Thea watched from the steps, highly amused, as the Doctor followed Clara as the woman walked around the console.
She had called the TARDIS a cow!
Their TARDIS, her own mother, a cow! Of course something had to be done about that. Though she did find it funny that Clara had resulting into calling the old girl such a name because the TARDIS was constantly shutting the doors on her.
She had trailed behind them as they left Caliburn House and by the time she caught up with them, the TARDIS doors had shut and locked her out.
She just didn't understand why the TARDIS didn't like Clara, she seemed normal enough, even Emma said so, but some reason the TARDIS really didn't like Clara, it did make her a bit suspicious. The TARDIS didn't usually react like this to other companions, usually loved them, but she really didn't like Clara or maybe she just liked seeing the woman getting wound up.
Clara was funny when angry.
"You said..." The Doctor began.
"I know what I said," Clara rolled her eyes, "I was the one who said it."
"You said it was looking at you funny."
"I was tired, overwrought. I didn't mean it. It's an appliance. It does a job."
"It's a pretty cool appliance." The Doctor gave the console a firm pat, "We're not talking cheese grater here."
"Just apologise." Thea called, "mum will be nicer to you now." She gave the time rotor a pointed look as she joined them at the console, "won't you? She'll keep you safe." She didn't quite understand the hum but she hoped it meant she wouldn't try to kill Clara while inside.
TARDISes could be very dangerous, you really didn't want to hurt them or make them mad, they were alive after all. And if scared and hurt they could act out.
"You're not getting me to talk to your ship." Clara scoffed, "That's properly bonkers."
"It's okay, it's okay." The Doctor soothed the TARDIS from Claras mean words.
"You're like one of those guys who can't go out with a girl unless his mother approves."
"TARDIS approved off the last one I brought home." Thea defended.
Being the child of the TARDIS certainly had it perks for River. Not that she and River had a relationship, they just flirting and sometimes that flirting lead to kissing. She liked kissing. Kissing was great.
Stars, she was actually pretty desperate for a relationship.
She shook her head, "it's him who's the issue." She nodded to the Doctor.
"Only the best for my little girl." He grinned as she rolled her eyes.
She really did hate being called a little girl but he did love embarrassing her.
Wasn't that part of the job? A father embarrassing his kids.
"It's important to us you get along." The Doctor told Clara, "we could leave you two alone together."
"Now you're creeping me out." Clara shook her head.
"What about a piloting lesson?" Thea suggested.
All of the companions eventually got to learn the basics to help pilot the TARDIS. Usually just to help reach sections of the console they couldnt to help smooth out the flight.
She remembered when Sarah Jane had come home from the Daleks crucible, how she and all the other companions had taken a section each to help bring the Earth home.
The ride on Earth hadn't been smooth, but apparently in the TARDIS it had been the smoothest ride any of them had ever had.
"Take the wheel." The Doctor agreed, "Not the wheel. I'll make it easy. Shut it down to basic mode for you."
"Basic?" Clara frowned, "Because I'm a girl?"
"Get your sexism out of here." Thea laughed, "we're Time Lords we can easily change gender. My best mate changed gender, great girl, great guy too."
"You remember that?" The Doctor eyed her.
She rolled her eyes at him but didn't answer as she focused on Clara, wanting the woman to learn to pilot the TARDIS, "it's your first time. It's like riding a bike, you start with stabilisers then go down to two wheels."
"That makes sense." Clara nodded.
"Brilliant!" The Doctor grinned, turning a key to set the controls to basic.
~.~
"Brilliant!" Thea grinned, watching Clara fly the TARDIS.
"I'm doing good?" Clara asked, slowly pulling up the lever Thea had told her to do.
She much preferred the girl teaching her than the Doctor, he kept standing for to close and it was very off putting, he kept making her fluster, like he was expecting her to mess up and he would have to jump in but Thea was calm and understanding, slowly teaching her which button to press and when to pull a lever.
It was part of the reason why it had taken her so long to pass her driving test. All of her instructors kept shouting when she did something wrong, which wasn't her fault, she had been learning after all. It wasn't until she ended up with a female instructor who had been patient with her and took it slow did she finally get her licence.
"And that switch." Thea pointed.
Clara reached out a flicked the switch...only for the lights to go out, turning red, "what have I done?" Clara gasped, pulling her hands back.
"Er, ok..." The Doctor frowned, moving to the monitor to try and find out what happened only to see a crack forming.
"Dad?" Thea called, really not liking this.
Last time the TARDIS had shut down had not been good and she had the terrible feeling this was just like that. Someone trying to hijack their TARDIS, hopefully they didn't want to eat the TARDIS this time.
"All electrical impulses are jammed." He flicked a few switches but nothing worked. He tried to pull up a lever, grunting as it didn't budge, "I can't get the shields back up."
"She's completely vulnerable." Thea breathed.
"I swear I just touched it!" Clara insisted, really hoping she hadn't broken the box. She might find it to be a bit of a cow but this was still their home. She didn't mean to break it!
"This wasn't you."
The Doctor managed to pull the lever down, causing sparks to fly as the TARDIS lurched, sending them flying backwards.
"Magnetic hobble-field." Thea gasped, feeling that was what happened, "We're flying right into it."
"Stay together." The Doctor warned, pulling Thea closer as they grabbed the console.
"Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this." Clara yelled, grabbing the console for support in case the room send them flying again.
"Oh, yes. Big friendly button."
"You're lying."
"Yep."
"To stop me freaking out?"
"Is it working?"
"When does it?" Thea countered.
"It's really not helping." Clara agreed, looking down hearing a clatter by her feet to see something small and round rolling over. She reached down to touch it, hissing as it burnt her hand and she dropped it.
She had little time to think about that as an explosion went off...
~.~
The Doctor groaned as he came round able to make out three voices arguing. He winced, blinking awake and pushing a piece of debris away from him, he realised he was surrounded by metal and debris, none that was from the TARDIS, which meant he was no longer in the TARDIS.
He pushed himself up finding himself in some sort of hanger, surrounded by scrap, the TARDIS nearby, lying on her side, and three large black men, in uniform, arguing in hushed voices.
"...did nothing." One of the men was saying, clearly the leader, "If anyone asks, that ship was already busted. You got that? And you," he turned to what seemed like the youngest of the group, "make sure you keep your oily mouth shut, right?"
The Doctor made his way over to them, knowing they were the reason why he had been thrown out the TARDIS and why the box was now in such a state, "it's rude to whisper." He said in the same quiet voice as them before speaking normally as they looked at him, "Hi. I'm the Doctor. And you are? Er," he saw the name badges on the arms of the uniforms, "van Baalen and...Van Baalen. Van Baalen and Van Baalen. That's going to get confusing later."
"We found you drifting." The leader said quickly.
"Yeah, your ship was junked up pretty bad." The taller of the trio agreed.
"Lies." A voice called and they looked over to see Thea pulling away some debris as she made her way over, "you're lying, what broke the TARDIS was a magno-grab."
"Found this remote in your pocket." The Doctor held up a round device like what Clara had picked up, "Eh? What are the chances? Outlawed in most galaxies, this little beastie can disable whole vessels unless you have shield oscillators, which I turned off so that Clara could fly, damn it!"
"Where is Clara?" Thea looked around.
"Girl, about so high." The Doctor turned to the men, "Feisty."
"Pretty." Thea added, turning to the TARDIS, a bad feeling growing, "She's still on board." She turned to run to the box when the youngest grabbed her arms.
"No, wait. Your pod is leaking fuel. If she's still in here, she's dead."
She tore her arm back, "Don't say things like that."
Clara couldnt be dead, not again. Until she saw the woman's body she refused to believe it. No, despite being hurt and not liking the woman she knew the TARDIS would try to keep Clara safe and alive.
She hoped.
The Doctor looked around, seeing storage locks and ran over, "ah, respirators."
"We can open the doors for a split second, reach in and grab her." The man in charge stated.
"Trust me, we can't." The Doctor tossed three respirators to the men, giving one to Thea and kept one for himself, "Now please, help me get her out."
"I'm telling you, she's fried." The youngest insisted.
"Shut it, tin mouth." The one in charge glared at him, "What sort of fee are we talking?"
The Doctor sighed, needing them to help them get inside and find Clara safe, "if you help me get her out, you get the machine, all the scrap, eh?"
"It's not worth the risk," the third man argued, "Four feet of metal? Nah."
"What if I can guarantee you the best haul you've ever had?" Thea asked them.
"Bram, open the bay doors." The leader scoffed.
"No, please." Thea tried as the one in charge and third man turned to walk off, "inside those doors is the salvage of a lifetime!"
The men eyed her, the leader glanced at the Doctor seeing their serious expressions and sighed, "suit up."
"But Gregor..." The youngest protested.
"Shut it, Tricky." The leader, Gregor, snapped, turning to gear up with Bram. Tricky sighed and followed.
"Hey, are we really going to risk it?" Bram asked Gregor quietly, "that thing is spewing poison. We should blow it back into space."
"Get your gear."
"Hey, I don't take orders from my kid brother."
"Don't try and form sentences, all right? Stick to what you do best."
Thea tilted her head, watching as the men geared up ready to go. The way Bram and Gregor spoke to Tricky, the way the man himself acted, like he was an android, but he only had robotic eyes and voice. She didn't quite understand the cruel joke the older two played on him, "since when does an android need a blast suit and a respirator?" She asked him.
"Flesh coating, same as us." Bram answered, "He'd burn up."
"No fear, no hate, no pain." Tricky recited.
She glanced to the Doctor at that, both of them putting on the respirators as the Doctor climbed the pile of debris to unlock the TARDIS doors.
"Salvage of a lifetime?" Gregor scoffed.
"I feel pretty confident we can deliver on that." The Doctor muttered, opening the doors, "Here we go." He kicked the doors open, leaning back as smoke blew out before hopping in reaching out a hand to help Thea in as the three men followed, with their torches. They ran to the console, the room the right way up despite the box being on its side.
"I don't get it." Gregor shook his head, "I thought she was lying on her side."
"The TARDIS is special. She has her own gravity. I'd explain if I had some charts and a board pen."
"It's...it's...it's bigger..." Tricky stared.
"On the inside." Thea finished for him, "a lot of people say that."
"Whoa." Bram breathed, "Awesome."
"Well put." The Doctor patted the mans back, "whoa and awesome." He hit a switch, the extractor fans sucking the smoke through the vents, "Safe to breathe." He called, pulling off his respirator as Thea did the same.
"Ok, so, Clara was last stood here." Thea moved over to where she had last seen the woman standing, "we were over there, so she must have fell back..."
"Come on, Clara," the Doctor murmured, pulling out the sonic to try and get a trace of the woman, "talk to me."
"How big is this baby?" Bram stared around.
"Picture the biggest ship you've ever seen. Are you picturing it?"
"Yeah."
"Forget it, because the TARDIS is infinite." Thea told him, moving to the monitor.
"It could take you hours to find the girl." Gregor frowned.
"Days." The Doctor agreed, "Plus this whole place is toxic. She could be dead by the time I reach her. So, here's the mission. We're going to find her in one hour."
"We?"
"You're my guys for this."
"That wasn't the deal."
Thea spun to face them, leaning back against the console, arms crossed, "it is now."
"What makes you think we'll help?" Bram scoffed.
Thea smirked, reaching over and pulling down a lever as the monitor lit up, counting down, "I just activated the TARDIS self-destruct system. One hour until this ship blows." She pressed a button as the men turned and ran to the doors.
"Don't try to leave." The Doctor called warningly as the doors slammed shut on them, "The TARDIS is in lockdown. I'll open those doors when Clara's by our side."
"You crazy lunatic!" Bram cried.
"My ship, my rules!" The Doctor shouted.
"You'll kill us all. And the girl."
"She's going to die if you don't help us." Thea countered.
"Don't get into a spaceship with a madman. Didn't anyone ever teach you that?" The Doctor sighed, seeing the men still ignoring them and pounding on the doors, "Ok, a little gently persuasion. Say 30 minutes, eh, kiddo?" He turned, hitting a button as the countdown jumped from one hour to 30 minutes.
"She'll die even quicker now!" Bram exclaimed.
"We all perform better under pressure."
"Anybody want to go for 15 minutes?" Thea asked, fingers hovering over the buttons.
"Whoa!" The men stopped, holding up their hands, not wanting either of them to change the countdown to even less.
"It's your own time you're wasting." Thea remarked calmly, "Salvage of a lifetime. You assumed I meant the ship. I meant Clara." She crossed her arms. "Tick tock, tick tock, times counting down."
"Come on then," The Doctor turned and led the way down the corridor, Thea behind him as the men followed after.
~.~
"Report." Gregor called into his handheld device, "What's on board this thing?"
"Dynomorphic generators," Thea glanced back as the device answered, seeing Gregor trying to hang back to not be heard, "conceptual geometer, beam synthesiser, orthogonal engine filters."
"Guys, guys," Gregor ran to catch up with them, "look, I think we should split up. It's our best chance of finding the girl. You know it is."
The Doctor glanced at Thea, seeing her staring at Gregor, that look of distrust in her eyes. He sighed, glancing down at his watch, seeing the countdown ticking away, "Don't touch a thing. The TARDIS will get huffy if you mess. And my girl will know what you're doing before you even do it."
Gregor nodded, turning to Tricky, "Keep in radio contact, all right?"
Thea watched as Gregor and Bram headed back to split up, "we mean it. You can't win a game against the TARDIS." She warned them before turning and followed the Doctor with Tricky.
~.~
Thea led the way down the corridors with the Doctor and Tricky, slowly picking up her pace.
"What is it?" The Doctor asked her quietly, knowing she was getting a bad feeling about something.
Oh, he knew it was a bad idea to split up but he honestly hadn't wanted to waste any time. The more the men believed they had a self destruct the easier he hoped they would try to find Clara, but the hard look on Theas face made him realise they weren't looking for the woman at all.
They both looked up hearing a faint and angry hum coming from the TARDIS.
"The ARS," Thea whispered before taking off at a run, the Doctor quickly on her tail as Tricky ran after them down the corridor to a door that should not be open.
They stepped inside the dark room, a great metal tree like structure with metal tendrils, with large glowing crystal orbs dangling...with Gregor about to cut an one off.
"Don't you dare!" Thea yelled at him.
"Please, don't." The Doctor called to the man, "Don't touch it. Please. She won't let you touch it. I can feel a TARDIS tantrum coming on." He reached out and stroked one of the orbs, trying to sooth the TARDIS.
"What the hell is this place?" Gregor demanded.
"Architectural Reconfiguration System. It reconstructs particles according to your needs."
"A machine that makes machines?"
"Yes, basically."
"What are you doing?" Tricky shouted as Gregor raised his laser cutter.
"The TARDIS won't be happy if you do that." Thea warned him.
"If you walk out of here with that circuit, the TARDIS will try to stop you." The Doctor agreed, "Now listen to me. Look, the clock is ticking. We must find Clara."
But Gregor just pulled an orb off the tendril instead of cutting the branch. The whole room went dark as Thea quickly covered her ears a moment before a high pitched noise echoed around the room.
Gregor winced at the noise but put the orb in his bag, turning to the doors to see they were gone, a wall in their place, "What the? Where's the door gone?"
"Ever seen a spaceship get ugly?" The Doctor asked him.
"This isn't happening."
"She won't relinquish it. Her basic genetic material."
"Torch it." Gregor threw a device as Tricky, he hesitated, "I said, torch it!"
"Can't you feel it, Gregor?" Tricky asked quietly, "The ship, the ship's in torment, like it's a living thing. You can't hurt it."
Gregor snatched the device back, striding up to the wall, ready to torch it when the doors reappeared, opening for them, "What's the matter, TARDIS? Scared to fight me?"
The Doctor and Thea stood, watching as Gregor strode out the room, Tricky following after. Thea reached up and stroked an orb, closing her eyes a moment, trying to apologise to the TARDIS for allowing these horrible men inside, "mum's not going to let them get away with this."
"No," The Doctor agreed quietly.
"They're going to die." She stated.
~.~
Thea stood in the middle of the intersection, her arms crossed as the men made their way back around to her. Again.
"It's the same." Tricky frowned, seeing they came around to the same intersection, again, "It's just the same."
"Mum likes to play games." Thea shrugged.
"It's diverting us, spinning a maze around us." The Doctor added, "We will never reach Clara in time."
Gregor pushed past and walked down the right corridor as Thea sighed, the Doctor and Tricky following him, only to returned from the left corridor.
"It's just the same, again." Tricky shook his head.
"Yup." Thea nodded, "mum knows how to play games."
"No point in building walls." The Doctor remarked, "You'll just know how to smash them down. It's found other ways of controlling you. Smart bunch, Time Lords. No dress sense, dreadful hats, but smart."
"If you want to get out of here, give back the circuit." Thea glared at Gregor.
"Bram?" Tricky called down his comn, worried the man would also be trapped, "Bram, can you hear me? Bram, the ship is alive. Get out of there. Bram, don't touch anything. Bram? You've got to get out of there fast..." He trailed off, hearing screaming down the comm, before silence. "Channel's dead. We've got to help him. Gregor, do something. Do something!"
"It's too late, he's gone." Gregor stated, "Let's just worry about the salvage."
"You care more about that circuit than you do about him."
"Such a good brotherly bond." Thea turned to the brothers, "but if you two could shut up a moment," They fell quiet as she lowered her voice, "there's something else nearby."
They stood in silence, able to hear a low growling.
"We've got to get out of here." Tricky determined, "Gregor, give it back. Give it back to her." He moved to grab the pack.
"What are you doing?" Gregor shoved him back against the wall, "You're always on the side of the machines."
"Fellas!" The Doctor called, getting a reading on the sonic, "multiple lifeforms on board the TARDIS with us. I am getting a massive signal."
"Where are they?" Tricky swallowed as they back up.
"Oh, you're not going to like the answer. About two steps away...One step..."
"Dad?" Thea whispered to him.
"Yes, kiddo?"
"They're behind us."
They turned and screamed seeing a charred figure, like two humanoids merged together, growling as it reached for them.
"Gregor, look out!" Thea pulled the man back, "Careful!"
"Gregor, no!" The Doctor shouted as the man turned and fled down a corridor, "We have to stay together. Come on, run. Tricky, run. Thea," he ushered her off as she stared at the creature, "I'm sorry." He offered to the creature before running after the others.
They turned a corner, running straight into the console room.
"Oh, you...prick!" Thea shouted, seeing parts of the console had been taken apart.
Bram.
"Back where we started..." Tricky mumbled.
"No, it's an echo." The Doctor explained, "The console room is the safest place on the ship. It can replicate itself any number of times. It's trying to protect us."
"Because I tried to give back the circuit?" Tricky guessed.
"Team TARDIS."
"Your brothers..." Thea grumbled, shaking her head, unable to actually say the words she thought about those two men. She moved to the console, fiddling with it to see if anything would still work with bits torn apart, knocking off a loose piece as it fell...and disappeared.
"Where did...where did that go?" Tricky asked.
"There's more than one echo room." Thea looked around, her hands feeling around as though she could feel the other console room. "Clara!" She grinned, seeing a shadow moving that didn't belong to any of them. "Thank you, mum." She pressed a kiss to the time rotor knowing that even though the TARDIS didn't seem particularly fond of the woman, she was at least keeping her safe for them.
"Why can't we see her?" Tricky frowned.
"It's like a light switch." The Doctor explained, "Two positions, flickering at super-infinite speeds. We're only together for a brief second."
"Shh," Thea held up her hands, slowly moving around the room, "I think I hear her." Her face paled, hearing a scream, "she let one in!" She spun to the Doctor as he ran to the console, "get her out of there."
"Working on it." He assured her, "If I can just isolate her position, I can nudge the alternation, reach in and grab her."
"Hurry up!" Thea cried, following the sounds of Claras pants to get closer to the woman.
"Console room, echo imprint of the original." They looked over at the computerised voice to see Gregor standing in the doorway with his handheld.
"You're coming with me." He strode up to the Doctor, "I need you to get me out of here."
The Doctor just grabbed the handheld flashing it was the sonic, "Scanning for female human." It stated, "Scanning for female human. Unidentified human."
"It doesn't know Lancashire." He read the readings.
"It doesn't know sass?" Thea nearly laughed at it.
"It's found Clara. It's found her. She is right there." He pointed near the doors, before where Thea stood. He aimed his sonic over, Claras screams getting louder as she slowly appeared before them as Thea reached for her and pulled her into their console room.
"I got you!" Thea assured her, hugging her tightly.
Oh, they had been so close to loosing her. Again!
"Clara, I'm so, so sorry." The Doctor began, "Sorry. Please, please forgive me, Clara."
Clara turned and punched his arm.
"Ow!" He pouted, "ok, I don't get a hug then."
"What do you keep in here?" She demanded, "Why have you got zombie creatures? Good guys do not have zombie creatures." She punched him again, "Rule one basic storytelling."
"Not in front of the guests."
Clara eyed Tricky and Gregor, "Who are they?"
"Friends."
"People who aren't trying to kill us." Thea corrected.
"All right, all right." Gregor cut in, "Look, a deal's a deal. You got the girl back. Now cancel the self-destruct."
"What self destruct?" Thea asked innocently, "the TARDIS doesn't have a self destruct."
"Had you going though, boys, didn't we?" The Doctor laughed as the men glared, "we just wiggled a few buttons. Yeah, the old wiggly button trick. And the face. You've got to do the face. 'Save her or we all die.' I thought I rushed it a bit, but..."
"I can't wait to do that again!" Thea cheered.
"So you're telling us we're safe?" Tricky shook his head.
"Safe besides from the zombie creatures," she nodded, "and the TARDIS reinventing the architecture every five minutes."
"Guys, don't worry." The Doctor added, "The countdown's a fake. Look, just give me a second. I'll turn it off. I only made it look as though the engine was actually exploding."
"Why do you feel the need to say thinks like that?" Thea sighed.
"Why what do you..." The Doctor looked at her, only to wince as an alarm went off. The monitor reading 'engine overload', "Ah. That's not good. Okay, don't panic. Or maybe panic."
"Something you want to share with the rest of us?" Clara demanded.
"It appears the engine is damaged. We're in trouble, Clara. Proper trouble. It needs fixing or we're toast."
"Quite literally." Thea quipped.
"So now would be a good time to use that big friendly button, right?" Clara asked.
"Yes." The Doctor agreed, "Sorry, I should have had one built in." He ran to a panel in the wall, flashing the sonic on it.
"Where are we going?" Tricky frowned.
"Detour." He knelt before the panel, "The centre of the TARDIS."
~.~
The Doctor led the way down the green lit corridor with Thea and Clara behind him, Tricky and Gregor following after them.
Clara gasped seeing a shadow pass them, "Ssh. Something's in here..."
"Those things," Tricky murmured, "they've followed us."
"Doctor, what are they? What aren't you telling me?"
The Doctor glanced back at her, "trust me. Some things you don't want to know."
"Behind!" Thea gasped as another one of the creatures passed behind them.
"They're on the move again." Gregor realised.
"Run!" The Doctor shouted, "Move, move."
"Clara!" Thea glanced back at the woman as the men ran off down the corridor, turning a corner. "Come on!" She took her hand and pulled her off but the men were gone.
"Oh, come on," Clara groaned, "again." She hissed, looking down at the palm of her hand at the burnt.
Thea snatched her hand, eying the burn on her hand, seeing words starting to appear but right now it was too red to work out what it was.
"Which way?" Clara asked her, more concerned about not wanting to be separated again than the burn on her hand. "This way?"
"No." Thea answered.
Claras eyes widened, seeing herself walking past, "I know what I said. I was the one who said it."
Followed by a past Doctor, "You said it was looking at you funny."
Clara turned, hearing and seeing another her, "Now you're creeping me out."
And another down the hall, "Please tell me there is a button you can press to fix this?"
"Eh, what?" Clara shook her head as they turned a corner to see a Doctor standing there, "oh, thank god. Doctor, what's going on?"
"That's not dad." Thea told her, "There's a rupture in time somewhere on board the ship. A small tear in the fabric of the continuum."
"It must have happened when the TARDIS was pulled in by the salvage vessel." The Doctor agreed, appearing behind them, "The TARDIS is leaking."
"Leaking what?" Clara asked, as Thea pulled her off after him.
"The past. The three of us. Everything we've done, everything we've said. Recent history. It's not real. It's a memory."
They came to a stop finding one of the creature before them, quite petite looking.
"What about this?" Clara whispered.
"Real." Thea answered, kicking the creature back as they ran off. She glanced back, seeing the creature following them, "She's right on to us."
Clara stopped "She?"
"Clara, don't ask any more." The Doctor pulled Clara with them as Thea dropped into a small niche in the wall, the three of the huddled in the small gap as the creature looked around.
"You're like one of those guys who can't go out with a girl unless his mother approves." One of the past Claras walked past them, followed by a past Doctor and Thea.
"TARDIS approved off the last one I brought home." Past Thea remarked.
"It's important to me you get along..." The past Doctor muttered.
The creature growled and took off after their past version instead as they cautiously stepped out only to hear a low groaning noise.
"What's that noise?" Clara gasped.
"We're right under the primary fuel cells." The Doctor realised.
"So? So? So what?"
"So, so the fuel's spilled out, so the rods will be exposed. Means they'll cool..."
"And start to warp."
"And start to warp. Maybe even..."
"No, you don't say it." Clara pointed at him, "Don't you dare say it."
"Too late." Thea winced, "they're already breaking apart. Get back!" She pulled them back as a large rod shot out before them at an odd angle.
"Run?" Clara guessed.
"I'm liking how you're thinking." The Doctor nodded.
They turned and ran down the corridor, Thea in the lead, avoiding the rods as they shot out of the walls and ceilings.
"...cut me!" They heard shouting down another corridors.
Thea turned down another corridor finding Tricky and Gregor, Tricky impaled to the wall by a rod through his shoulder with Gregor trying to pull the rod free.
"You made it through." Clara gasped, her eyes widening seeing they hadn't quite all made it through.
"What's the matter with you?" Tricky snapped at Gregor, "Why won't you cut me?"
Thea rounded on Gregor, "tell him the truth."
"Tell me what?"
Gregor was silent.
"You can't, can you?" The Doctor scoffed, "you're a coward. You won't save him, but you're scared to tell him why."
"What's he going on about?"
"Robots don't need blast suits. They don't need respirators. They don't get frightened of monsters in the dark."
"What's he talking about?" Tricky focused on Gregor.
"Two bionic eyes and a synthetic voice box." Thea said softly, "but you are human. Flesh and blood."
"It was a joke." Gregor admitted quietly.
"What?" Tricky stared at him.
"It was just a stupid joke. We did it to relieve the boredom."
"Well, it was very funny." The Doctor deadpanned, "They lied to you. Changed your identity just to provide some in-flight entertainment."
"I'm sorry." Gregor offered to his younger brother, "You're human, Tricky."
"Cut the metal." Thea ordered, when Gregor didn't move she shoved him back against the wall, "cut the metal and get your brother out!"~.~
Thea had her arm around Trickys waist, the man's arm around her shoulder to help him walk, his other arm bandaged as the Doctor led the way down the corridors coming to a stop before a thick door as the Doctor peered through the round window, the room inside blazing with a golden light.
"Where are we?" Gregor asked.
"Power source." The Doctor answered, "Right, you lot, wait here. I'll check it's safe. We can only survive for a minute or two in there."
Clara turned to Thea as the Doctor slipped inside the room, "Er, what happens if we stay longer?"
"Our cells with liquefy and our skin will start to burn." She stated bluntly, peering through the window, watching the Doctor cross the catwalk.
"Honestly not the answer I wanted to hear." She mumbled, turning to lean against the wall, seeing Gregor pull out his scanner.
"Lancashire. Sass." It stated as he turned it on her.
"Intelligent sensor." Gregor muttered.
"Ever pointed that thing at yourself, Gregor?" Tricky snapped, "What would it see? What sort of person does this to another human? Made them believe they're made of metal. Who am I?"
"His brother." Thea called.
"My mouthy little kid brother." Gregor agreed, ripping of his 'Van Baalen Bros' patch on his arm and handing it to Tricky.
Tricky frowned at it, "Why...why can't I remember?"
Thea turned back to the window at that, not really wanting to intrude on a private moment between the brother, but at the same time, she couldnt help but overhear them.
"It was a salvage accident. There was a big explosion. You lost your sight, voice and your memory."
"And you, you thought of a way you could have some fun with me?" He strode over to him, "I just wanted a brother beside me!"
"You were always the smart one, Tricky. He wanted you to take over. He made you captain."
"He?"
"Dad."
"I don't remember him. You did this to me just to be captain of a heap of junk?" Tricky lunged at Gregor when Thea jumped between the two, keeping them separated.
"Tricky stop!" She looked at him, "your brother is a twat." She told him, ignoring Gregors 'oi!', "but at the same time, he couldnt cut you, because somewhere, deep down he does still care about you. You brought out that tiny bit of decency in him. You did that. No matter what you may think, he does care about you."
"Couldn't have put it better myself." The Doctor remarked.
"Not quite living up to your epic speeches." She shrugged.
"But still very good."
She smiled. While she may not get the epic speeches like he did, one day she would have the ultimate of epic speeches.
Thea turned and pointed at Gregor, "Don't ever forget this." She warned him before turning her back on him as the Doctor opened the door again, leading them inside. Thea following last, closing the door behind her as the humans all stared up at the giant star floating in the darkness above them.
"The Eye of Harmony." The Doctor explained to them, "Exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole. Time Lord engineering. You rip the star from its orbit, suspend it in a permanent state of decay. This way, quickly." He led the way across the catwalk to the door at the other side only to see two of the creatures waiting for them, one with a hand on his head, the other with its arms seemingly crossed over its chest.
They hurried back the way they came only to see the shortest one waiting for them.
"There's no way out." Gregor gasped, "We're trapped."
"You're going to tell me right now!" Clara yelled, rounding on the Doctor for answers, "If we're going to die here, you're going to tell me what they are."
"I can't." The Doctor shook his head.
"Tell me. What's the use in secrets now?"
"Secrets protect us." Thea recited, "Secrets make us safe."
"We're not safe!" Clara argued.
"Sensor detects animal DNA." Gregor scanner called, as he aimed it at the small creature, "Human core element. Calculating data. Calculating data."
The Doctor ran over, "No, no, turn it off!"
"Lancashire. Sass. Identifiable substance. Clara."
Clara blinked, staring at the creature that was the same height and built as he but charred and burnt, "That's me." She breathed.
"I'm sorry." Thea whispered.
"It's me...I burn in here."
"We all do." She glanced back at the other door, the creature with its arms crossed.
"It isn't just the past leaking out through the time rift. It's the future." The Doctor told her, "Listen, I brought you here to keep you safe, but it happened again. You died again."
Clara frowned, turning to him, "What do you mean, again?"
Thea shook her head, not even wanting to think about that, not wanting to speak it out loud. She had promised herself to protect this Clara ensure this one wouldn't die. She couldnt break that promise to herself. She crossed her arms, glancing to the Doctor as he slapped his hand to his forehead. Her eyes widened as she quickly dropped her arms, reaching out and lowering his hand.
"As long as we can interrupt the timeline, this can't happen." Thea stated, "Don't touch each other," sse rushed over to the brothers, keeping them apart, "otherwise the future will reassert itself." She pulled them back at the creature with its hand on his head broke through the door.
The creature grabbed Gregors pack as he made to run.
"Gregor!" The Doctor shouted, "Gregor, let go of the circuit."
"Just let it go." Tricky agreed.
"Gregor, drop it!" Thea yelled.
Gregor slipped out of the pack and hurried to the others in the middle of the catwalk as Tricky swung a crowbar at the creature, sending it falling over the railing as the conjoined creature stepped in.
"Tricky, watch out!" Thea called as he swung at the fused creature, kicking it over the side when it grabbed his leg, nearly taking him down as Gregor rushed over to help, "Do not touch him! Or Time will reassert itself!"
But it was too late, Gregor reached out to help his brother up, the two of them fusing together and turning into the creature and advanced on the trio.
"This way!" Thea led them back, away from the creatures, "The engine room. The heart of the TARDIS!" They ran the doors and she came to an abrupt stop, finding themselves at the edge of a cliff.
"We're outside!" Clara gasped.
"No, we're still in the TARDIS."
"There's no way across."
"Not one we can see." Thea corrected.
"No." The Doctor peeked over the edge, "you're right."
"So what do we do?" Clara shook her head, "Time for a plan. Do you have a plan?"
"Well, no. No plan. Sorry."
"If you don't have a plan, we're dead."
"We could jump." Thea suggested.
"Great back up plan. Again, might end with us dead."
"Yes." The Doctor turned to her, "so just tell me."
"Tell you what?" Clara frowned.
"Well, there's no point now. We're about to die. Just tell me who you are."
"You know who I am." Clara looked between them.
"No, I don't," the Doctor argued, "I look at you every single day and I don't understand a thing about you. Why do I keep running into you?"
"Doctor, you invited me. You said..."
"Before that. We met you in the Dalek Asylum. There was a girl in a shipwreck and she died saving our life's, and she was you!"
"She really wasn't." Clara shook her head.
"Victorian London." The Doctor continued, "There was a governess who was really a barmaid, and we fought the Great Intelligence together."
"She died." Thea murmured.
She just couldnt understand the woman, she didn't get the feeling the woman was dangerous or a trap for them, just a perfectly ordinary human woman, but at the same time she was far too much like the others they met for them to not be the exact same person.
She knew Clara wasn't dangerous, but, still, she was curious how the woman could be in three different times and claimed to be unaware of it. The TARDIS also didn't seem to like Clara which did make her a bit suspicious.
"She was you!" The Doctor cried.
"You're scaring me." Clara stepped back.
The Doctor stalked up to her, "What are you, eh? Are you a trick, a trap?"
"She's not." Thea told him.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Clara agreed, taking a step back only to gasp, feeling the ground beneath her feet disappear as she was tugged away from the cliff edge as Thea pulled her back.
Thea looked over at the Doctor, "she's just Clara." She told him firmly, "she's doesn't have a clue what you're on about."
"You really don't, do you?" The Doctor eyed Clara.
"I think I'm more scared of you right now than anything else on that TARDIS." Clara swallowed hard.
The Doctor laughed, pulling her into a hug, "you're just Clara, aren't you?"
"Okay, I don't know what the hell this is about, but the hug is really nice."
"We're not going to die here." Thea determined.
"Is that a feeling?" Clara asked, "because I could really do with you being right, right now."
"This isn't real!" The Doctor agreed, "It's a snarl."
"What?" Clara blinked.
"What does a wounded animal do? It tries to scare everyone away. We're close to the engine. The TARDIS is snarling at us, trying to frighten us off."
"So we jump." Thea nodded.
"You're insane." Clara shook her head at them both.
"Quite possibly." She murmured.
There was a fine line between madness and genius and no one could ever figure out if Visionaries were insane or inspired by the Untempered Schism.
"We'll cross a portal to the engine." The Doctor smiled, taking a step back.
"How can you be so sure?" Clara frowned.
"I can't."
"Okay, well, that's watertight."
"I'm sure." Thea told her. "We jump...we reach the engine room."
"Is that a feeling?" Clara asked.
"Would that make you feel better?"
"A bit."
"Hey now, Clara," the Doctor smiled at her, "I have piloted this ship for over 900 years. Trust me this one time, please." She stared at him, "Okay. Okay. As well as all the other times. Ready?" He took Theas hand in his, Thea taking Claras, "Geronimo!" They took a running leap over the edge of the cliff...landing in a white room with bit of metal and debris frozen in the air.
"Oh my stars..." Thea breathed.
"The heart of the TARDIS." The Doctor murmured, "The engine, it's already exploded. It must have been the collision with the salvage ship."
"We're not dead." Clara blinked.
"She wrapped her hands around the force. Froze it."
"So...so it's safe?"
"Temporary fix. Eventually this whole place will erupt."
"So what do we do?" Thea turned to him, "how do we help her?"
"There's no way I can save her now." the Doctor let out a breath.
Thea looked down at that. Hearing that, well, it really was like hearing her mother was dead and as awful as it was to admit, it hurt more than knowing her birth mother was also dead. She knew it was horrible to think that but the TARDIS showed her more love and care than her birth mother ever did.
"She's just always been there for me," the Doctor began, his voice cracking, "and taken care of me, and now it's my turn and I don't know what to do. I think it just..."
Thea looked over as Clara took her hand, frowning at her burn to see the words were clearer now, 'big friendly button', "Brilliant!" She kissed her hand, holding it up to Doctor.
"Oh, Clara." He smiled, taking her hand in his, "You are beautiful. Beautiful fragile human skin. Like parchment. Thank you." He beamed pulling out the sonic, "The rift in time. All the memories leaking out. I need to find the moment we crashed. I need to find the music..." He grinned, hearing faint music playing and dashed off.
~.~
They ran into the console room, hurrying underneath, Thea grimaced seeing a crack very much like the one that had been following them previous, this one vertical though.
The Doctor dashed closer, scanning it with the sonic, "The time rift. Recent past, possible future."
"What are you going to do?" Clara asked.
The Doctor pulled out the grenade like device he had taken from the boys and grabbed the sonic, using it to write a message on it, "Rewrite today, I hope. I've thrown this through the rift before. I need to make sure this time."
"You're going to take it in there yourself." Thea blinked.
"Yes, I am."
"There will be screaming."
"Yes, there will." He agreed, heading for the rift.
"It's going to hurt?" Clara guessed.
"Death usually does." Thea murmured.
"Wait!" Clara rushed to stop the Doctor, "All those things you said. How we've met before, how I died..."
"Clara, don't worry." The Doctor assured her, "You'll forget. Time mends us. It can mend anything."
"I don't want to forget. Not all of it. The library. I saw it. You were mentioned in a book."
"I'm mentioned in a lot of books." The Doctor countered.
"He's a menace to the universe." Thea added.
"You call yourself Doctor." Clara continued, "Why do you do that? You have a name. I've seen it. In one corner of that tiny..."
"You shouldn't have read that." Thea told her firmly.
She shouldn't have read it, that book shouldn't have been left out, nor should an English version had ever been written for anyone in the TARDIS to read.
"If I rewrite today, you won't remember." The Doctor told her, "you won't go looking for my name."
"You'll still have secrets."
"It's better that way." Thea murmured, her gaze on the Doctor as he stepped through the rift.
The Doctor tried not to scream as he forced his way through the crack, pushing and pulling until he could see the console room on the other side, a moment before the explosions went off.
"Magnetic hobble-field." Thea past self was speaking, "We're flying right into it."
"Stay together." His past self said.
"Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this!" Past Clara yelled.
"Oh, yes. Big friendly button."
"You're lying."
"Yep."
"To stop me freaking out?"
"Is it working?"
"When does it?" Past Thea countered.
"It's really not helping." Past Clara agreed.
The Doctor groaned, forcing his way out the crack, calling out to his past self, "Doctor, Doctor. I'm from your future. We haven't got long to reset time." He tossed the button as he disappeared, the button rolling along the floor towards Clara.
"I got it!" Thea dove for the button, grabbing it before Clara could, seeing the words 'big friendly button.' She laughed, pressing it.
~.~
The Doctor looked up from polishing the rotor as Clara stepped in, a towel around her neck from a shower.
"I feel exhausted." She sighed, "I feel..."
"We've had two days crammed into the space of one." Thea guessed as she walked up from another corridor.
"Why would you say that?" Clara eyed her, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's nothing. It doesn't mean anything."
"Do you feel safe with us?" The Doctor asked Clara, "with me?"
Clara nodded, "Of course."
"Give me a number out of ten. Ten being whoo hoo, one being argh."
"You're being weird." Was the answer Clara gave.
"I need to know if you feel safe. I need to know you're not afraid."
"Of?"
"The future. Running away with a spaceman in a box. Anything could happen to you."
"That's what I'm counting on." Clara smiled, nodding to the console, "Push the button."
The Doctor smiled as Clara headed off and glanced to Thea, "moved it out of the way?"
"I can't believe you left it out in plan sight." She shook her head.
Being Time Lords they remembered what had happened, it was rather like an alternate timeline, like when River hadn't killed the Doctor, they could remember it, unlike Clara and so she had gone to the library found the book on The Last Great Time War and moved it far out of reach from any curious humans gazes.
"I left it out?" He let out a low laugh, "you left it out!"
"Me? I've never read it. Don't plan too either. The less I know about that damn war, the easier it is to pretend it never happened."
"That's not..." He frowned, "you don't do that, do you?"
"Rather that than have to admit everyone we know and love is gone and you did that." She stated.
"We're talking about this later." He pointed at her.
"I'll make a note in my dairy to bring it up in 1000 years." She remarked dryly and turning to head off for her own shower.
That was pretty much how they both dealt with their problems, pretend they didn't exist.
So far it was working for her.