seep into her mouth, as she did her best to push down the urge to inhale. She pushed her face up against the glass, growing even more panicked when she saw there was no one around. Except for one being, of course.
"Help...help me!" Katy cried, her voice muffled by the fluid all around her.
Suddenly, the lights in the room switched off, throwing Katy into darkness. A split second later, the glass lid was pulling back as the nanobot fluid spewed out onto the ground, allowing Katy to suck in a deep breath. She crawled out of the med-pod just as the lights flickered back on, still gasping for air, her heart pounding in her chest. The TARDIS made a noise of concern, as Katy leaned back against the med-pod, holding her thumb up in the air.
"I'm good...I'm good" She panted.
Looking to her side, she found a note had been left for her, now drenched with the nanobot fluid and barely readable. It appeared to be coordinates. Running a hand down her still dripping face, Katy grimaced as she caught a whiff of herself and decided the first thing she had to do was shower. Probably for a few hours.
Once she was content that she could no longer smell the stench of the nanobots on her skin, she headed to the console room, surprised to see they weren't on Earth. The Doctor had parked them a thousand years in the future on an uninhabited planet, to tick away without disturbance. Pulling up the monitor, Katy began to type the coordinates in on the typewriter and found they showed a particular date. 2nd July 1969, Nevada.
"Okay, haven't exactly passed my driving test so bear with me..." Katy trailed off, pulling one of the levers beside the typewriter.
She flicked a few switches upwards, and pressed on the green button, causing the TARDIS to suddenly lurch forward, as she fell to the floor. With a groan, Katy pushed herself up and turned on the monitor to see they were hurtling through the time vortex. Rushing to the other side of the console, she pulled back on one of the levers and managed to slow them down to a manageable pace.
"Right, engines on silent...ooookay, that's not right..." Katy panicked, when she flipped a switch and loud music started to blare from the console.
She noticed a button beside her began to shine a bright colour, and pressed it down, noticing how the familiar humming sound of the TARDIS lessened.
"Thanks, girl. Uh, and turning the outer shell invisible?" Katy questioned, as she spotted a rotor on the console began twisting around.
With a grin, she pushed down the rotor and turned it clockwise, hoping that it had worked. Now, all that was left to do was to actually park. How hard could it be, Katy figured.
"Putting the brakes on and...there we go" Katy exclaimed, flipping the blue switches and pressing a few keys on the typewriter.
"Now, let's see if the Doctor...wait, why is it black outside? Oh God, have I parked us in a Black Hole or something?" Katy gulped, as she looked up to see nothing on the monitor.
The screen turned to a different link as she tilted her head to the side, realising her mistake. She was in the right place...but she appeared to have parked the TARDIS horizontally.
"Bet it happens all the time" Katy shrugged, hearing a groan from the TARDIS.
She watched as a red switch flipped down beside her, and they rematerialized in the same location, and upright. She reached up to pull the monitor down, a smile growing on her lips when she noticed a familiar face just outside. A bearded face.
"What has he done to his hair?" Katy gaped, as the TARDIS made a noise of agreement.
The Doctor was chained to a chair, wrapped up in a straitjacket and looked as if he hadn't bathed for the last three months. He had grown an unkempt beard, and his hair was down to his shoulders, but he appeared relatively unharmed. Katy's eyes darted to the two body bags by his feet, terror gripping her for a split second. She tried to calm herself, figuring if anything had happened to Amy and Rory, the Doctor would have likely already burnt down half the universe in retaliation.
"I want you to know where you stand. In the perfect cell. Nothing can penetrate these walls. Not a sound, not a radio wave, not the tiniest particle of anything. In here, you're literally cut off from the rest of the universe. So I guess they can't hear us, right?" Canton smirked, as Katy looked at the black walls that surrounded them and the TARDIS.
"Good work, Canton. Door sealed?" The Doctor questioned.
"You bet" Canton nodded, as the Doctor immediately started to shake off his shackles and straitjacket.
The two body bags suddenly sat up, and through the monitor, Katy could hear gasps for breath. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling relief flood through her as she headed toward the TARDIS doors. Time for their escape.
"These things could really do with air holes" Rory muttered, as the Doctor helped pull the body bag away from his head.
"Never had a complaint before" Canton huffed, with amusement.
"Isn't it going to look odd that you're staying in here with us?" Amy pointed out.
"Odd, but not alarming. Whatever they might think we're doing in here, they know we're not going anywhere" The Doctor exclaimed, as the TARDIS doors burst open from beside him.
"Did someone call for a rescue?" Katy grinned, turning to face the Doctor.
His eyes shone for a moment before he was rushing toward her, hugging her with such force that they both stumbled back into the TARDIS doors. Katy's grin widened as she wrapped her arms around his back, ignoring the way he was all but crushing her against the doors. A content sigh left his lips as he dropped his chin onto her shoulder, one hand reaching up to tangle in her hair, bringing her even closer.
"You okay?" He murmured.
It was only then that she realised the constant ache in her palm was finally gone and glanced down to find the wound had fully healed. She felt like she had some pretty awful jetlag, but the med-pod appeared to have worked.
"Well, I certainly look better than you" She teased, pulling back and gesturing to his bushy beard.
"I hate to interrupt, but Doctor Song dove off a rooftop" Canton informed them, as Katy's eyebrows shot up.
"Don't worry. She does that. Amy, Rory, open all the doors to the swimming pool" The Doctor announced, as they all raced into the TARDIS, ready to get somewhere safe.
Katy wandered down the hallways of the TARDIS, whilst the others cleaned themselves up and changed into new clothes. She imagined being stuck in 1969 might not have been the highlight of their lives. Without meaning to, she had somehow ended up in the corridor that led to the Doctor's bedroom. There had been a number of occasions where she had sought the Time Lord out, but she had never plucked up the courage to knock on the door to his room. She didn't plan on doing anything differently, but as soon as she went to walk past the door, it swung open, accompanied by a hum from the TARDIS.
"Traitor!" She mouthed, pointing to the ceiling.
Her curiosity soon got the better of her, as she peeked past the door to find the Doctor in front of a large oval mirror, attempting to cut his hair. He had already shaved his beard off and was back to his usual bowtie and tweed jacket. Remaining oblivious to her presence, Katy's eyes darted around his room, finding a king-sized bed in the middle, surprisingly similar to her own bed in the TARDIS. There was a bookcase containing scrolls, ancient leather-bound volumes, and modern paperback and hardcover novels. Beside it lay a workbench covered in tools and wiring, a few unfinished projects hanging above it. She let out a huff when she spotted an industrial-sized refrigerator in the corner of the room, thinking she should have something similar added to her room.
"You know, I kinda' liked the whole Jesus look" Katy exclaimed, leaning against the doorframe, as the Doctor turned to her, just as he went to cut another lock of hair.
"You did?" He pouted, making her giggle.
"Nope. Just kidding. Are you finished massacring your hair yet, we've got company, remember?" Katy insisted.
"It's not that bad...is it?" The Doctor frowned, glancing at his uneven hair in the mirror.
"Give it here. I'll see what I can do" Katy suggested, strolling toward him, her hand outstretched.
He didn't argue as he handed the scissors to her, as guided him over to an armchair right behind him. As soon as he had sat down, she got to work, chopping away his shoulder length hair, careful not to nick his skin.
"So, how long was out for?" Katy asked.
"Eighty-four days" The Doctor answered, a little too quickly.
"They had you locked up all that time?" Katy frowned; the concern evident in her voice.
"Most of it" The Doctor shrugged, as she concentrated on cutting the back of his hair, trying to copy his usual hairstyle.
"Do you...I mean, if you needed to talk about...I'm not a totally terrible listener" Katy went on, watching as an amused smile grew on the Doctor's face in the mirror.
"You want to talk about...feelings?" The Doctor teased, glancing up at her with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep still, would you?" Katy complained, grabbing a fistful of his hair and forcing him to look down so she didn't have to meet his eyes.
They stayed in a comfortable silence for the next few minutes as Katy continued cutting at the other side of his hair, having almost finished. His hair was still a little uneven, but it was far better than he was managing on his own. And the Doctor certainly wasn't complaining about having Katy's fingers brushing through his hair.
"I missed you" He admitted, feeling her hands still against his hair.
She didn't answer him for a few seconds, continuing the finishing touches around his fringe, before she placed the scissors down on the arm of the chair. She pursed her lips for a moment, feeling as conflicted as ever.
"...I missed you too. Now, get your ass up and go deal with this whole alien invasion thing" Katy pushed, as the Doctor sprung up from his chair.
"Yes, dear" He grinned, before leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.
Katy could do nothing but blink as she watched him turn around to walk out of the room, seemingly without a care in the world. She stayed rooted to the spot, glancing at the mirror to see the blush that was growing on her cheeks. She opened her mouth to call after him, but nothing except a strangled sound left her lips. That was...unexpected, she thought to herself.
The Doctor continued his way down the corridor, thinking about their next move against the mystery creatures that inhabited Earth when his feet came to an immediate halt. His eyes went wide, as he realised what he had done, panic seizing both his hearts. That was definitely a spoiler.
"Stupid Doctor. Stupid, stupid, Doctor" Amy could hear her friend's rambling as he ambled into the room.
"Are you alright?" She frowned, leaning against the railing as he wandered up the stairs.
"So, three months. What have we found out?" The Doctor announced, clapping his hands together, clearly avoiding her question.
"Well, they are everywhere. Every state in America. Ah!" Rory cried, as the Doctor injected his hand with a strange looking device.
"Not just America, the entire world" The Doctor corrected.
Meanwhile, Katy silently entered the room, still trying to process what had happened a few minutes before. She wasn't stupid. She knew that at some point, she and the Doctor appeared to become more than friends, but was that already the case? When did it change? How the hell could she know?
"As long as there's been something in the corner of your eye, or creaking in your house, or breathing under your bed, or voices through a wall. They've been running your lives for a very long time now, so keep this straight in your head. We are not fighting an alien invasion, we're leading a revolution. And today, the battle begins" The Doctor announced, as Katy went to stand by Rory, who was still rubbing at his aching palm.
"How?" Canton inquired.
"Like this..." The Doctor trailed off, before twisting around and injecting River, catching her by surprise.
"Ow!" River complained, as the Doctor gave her an amused grin.
"Nanorecorder. Fuses with the cartilage in your hand. (injects himself) Ow. And it tunes itself directly to the speech centres in your brain. It'll pick up your voice, no matter what. Telepathic connection. So, the moment you see one of the creatures, you activate it, and describe aloud exactly what you're seeing...and describe aloud exactly what you're seeing. Because the moment you break contact, you're going to forget it happened. The light will flash if you've left yourself a message. You keep checking your hand if you've had an encounter. That's the first you'll know about it" The Doctor explained, injecting himself with the device and holding his palm up.
Katy's eyes narrowed as she watched the nanorecorder blink right under his skin. She raised her own hand, remembering all too well what happened the first time she had met the Doctor. He had told her he had implanted a nano-bomb into her hand. An insurance policy.
"But that looks like..." Katy trailed off, as the Doctor shone his sonic screwdriver on her palm, which began to blink red.
"Activated" He murmured, coming to stand in front of her.
"You told me this was a nano-bomb" She accused, putting two and two together.
"Well, I had only just met you. I figured a glorified GPS system wouldn't be enough to stop you from wandering off. I did tell you the next time we met. And the time after that. And...well, you get the idea. But you always knew already. I guess this is when you realised" The Doctor pondered, as Katy let out a huff.
"But I could have...I could have killed you" She pointed out, as the Doctor shook his head.
"You wouldn't have" He insisted.
"I killed those Judoon. I didn't even think twice about it" She pushed.
"And you stayed with that sick man in the hospital the first we met. You spoke to him, helped him...I saw that. Even if no one else did" The Doctor explained, but Katy was still in too much shock to answer.
Canton suddenly stepped in between the pair, reaching out to adjust the Doctor's bowtie, much to Katy's confusion. It was then that she noticed that his palm was flashing red.
"What? What are you staring at?" Canton frowned.
"Look at your hand" River stated, as they watched all the colour drain from Canton's face.
"Why is it doing that?" Canton gulped, though he already knew the truth.
"What does it mean if the light's flashing? What did I just tell you? Play it" The Doctor told him, as Canton pressed down on his palm.
"My God, how did it get in here?" Canton's panicked voice exclaimed over the recording, as Katy's blood turned cold.
"Keep eye contact with the creature and, when I say, turn back, and when you do, straighten my bow tie" The Doctor ordered, as the group looked past Canton's shoulder.
All her memories that she had forgotten came flooding back in an instant. She had killed a group of the creatures down in the tunnel, that she was sure of. As had her mystery rescuer. Was she part of it?
"It's a hologram, extrapolated from the photo on Amy's phone. Take a good, long look" The Doctor announced, just as the image faded, and the group blinked.
"You just saw an image of one of the creatures we're fighting. Describe it to me" The Doctor insisted, as Katy realised she had no idea.
"I can't" Canton confessed.
"No. Neither can I. You straightened my bow tie because I planted the idea in your head while you were looking at the creature" The Doctor explained.
"So, they could do that to people. You could be doing stuff and not really knowing why you're doing it" Amy realised, her words only adding to the group's panic.
"Like posthypnotic suggestion" Rory clarified.
"Hold on, though. I think we're all missing the obvious here. If those things can make me and the Doctor forget, if they could literally control a world...any world. Then why come to Earth? I mean, no offence guys, but you're not exactly the most advanced species in the universe" Katy went on, as the Doctor nodded.
"Good point. Well, not good. Bad. A very bad point. We need to find the spacesuit. Amy, you said there was a little girl inside, correct? Where did they get the girl?" The Doctor exclaimed.
"It could be anywhere" Canton figured.
"Except they'd probably stay close to that warehouse, because why bother doing anything else? And they'd take her from somewhere that would cause the least amount of attention. But you'll have to find her. I'm off to NASA" The Doctor suggested, typing in coordinates on the typewriter.
"Find her? Where do we look?" Canton asked.
"Children's homes" The Doctor answered, noticing how Katy froze in the corner of his eye.
"Me and Katy will check out NASA. Rory, River, you'll be our backup up" The Doctor ordered, receiving numerous nods in return, and a grateful smile from Katy.
"I could have gone with Amy, you know. I like Canton, but we don't really know him" Katy murmured, twisting a wire around the transmitter she had spent the last hour creating.
"Did you really want to spend the evening investigating children's homes?" The Doctor pointed out, glancing up at her.
He was busy rifling through the wiring in Apollo 11, lying flat on his back, knowing they didn't have much time before the guards managed to burst through the door they had locked. They would need River and Rory to pick them up in the TARDIS, preferably before they were shot.
"And miss out on your charming company?" Katy teased, as the Doctor sent her a smirk, before pulling out more wiring from the rocket.
"...I only got fostered once. And even that didn't last long. I spent almost a decade in care homes" Katy mumbled, flicking the transmitter with her finger, as the top glowed red.
"No desire to go back any time soon?" The Doctor guessed, as she shrugged.
"I was pretty lucky, honestly. No abuse, a bit of neglect...it could have been a lot worse" Katy stated, leaning down to sit on the hatch door.
"But?" The Doctor pushed, knowing there was more she wanted to say.
"Kids need someone in their corner, you know? Someone who'll stick by them no matter what. I never got that unconditional love. Not from my parents either" Katy confessed, growing quiet.
"Hence the trust issues?" The Doctor suggested, as she quirked an eyebrow, twisting around to face him.
"You noticed that, huh?" She mocked, as gave her a sad smile.
"Never too late though, is it?" He stated, holding out his hand for her to pass him the transmitter.
"I don't know. That kind of stuff sticks with you. I'm fucked up now whether I like it or not" She sighed.
"You're not so bad" He told her, placing the transmitter in the wiring above his head and attaching it inside.
"So...you kissed me" Katy pointed out, causing the Doctor's hands to falter.
"Uh, yes. Yeah, I suppose I did" He stuttered, as her lips twitched into a smile.
"I mean...I'm not totally opposed to the kissing..." She trailed off, teasingly.
"You're not?" The Doctor exclaimed, sitting bolt upright suddenly, and banging his head on the hatch door.
Katy burst into laughter as the Doctor pouted, rubbing at his sore forehead, a red mark already growing on his skin. She was giggling to herself as she noticed her phone was ringing and found it was Amy calling and quickly answered.
"I think we've found the place she was taken from. Graystark Hall Orphanage" Amy informed her, as she put the call on loudspeaker.
"How do you know?" The Doctor called out.
"Because those things have been here. But the whole place is deserted. There's just one guy here and I think he's lost it" Amy mumbled, uneasily.
"Repeated memory wipes fry your head eventually. Find out what you can, but don't hang around" The Doctor advised, as Katy gave him a look.
"Or better yet, just get out of there. We'll be there soon, okay?" Katy insisted.
"Got to go. Got company" The Doctor stated, as the door to the landing strip burst open and he closed the panel of wiring.
Katy was quick to raise her hands up in the air, noticing the group of men had guns. The Doctor did the same, wincing when he noticed a wire was attached to the sleeve of his jacket.
"Don't worry, I've put everything back the way I found it...except this. There's always a bit left over, isn't there?" The Doctor suggested, receiving an amused look from the guards.
"Now, one more time, sir. How the hell did you get into the command module?" The Head of Security questioned.
"I told you. I'm on a top-secret mission for the President" The Doctor retorted, hearing Katy groan from beside him.
They had both been brought down from the rocket, handcuffed and thrown onto some rather uncomfortable plastic chairs. Katy eyed the guard behind her, noticing his finger was never far away from the trigger of his gun. She then glanced at the Doctor to see he was biting at his handcuffs, which didn't exactly reassure her.
"Well, maybe if you just get President Nixon to assure us of that, sir, that would be swell" The man scoffed.
"We sent him a message" Katy shrugged, as the Head of Security shared a laugh with his partner.
It was then that the doors swung open to reveal none other than President Nixon, followed closely by River and Rory who had a wardrobe change. Why exactly Rory had chosen to wear ridiculous glasses, she wasn't sure. The President began conversing with the two as if they were old friends, something which quickly grated on Katy's nerves.
"I understand you have a baby on the way, Mister Grant. What are you hoping for, a boy or a girl?" Nixon exclaimed.
"Just a healthy American, sir" Mr Grant replied.
"A healthy American will do just nicely—" Nixon began, as Katy let out a loud groan.
"God, would you just shoot me now?" She complained, pulling apart her handcuffs with ease.
"How...how did you...?" Mr Grant gaped, as she reached inside the Doctor's pocket for his sonic screwdriver and used the device to remove his own handcuffs.
"Mate, if I tried to explain it...I think your head would literally explode. Now, can we get a move on? Amy and Canton need us" Katy insisted, as the Doctor jumped up from his chair.
"Best to do as she says, fellas" The Doctor warned, as Katy walked past them.
"Hold on, if you can just break handcuffs, why did you grab those ones from the TARDIS last time?" Rory frowned.
"They weren't metal" She replied.
"Made from an alloy star. Almost unbreakable" The Doctor clarified, as Rory slowly nodded.
"And do you perhaps have them because a certain friend of yours is incredibly strong and may need more restraining when—?" River began, as the Doctor clamped his hand over her mouth.
"Spoilers?" Katy guessed, with a slight grin.
The orphanage was just as creepy as Katy imagined, with cobwebs and warnings painted all over the staircase. The lights didn't appear to be working, putting them all on edge as they listened out for any sign of the others. Katy could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as they reached the next floor. It felt like something was watching them, and after what they knew, she was pretty sure her instincts were correct.
"Amy, can you hear me? Amy, I'm going to try to blow the lock. I need you to stand back!" Canton cried from the top floor, as they all rushed up to join him.
He had his gun raised up to one of the doors further down the landing, a panicked expression on his face. How had he become separated from Amy?
"Okay, gun down. I've got it" The Doctor called out, taking his sonic screwdriver out and shining it on the lock.
"Amy, we're here. Are you okay?" Rory exclaimed.
"I can't see..." Amy's reply was muffled by the door, as the group burst inside.
Katy only grew more disturbed as she realised the room was a nursery. With children's toys dotted around the floor and a wooden cot mobile hanging from the ceiling. But there was no sign of Amy. River crouched down on the floor as she spotted the spacesuit lying on the floor, pulling back the visor
"It's empty" River announced, making Katy's brow furrow.
"It's dark. So dark. I don't know where I am. Please, can anybody hear me?" Amy's begging caught her attention, as she noticed something flashing red on the ground.
Fuck. It was Amy's nanorecorder.
"They took this out of her. How did they do that, Doctor? Why can I still hear her?" Rory stuttered, reaching down to pick up all he had of his wife.
"Her watch is here. Earrings and phone too. Whatever teleport they used, anything metal seems to have got lost behind" Katy murmured, leaning down to pick up Amy's watch.
"Is it a recording?" River frowned, as the Doctor scanned the nanorecorder.
"Er, it defaults to live. This is current. Wherever she is right now, this is what she's saying" The Doctor informed them, as Katy clutched Amy's watch a little tighter.
She knew. She just knew Amy was in danger. If she hadn't wasted time at the base, they could have got to her in time. God only knew what the creatures might have been doing to her.
"Amy, can you hear me? We're coming for you. Wherever you are, we're coming, I swear" Rory spoke into the nanorecorder.
"She can't hear you. I'm so sorry. It's one way" The Doctor explained, as Rory whipped around to face him, angrily.
"She can always hear me, Doctor. Always. Wherever she is, and she always knows that I am coming for her. Do you understand me? Always" Rory retorted, firmly, as the Doctor slowly nodded.
"Doctor, are you out there? Can you hear me? Doctor?" Amy sobbed as the Doctor's eyes fluttered shut with guilt.
"Oh, God. Please, please, Doctor, just get me out of this" Amy continued, as the Doctor dared to look at Katy, who was now keeping her gaze firmly on the ground.
"He's coming. I'll bring him, I swear" Rory told her.
"Hello? Is somebody there?" A voice called out.
"Who the hell is that?" Katy questioned, as a middle-aged man in a tattered suit rounded the corner.
"Doctor Renfrew. He's the director of this place. Or, he was" Canton muttered, taking his gun out.
"I think someone has been shot. I think we should help. We..." Doctor Renfrew began, as Katy shoved past him, without a second thought.
She could see a small trail of white fluid on the floorboards and followed it to what appeared to be the man's office. One of the creatures was cowering on the floor, the white matter seeping out of its black suit. She realised it must have been the creature's blood. Guns could hurt them.
"Okay. Who and what are you?" The Doctor questioned, crouching down beside the alien.
"Silence, Doctor. We are the Silence" The creature announced, as a memory came back to Katy.
Rosanna Calvierri, the matriarch of the Saturnyns they had fought...she had spoken of the Silence.
We ran from the Silence. There were...cracks. Some were tiny. Some were as big as the sky. Through some we saw worlds and people, and through others we saw Silence and the end of all things.
"And Silence will fall" The creature threatened, as the Doctor's eyes widened, realising he too, had heard those words before.
"Canton...give me your gun" Katy exclaimed, as the man did as he was told.
"What are you doing?" The Doctor frowned, pushing himself to his feet.
"Don't worry, I won't hit anything important" Katy shrugged, raising the gun to the Silent's legs.
"Torture? That's your solution?" The Doctor retorted; disappointment clear in his tone.
"They have Amy!" Katy cried.
"If you do this, you will be crossing a line" The Doctor told her, as she looked over his shoulder toward the creature, her jaw clenched.
There was a challenge behind the Doctor's eyes. He wouldn't stop her from pulling the trigger, but he expected her not to do it, all the same. In the next moment, she was lowering the gun, hearing the Doctor let out a sigh of relief.
"...Maybe the reason people are always dying around you is because you refuse to cross that line" Katy muttered, passing Canton his gun back before turning on her heel.
"Where are you going?" The Doctor called after her, as she stormed out of the room.
"To see if they left anything behind!" Katy huffed, in an angry tone.
The Doctor went to follow her, when River's hand reached out to pull him back, shaking her head.
"Let her cool off. We need to do something about our friend here" River suggested.
Katy marched into the room Amy had been kidnapped from, blinking away angry tears that welled in her eyes. She didn't know what she'd do if anything happened to her friend. She glanced up at the crib mobile, her brow furrowing when she noticed metal planets hanging down from the ceiling. Planets that didn't belong to Earth's solar system. A sudden bang had her whipping around with a gasp, her eyes almost popping out of her skull when she found the spacesuit had shut the door. And that there was no one inside it.
"What the fuck?" She cried, as the suit started staggering toward her.
"Doct—" Her shout was cut off as long fingers wrapped around her face.
The Doctor's head snapped up as he heard a strangled cry from further down the corridor and took off in a sprint before anyone could stop him. He raced into the room he had seen Katy enter only a minute early, but found she was nowhere to be seen. Just like Amy.
"No, no, no..." He trailed off, panic searing through both his hearts.
"Have they taken her? Oh God, they're picking us off. One by one" Rory gaped, following quickly behind him.
"She...she could still be here. Canton, with me. We need to search this floor" River insisted, as the pair ran off.
"Doctor, what do we do?" Rory questioned, able to see how the Doctor's shoulders were shaking.
Without a word, the Doctor turned around to face him, a shadow cast over his face. He was then marching back toward Renfrew's office, gritting his teeth so hard they could break. The Silent was still on the floor, clutching at his chest as the Doctor came to loom over the creature.
"Where is she?" The Doctor asked, ironically gaining only silence in reply.
"Where is she?!" The Doctor shouted, loud enough that it made Rory flinch from the other room.
He then crouched down, and placed his hand on the creature's shoulder, with a bruising grip. The Silent's face had no way to wince, but from the way it had frozen, the Doctor could tell it hurt.
"Tell me" He insisted, in a cold tone.
"Doctor, what are you doing?" River called out to him, as he turned to see the shock on his friend's face.
"Maybe she was right...maybe people do die because of my mercy..." The Doctor trailed off, standing to his feet and approaching River.
"You'd shoot him, wouldn't you? For someone you...you'd do it, River?" The Doctor pushed, as River slowly nodded.
Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed Canton's gun and turned it on the creature. Rory jumped backwards, never having seen the Doctor willingly hold a weapon before, least of looking ready to use it.
"Once chance. Bring her back to me" The Doctor warned.
"...No" The Silent replied, after a moment, watching as the Doctor removed the safety from the gun.
His finger twitched against the trigger, every instinct in him telling him to drop the weapon, but how could he?
"Amy?" A muffled voice called out, as the Doctor's eyes widened.
"Amy, are you okay? C'mon, I want to hear that grating Scottish accent" Katy insisted, as the Doctor turned to look at the nanorecorder that was blinking in Rory's hand.
"Oh, thank God. What are you doing here?" Amy retorted.
"Here to rescue you...sort of" Katy exclaimed, her words far more muffled.
"She's with Amy?" Rory realised, a look of hope in his eyes as the Doctor dropped the gun to the floor.
"The nanorecorder must have rebooted. It's reordering the sounds around Amy now. They're okay" The Doctor murmured, his hands still shaking.
"We're going to get them?" River guessed.
"In a minute. Rory...get me Amy's phone" The Doctor announced.
Katy strained against the bindings around her wrists, earning an electric shock up her arms every time she moved. She groaned as she leaned back against the metal board she had been placed on, squinting to see past the bright lights all around her. They were on a Timeship. Just like the one they had found in the tunnels. A dozen of the Silent's moved around her, tapping things out on the console at the centre of the room.
"Did they hurt you?" Katy questioned.
"No...no. I don't think so. I must have passed out" Amy murmured.
"Lucky you. I've been awake the whole time they dragged me here" Katy complained, as one of the Silent's turned to her.
A blinding red light suddenly hit her body, before gliding up and down, causing her skin to burn. She let out a cry, straining at her bindings once again, but it was no use.
"What're you doing?" She yelled.
"Scanning" The Silent nearest her stated.
"Scanning for what?" She insisted, getting no reply.
"I can see why you call yourself the Silence now" She scoffed, as it approached her.
"Get those bloody chicken feet away from my face!" She muttered, as the creature held its long fingers in front of her.
Suddenly, the familiar sound of the TARDIS was echoing through the ship, as Katy's head snapped up to see it materialising. Her relief was palpable as the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors, a smile instantly growing on her lips.
"Oh, interesting. Very Aickman Road. I've seen one of these before. Abandoned. I wonder how that happened? Oh, well I suppose I'm about to find out. Rory, River, keep one Silent in eyeshot at all times. Oh, hello. Sorry, you were in the middle of something. I just had to say, though, have you seen what's on the telly?" The Doctor rambled, an old-fashioned television in his hands, which he placed on the centre console.
"Katy. Tell me you're alright" The Doctor announced, his tone suddenly turning serious.
"Been better. Wouldn't mind getting out of this though?" Katy pushed, as the Doctor shone his sonic screwdriver on the bindings around her and Amy's wrists.
"Oh, hello, Amy. Want to watch some television? Ah. Now, stay where you are. Because look at me, I'm confident. You want to watch that, me, when I'm confident. Oh, and this is my friend River. Nice hair, clever, has her own gun, and unlike me, she really doesn't mind shooting people. I shouldn't like that. Kind of do, a bit. Wonder why that's happened" The Doctor exclaimed, winking toward Katy.
"Laser gun. You know how to use one of these?" River asked, handing Katy a spare gun, as she staggered to her feet.
"Point and shoot?" Katy guessed, as River gave her a smirk.
"I know you're team players and everything, but they'll definitely kill at least the first three of you" The Doctor suggested, as Katy raised an eyebrow, stumbling toward him, her gun raised out.
"Oh please. The first seven, easily" Katy huffed, as the Doctor's arm looped around her waist, helping to steady her.
"Seven? Really?" The Doctor replied.
"Eight for you, Doc" Katy grinned.
" Is this really important flirting? Because I feel like I should be higher on the list right now" Amy complained, as Rory ran over to her and helped pull her down from the metal board she had been strapped to.
"All I really want to do is accept your total surrender and then I'll let you go in peace. Yes, you've been interfering in human history for thousands of years. Yes, people have suffered and died, but what's the point in two hearts, if you can't be a bit forgiving, now and then? Ooo, the Silence. You guys take that seriously, don't you?" The Doctor muttered, storming over to the nearest Silent, squaring up to the creature.
"Okay, you got me. I'm lying. I'm not really going to let you go that easily. Nice thought, but it's not Christmas. And you really shouldn't have kidnapped the only woman in the universe who can keep me in line" The Doctor spat out.
"First, you tell me about the girl. Who is she? Why is she important? What's she for? Guys, sorry, but you're way out of time. Now, come on. A bit of history for you. Aren't you proud? Because you helped. Now, do you know how many people are watching this live on the telly? Half a billion. And that's nothing, because the human race will spread out among the stars. You just watch them fly. Billions and billions of them, for billions and billions of years, and every single one of them at some point in their lives, will look back at this man, taking that very first step, and they will never, ever forget it. Oh. But they'll forget this bit. Ready?" The Doctor explained, holding up his communicator and pointing toward the TV.
"That's one small step for a man..." Neil Armstrong's voice trailed off, as one of the Silence came up on the screen.
"You should kill us all on sight. You should kill us all on sight. You should kill us all on sight" The message repeated over and over, as Katy realised what the Doctor had done.
The humans would kill the Silence. It was practically a genocide. Something which seemed very unlike the Doctor. She guessed he hadn't taken well to the creatures kidnapping her and Amy.
"You've given the order for your own execution, and the whole planet just heard you. You just raised an army against yourself and now, for a thousand generations, you're going to be ordering them to destroy you every day. How fast can you run? Because today's the day the human race throw you off their planet. They won't even know they're doing it. I think, quite possibly, the word you're looking for right now is oops. Run! Guys, I mean us. Run!" The Doctor warned, as the Silence began generating their electric shocks.
The next second, River and Katy were firing their weapons, trying to hit as many of the Silent's as they could. Katy made sure to cover Amy and Rory who staggered back toward the TARDIS, only jut missing being grabbed by one of the creatures.
"Don't let them build to full power!" The Doctor insisted, holding his sonic screwdriver out, trying to redirect the electric current flowing through the Silent's.
"I know. There's a reason why I'm shooting, honey. What are you doing?" River retorted.
"Helping" The Doctor retorted, as Katy and River shared a look.
"Get out of here and let the woman save the day" Katy huffed, pushing him toward the TARDIS, as River gave her a smirk.
With their backs pressed up against each other, the pair twisted around, the laser beams from their guns hitting a Silent in almost constant succession. Within the next minute, a dozen of the creatures lay on the ground, either injured or dead. Wiping at her sweaty brow, Katy looked back toward River, an impressed look on her face.
"Who taught you to shoot?" Katy questioned, noticing how River was a better shot than she was.
"You" River admitted, raising her hand out behind her and shooting a Silent who was pushing himself to his feet.
"Thank you, future me" Katy exclaimed, with a grin.
An hour later, the group were planning to disband. They couldn't stay in 1969 forever, after all. Katy walked over to Canton who was standing in the TARDIS doorway, watching as the Doctor said goodbye to Nixon. She noticed him shoving an envelope into his pocket as she approached. A blue envelope.
"What's that?" Katy inquired, though she expected she already knew.
"Ma'am, I just wanted to say it has been an honour working with you these last months" Canton confessed, giving her a salute.
"I did chuck you across the room the first day we met, remember?" She laughed.
"I know. I think I've still got the bruises, but I meant what I said. I won't forget you. I promise" Canton insisted, making her forehead wrinkle.
"Why'd you get thrown out of the FBI, Canton?" Katy inquired.
"I wanted to get married...to a man" He confessed, in a nervous tone.
"Well, I have a pretty good idea that you might just see the day that can happen. And you know, if you can't wait that long...you are standing in a time machine" Katy pointed out.
"You mean...?" Canton trailed off, with a hopeful look.
"Check with your boyfriend and give us a call in a couple of months. Wedding destination of your choice" Katy smirked, patting the older man on the back.
With a nod and a beaming smile, he walked out of the TARDIS to say goodbye to the Doctor. River came to stand beside her, a distant expression on her face.
"You're not staying?" Katy guessed.
"I can't. I have a promise to live up to. We all do" River explained, as Katy let out a groan.
"River, do me a favour. Just for once...for once...be a little less vague" Katy begged, as River suddenly reached out to take her hand.
"I'm not sure I'll see you again before...if I don't...you can still change things. I know what the Doctor says, but time isn't as fixed as you both think" River insisted, firmly.
"You mean I can save him?" Katy frowned.
"You can still save yourself" River told her.
"I'm not afraid of dying, River" Katy replied, as River let out a long sigh.
"Some fates are worse than death" River mumbled, before wrapping her arms around Katy's shoulders, holding onto her tightly.
Opening the door to the diner, Katy noticed a few remnants of glass on the floor. From where she had dropped her bottle of vodka, only hours before, for the staff at least. She had insisted she wanted to go back to 2011, to find out if there were any clues about who had sent them on their latest adventure. Alone. The Doctor hadn't been happy about it, but he had relented, nonetheless.
"We should probably ban you, you know" The server from earlier announced, recognising her instantly.
"No more drama. I promise. Or alcohol. I'll have a coke" Katy exclaimed.
"...I'll bring it to your booth" The server replied, after noticing the sad expression on her face.
She sat down in the booth she had sat with the future version of the Doctor and looked down at her hand. She spun the translucent ring around her finger, realising she had never asked what the Gallifreyan words were engraved on it. Tears began to well in her eyes instantly, the adrenaline of everything that had happened finally wearing off. She wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse that she would continue to travel with the Doctor's past self. She ran her hand over her face, rubbing away a few tears that had dripped down her cheeks.
"Now, now. Stop that awful snivelling" A familiar voice announced, as Katy looked up, her mouth going slack.
A second later, a slice of pizza was being thrust into her mouth before she had the chance to say anything. She grabbed the pizza before it could fall onto her lap, still gaping at the mysterious woman who had saved her. She went to sit down opposite her, a pizza box in her hands, which she opened.
"You...you bought me pizza?" Katy frowned, hardly able to believe what she was seeing.
"Well, a way to a woman's heart is through their stomach after all. And their chest cavity" The woman gave her a sinister grin, before opening the box.
The pizza had an array of toppings, all of which were Katy's favourite. She watched in confusion as the woman opened a bag of onion rings and dropped them onto the pizza.
Her favourite topping.
"How you like this garbage is honestly beyond me, darling. It's a wonder I let you kiss me with that mouth" The woman sighed, dramatically.
"Wait, what—" Katy began, as the woman cut her off.
"Now, tell me who's made you all snotty and I'll snap their silly little neck" She exclaimed, as Katy ran a hand through her hair.
"You were in 1969. And now you're here in 2011" Katy stated, as the woman rolled her eyes.
"What a shocking revelation. It's as if I can time travel" She huffed, mockingly.
"Okay, I kind of walked into that one. But...this still doesn't make any sense. You said you were an old friend, but I don't know who you are" Katy explained.
"I know you...I walked with you once upon a dream..." The woman began singing, as she jumped to her feet.
"I know you...the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam" She continued singing, as she strolled forward and lowered herself into the seat beside Katy.
"Yeah, that's gonna' have to stop" Katy scoffed, as the woman leaned closer.
"Right, right. Fast forward to the good bit? But if I know you...I know what you'll do...you'll love me at once...the way you did once upon a dream—" She went on, as Katy placed her palm over the woman's lips.
"I hate singing. It gives me bloody second-hand embarrassment if someone just starts...and you know that. Shit" Katy murmured, just as the woman bit her hand, causing Katy to yelp.
"Would you stop biting me?" Katy complained, clutching her hand to her chest.
"Sorry, poppet. You're just so tempting" The woman grinned at her, as Katy noticed something peeking out of her sleeve.
"Vortex manipulator. Where did you get this?" Katy questioned, pulling up her sleeve and holding onto the woman's wrist.
"Ah, ah. No cheating and feeling for my pulse" She scolded, pulling her arm away.
Katy let out a huff when she realised the woman had immediately seen through her. For some reason, she couldn't hear her heartbeat. She must have been masking it somehow. But how?
"You don't need to listen for my heartbeat. Not when my heart already belongs to you, honey" The mystery woman stated, as Katy quirked an eyebrow.
"Hmm. I bet that line works on all the girls" Katy retorted, earning a toothy smile in response.
"You gonna' tell me your name or do I have to keep calling you crazy lady?" Katy exclaimed, as the woman brought her arm up to lean against the top of the booth.
"I'm Missy" She informed her, her fingers reaching out to play with a lock of Katy's hair.
"I'm guessing that's short for something?" Katy murmured, watching Missy's hand closely.
"We could play truth or dare if you'd like? You'd need a safe word" Missy whispered to her, leaning even closer, until their faces were just inches apart.
Missy brushed her hair over her shoulder, her fingertips dancing against her neck for a moment. Katy could feel her heartbeat drumming in her ears, unsure if she felt the urge to turn away or lean closer. Katy watched as Missy's gaze dropped to her lips and then to her neck, now so close she could smell the other woman's perfume.
"Your little heartbeat's racing, sweetheart" Missy murmured, tilting her head, able to feel how Katy's heart skipped a beat under her fingers.
"...Maybe I need a doctor" Katy retorted, watching as Missy went incredibly still.
Dozens of emotions flitted over the older woman's face, all of which Katy took notice of. Anger, jealousy, even some hatred. Though the expression that remained was sadness, which reached Missy's eyes.
"Huh. That hurt, didn't it?" Katy realised, as Missy pursed her lips.
"Enjoy your pizza" Missy retorted, before gathering her skirts and pushing herself onto her feet.
"Woah, woah. You can't just leave!" Katy exclaimed, rushing after her.
"It's rather sweet that you think you can stop me" Missy huffed, sauntering toward the back door.
Just as she reached for the doorknob, Katy's hand thrust forward and slammed the door firmly shut, not allowing her to exit. With an almost predatory smirk, Missy twisted around, certainly enjoying being crowded in by Katy.
"I have seriously had it with people bullshitting me. I want some real answers. Now" Katy insisted.
"Oh, I do enjoy when you take control like that," Missy said, in a pleased tone.
"You're obviously smart, Missy, but something tells me that I'm stronger than you. So, you're not leaving this diner until you tell me what I want to know" Katy went on, hoping she was right.
"You're right, of course...I am smarter than you" Missy smirked.
She then grabbed Katy by the collar of her shirt, whose hands raised up, expecting to either be shoved to the side or headbutted. Instead, Missy suddenly leant forward and pressed her lips to hers, with enough force that Katy almost stumbled to the floor. Missy made sure to keep a firm hold of her as she continued peppering kisses over her lips, her lipstick staining Katy's mouth in an instant. By the time Missy pulled away, Katy was panting for air, her eyes wide, as she realised her own hands had slid against Missy's waist. With an almost sweet smile, Missy pressed one last kiss to her lips before turning away and opening the door.
Katy blinked rapidly, in too much shock to move, her brain having come to a grinding halt. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she lunged forward to grab Missy's arm before she could leave.
"Why did you come here?" Katy insisted, not being able to think of a better question.
Missy pivoted on her heels, opening her mouth to give another smartarse response, but the words died on her lips as soon as their eyes connected. Katy's forehead wrinkled as she saw the sadness was back on Missy's face, and it was worse than before. For a split second, she swore she even saw tears in her eyes.
"I just wanted to look at you" Missy replied, as Katy released her grip on her arm.
Missy shot her a sad smile before walking through the doorway, as the door slammed closed behind her. Katy brought her fingers up to her lips, feeling more confused than ever. When did her life become so complicated?