Chapter Text
It had been eighty-two days since Katy had last jumped. She was still feeling the effects of the time ripple the Doctor had caused when he changed history on Mars. For now, it appeared to have grounded her. And Katy certainly wasn’t complaining, not when she had been able to spend over two months with Amy and Rory, and of course, the Doctor. But she felt the itch growing under her skin. After all the time she had spent being thrown around his timeline, she had begun to notice the warnings of when she would next jump. Like an adrenaline rush. She didn’t have much longer with them.
“What about this?” The Doctor asked, thrusting a spatula in her face, coated with cake batter.
Taking the spatula from his hand, Katy took a bite, mulling over the taste for a moment. Giving a slight shrug, thinking it tasted similar to the last ten attempts. For the past week, the Doctor had sent them all over the galaxy, attempting to find ingredients to what was supposed to be an old family recipe.
“So, I would have thought you’d be using things like, I don’t know...stardust, not sugar,” Katy teased, as he continued mixing ingredients in the large bowl, a smudge of flour on his face.
“I liked Earth. My mother thought I was a little obsessed,” The Doctor huffed, as Katy’s eyes softened.
It was so rare for the Doctor to talk about his past, and more importantly his family. It was painful to recollect most of the time, but he had been divulging more to her in recent months. Maybe he was beginning to heal, even if it was just a small amount.
“Well, I think she was right. Specifically, your weird fascination with London. It’s a dump, Doc,” Katy told him, as he gave her a scandalised expression.
“You lived there for years!” He argued.
“Exactly, that’s why I know what I’m talking about. Seriously, take me to New Zealand...Amsterdam, not bloody London,” Katy complained.
“Fine, fine. Next date, I’ll take you somewhere else,” The Doctor nodded.
“Somewhere that isn’t in the UK!” She insisted, as he rolled his eyes, placing the mixing bowl on the side of the counter.
“You’re very stubborn,” He stated, as she leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders.
“That’s why you like me,” She grinned, as his lips twitched into a smile, his own hands dropping down to rest against her hips.
With the smile he was still wearing, he pressed a kiss to her lips, his hands gliding over her back. Linking her hands together behind his head, Katy slowly pulled away, a dreamy expression on his face. A gagging sound from behind them, had the pair whipping around to find Amy and Rory in the doorway to the kitchen, their noses turned up in disgust.
“Rory, grab the disinfectant, would you?” Amy muttered, as Katy flipped her off.
“Hey, do you know how long I’ve had to put up with you two sucking each other’s faces?” Katy complained.
“Well, we’re allowed to. We are married , after all,” Amy insisted, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor.
Katy could see the Doctor mouthing something to his friend out of the corner of her eye, but as soon as Katy’s attention turned to him, he clamped his lips shut. She gave the pair a suspicious look, pulling away from the Doctor’s embrace when her phone began ringing. Flipping it open, she was surprised to find it was Martha calling her. She wondered whether it was Martha from 2007 or some future version of her friend she had yet to meet.
“So, when do you think you’ll have this cake...” Rory trailed off, as he noticed in the blink of an eye, Katy was no longer standing beside the Doctor.
The three of them stood in silence for a while after that. There wasn’t anything to be said. They all knew eventually Katy would jump again, and their little family would be back to three again. Amy was the first to act, walking over to the Doctor, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“She’ll be back again soon,” Amy soothed, as he gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Without another word, he was making a hasty exit from the kitchen, running a hand over his face, the cake batter entirely forgotten. With a long sigh, Amy turned to her husband, whom was leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms wrapped over his chest.
“I thought this time might be different,” Rory admitted, with a shake of his head. He knew the routine that would occur after Katy jumped. They would have to leave the Doctor to despair for the next day, and then he would emerge from his bedroom, acting like nothing had ever happened. “He’s right, you know. It is like living with a ghost.”
Rubbing at her sore head, Katy staggered toward the console room, hoping her vision would stop spinning soon. It hadn’t been an easy jump. But at least she had made it in one piece. Once she entered the console room and saw the coral pillars and green glow from the time rotor, she realised she had gone back in time. The Doctor was flipping switches on the console, dressed in a blue suit, his head hung low. With a mischievous grin, Katy crept forward, careful to stay quiet until she was right behind the Doctor. Reaching up, whilst standing on her tiptoes, she placed her hands over his eyes, feeling how he instantly froze.
“Miss me?” She exclaimed, waiting for him to reply. She grew a little concerned when he still hadn’t moved, wondering if she was earlier in his timeline than she had thought. “...Bad timing?” She guessed, when he slowly turned around to face her.
Her brow furrowed when she saw his bloodshot eyes and the dark circles that had formed underneath them. His cheeks were hollow, and his hair dishevelled. He looked a complete mess and likely hadn’t slept for weeks. He still didn’t speak. His wet eyes simply widened, darting over her face like he couldn’t understand what he was seeing in front of him.
“Doctor. It’s me,” Katy exclaimed, reaching up to place a hand on his shoulder, as his eyes followed her movement. Her touch didn’t seem to calm him, in fact, it made it worse, if the shaky breath he inhaled was anything to go off. “What happened?” She pushed, as he opened his mouth to speak but no words would come out.
She glanced behind his shoulder at the console, noticing for the first time that it was dented and parts had been recently welded back together. Even the hum of the Time Machine sounded different. Weary, even. Looking back to the Doctor, she felt her chest ache when she watched a tear roll down his cheek. He was quick to rub away the tear with the back of his hand, averting his eyes to the ground. Not knowing what else to do, Katy wrapped her arms around him, feeling as he collapsed against her. He held onto her almost painfully tight, his hands trembling a little as he did so. Moving her hand up to cradle the back of his head, she ran her hand through his messy hair, her forehead wrinkled with concern.
“You know, if you wanted a hug...all you had to do was ask,” Katy mumbled, in a teasing tone, hearing the Doctor snort.
“ Sorry, sorry ,” The Doctor huffed, running his hands over his face as he pulled away from the embrace. He forced a smile onto his lips then, taking in her appearance. “You look nice,” He exclaimed, as she realised, she was still wearing her pyjamas.
“Hey, don’t try changing the subject. What’s going on? Did something bad—” Katy began, when she was cut off by a ship’s horn.
Suddenly, the pair were thrown off their feet, falling against the console chairs, as debris covered them from head to toe. Katy twisted around, her jaw dropping open when she found the bow of a ship had smashed through the TARDIS walls, leaving smoke and ash in its wake.
“What?” The Doctor gaped, crawling forward to grab the life belt that had rolled onto its side in front of them.
He spun it around, revealing bold black letters that spelt out ‘Titanic’. Katy’s eyes almost popped out of her head then, before darting between the ship that had collided with them and the life belt.
“ What? ”
Tugging up the long blue dress she now wore, Katy trudged through the hallways of the TARDIS, having decided it best to get changed after the Doctor had offered to take her aboard the Titanic. Although she was thankful to find out it was only a replica. She had enough of the open sea in recent times. The Doctor stood by the doors, already dressed in his black, dinner jacket and bowtie. His eyebrows shot up when he saw her coming, swallowing thickly.
“The TARDIS picked it out. What do you think?” Katy inquired, giving a little twirl.
The dress finished just above her feet, a light blue colour, akin to an Edwardian era outfit, with one important difference that she was quick to show off. Placing her hands in the pockets that were hidden in the almost translucent folds of the dress, she heard the Doctor laugh, understanding the reference instantly.
“Donna would be proud,” He suggested, making her grin widen.
“And I do love you in a bowtie,” She admitted, reaching up to tap the tie around his neck.
“You seem happy,” He mumbled, his own eyes still full of sadness.
“My first intergalactic cruise. And...it’s Christmas Eve. What could go wrong?” She teased.
“With my track record...a lot,” The Doctor pointed out, as she reached out to take his hand in hers.
“Well then, just for tonight, how about we forget our past...and future, and you know what? Everything else in between our confusing timeline,” Katy giggled, as a smile spread over the Doctor’s lips.
“I think I can do that,” He nodded, as she tugged on his hand and dragged him out of the ship, hearing the TARDIS grumble behind them.
“She’s still not happy about that scratch,” Katy pointed out, gesturing to the tiny mark on the side of the blue doors.
“Well, I am better at flying her with my co-pilot,” The Doctor suggested, nudging her with his elbow as the pair exited the storage room he had parked the TARDIS in.
Katy’s mouth hung agape as she took in her surroundings, finding someone had spent a lot of time trying to make the inside of the cruise liner similar to the sunken ship it was named after. It had a nostalgic feel to it, combined with the excited cheers of the guests, all dressed up in their fancy clothes. Pulling the Doctor over to one of the portholes, Katy stared out into open space, finding the Earth illuminating her vision, a mix of blue and green mesmerising her for a moment.
“I’ll never get used to this,” She mumbled.
“Neither do I,” The Doctor confessed, as she squeezed his hand.
“They’re not very Titanic-Esque,” Katy stated, pointing at the strange robots that were standing motionless on the edge of the room.
Their golden faces were devoid of any emotion, dressed in white robes, a tacky-looking halo above their heads. Katy grimaced at the sight, thinking that their creator had likely made them as little more than a gimmick. Now intrigued, the Doctor led her over to the nearest robot.
“Evening. Passenger fifty-seven. Terrible memory. Remind me. You would be?” The Doctor greeted.
“Information. Heavenly Host supplying tourist information,” The Host responded, stiffly.
“Good, so, tell me, because I'm an idiot, where are we from?” The Doctor asked, earning a snort from his companion.
“Information. The Titanic is en route from the planet Sto in the Cassavalian Belt. The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures,” The Host explained.
“Titanic. Who thought of the name?” Katy inquired, thinking it had to be for more than just the irony.
“Information. It was chosen as the most famous vessel of the planet Earth,” The Host stated.
“Did they tell you why it was famous?” The Doctor pushed.
“Information. All designations are chosen by Mister Max Capricorn, president of Max, Max, Max...” The Host trailed off, twitching uncontrollably, its voice pitch rising.
The Doctor and Katy glanced at each other, wondering whether they should help the robot when a few men dressed in uniforms rushed over to them. The Doctor’s hand stilled, about to pull out his sonic screwdriver.
“It's all right, sir, we can handle this,” The Steward announced, desperately grabbing at a switch behind the Host’s head. The second he flipped the switch, the robot fell to its side, caught by two officers. “Software problem, that's all. Leave it with us, sir. Merry Christmas,” The Steward nodded, gesturing for his colleagues to take the robot away.
“Trouble?” Katy whispered.
“Worse. Trouble at Christmas,” The Doctor muttered, flinching at the sound of glass breaking behind them.
“For Tov's sake, look where you're going. This jacket's a genuine Earth antique!” A haughty voice complained as Katy glanced around to find a man dressed in a suit scolding a waitress.
From the champagne tray on the ground, and shattered glass at their feet, Katy guessed the two had accidentally collided. However, the man continued to act as if the waitress had just struck him. Katy expected the Doctor to be as unamused by the man's self-entitlement as she was, but his eyes were still wide, focused on the broken glass on the floor. He had jumped violently at the loud sound, still appearing startled, running a hand across his chest, his hearts hammering underneath his palm. Katy had never noticed he react in that way before.
“I'm sorry, sir,” The waitress replied, before kneeling to the floor to clean up the mess.
“You'll be sorry when it comes off your wages, sweetheart!” The man warned, as Katy turned to the Doctor, quirking an eyebrow as he knew what she was asking. With a sigh, he nodded, as she made her way to a spare champagne flute left on a nearby table. “Staffed by idiots. No wonder Max Capricorn's going down the drain,” The man huffed, whipping around to storm away, bumping right into Katy.
She made sure that the champagne from her glass purposedly stained his ‘genuine Earth antique’, a sardonic smile on her face. The man let out a childish scream of anguish, stomping his foot on the ground, gaining the attention of the Steward.
“You did that on purpose, you bitch!” He spat out, as she shrugged.
She then raised her arm up and poured the remainder of her champagne over his head, watching in amusement as the man’s face turned red. The Doctor stood a few metres away, placing a hand over his face, trying to muffle the laugh that escaped his lips.
“Okay, that one I definitely meant to do,” She smirked, as the Steward increased his pace rushing toward them.
“Do you have any idea how much this suit cost me?” The man cried, his voice high.
“More than your shitty dye job?” Katy suggested, gesturing to his roots that were showing.
“What is going on here?” The Steward exclaimed, putting himself in between the pair before a brawl could start.
“Just a little accident,” Katy replied, as the man gaped at her.
“ Little?! ” He shouted.
“I think this man has had a little too much to drink,” Katy whispered to the Steward, who gave the pair a sheepish look.
“Enough. This is no place for a scene. If you two would accompany me to the drawing room, I’m sure we can hash this out...like adults,” The Steward insisted, giving the man a pointed look.
“No problem,” Katy nodded, as the Doctor approached, coming to stand by her side.
“You alright?” He asked Katy, who leaned in close to whisper into his ear.
“ I think me pouring drinks over assholes is becoming a Christmas tradition ,” She mumbled, as the Doctor bit his lip, to try to stop his grin. “Be back in a few,” She told him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before allowing the Steward to lead her away.
“Your wife will be fine. The Steward is a very reasonable man,” The waitress informed him, noticing the way the Doctor’s brow had furrowed.
“Oh. No, we’re not...” He trailed off, glancing down at the blonde waitress. She stared up at him in confusion, wondering if she had gotten the situation wrong when she realised he wasn’t wearing a ring. “Fiancé. She’s my fiancé.”
Katy let out a bored sound, resting her chin on her hands as she glared across the room as the man she now knew as Rickston Slade. She had been right in her first assessment. He was an asshole. And from the way the Steward was pinching his nose, Katy guessed he’d agree with her. It had been almost half an hour of him rambling about the class system, and how they were letting ‘just about anyone on a cruise these days’.
“Mr Slade, it was a simple disagreement. Now, I will note this in the logs and that will be that,” The Steward informed him, firmly.
“Fine. But I will be submitting a formal complaint on departure. About both of you!” Mr Slade huffed, before marching out of the room.
“Nice guy, huh?” Katy exclaimed, as the Steward allowed a slight smile to grace his lips.
“Now, Miss. I expect no more trouble out of you tonight. I just need to log your biometric code and then you’ll be free to go,” The Steward explained, before walking over to the wall.
Katy watched as he taped on a panel, which opened up to reveal a high-tech computer, a keyboard pushing itself out. He gestured for her to approach, holding his hand out. Katy frowned as he took her thumb and placed it against the keyboard, as a light flashed a few times. The screen then came to life, as thousands of faces whizzed over the monitor, before ending on her own face. Katy’s face paled as she saw the word that flashed underneath.
Deceased.
The Steward slowly turned to her, confusion etched over his features, as well as a hint of fear. The system couldn’t be manipulated. People couldn’t take another’s identity anymore. The reading was always true. Katy opened her mouth, trying to find some sort of answer to give, but came up empty. Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing the Doctor’s grinning face, waving his psychic paper in the air.
“Come on! We’re going to Earth!” He announced, as she gave the Steward a sheepish look.
He gave a curt nod after a tense moment, as she made a quick getaway. Removing his cap, he wiped at his sweaty brow, and turned back to the monitor, attempting to refresh his search. His frown deepened as it the computer started to glitch, before the screen turned a blinding white colour. He tried tapping on the buttons of the keyboard, but it made no difference. The whole thing was fried.
“You’ll like her, trust me. And Morvin and Foon,” The Doctor rambled, holding on tightly to her hand, as they marched toward the teleport room.
He had been making friends as fast as ever. From the waitress she had helped, to a bubbly couple who had shared their buffet with him. Katy mulled over her memory of the waitress in particular, thinking that perhaps the Doctor had taken a liking to her.
“So, this Astrid...blonde?” Katy inquired, as the Doctor came to a halt, giving her an amused look. Katy held her free hand up in mock defence. “I just know your weakness for pretty blondes, that’s all I’m saying,” Katy shrugged.
“Jealous?” He suggested, as she rolled her eyes.
Before she had the chance to say anything else, the Doctor’s hands had moved up to cup her cheeks and pull her into a bruising kiss. There was no hesitancy in his movements, as his lips captured hers, very much leading the kiss. Katy rose on her tiptoes, reaching for the collar of his shirt to pull him closer, tilting her head as she felt his tongue dart across her bottom lip. His hand was sliding through her hair, pressing long kisses against her lips, both his hearts thundering away in his chest.
“Red Six Seven. This way, fast as you can!” A voice called out, as the Doctor pulled away just an inch, their heavy breathing mixing together.
“Still jealous?” He asked, as she shook her head from side to side.
“Wait...if I say yes, are you gonna’ kiss me again?,” She asked, as the Doctor laughed, a fond look in his eyes.
His hand moved to the small of her back, ushering her forward, only half remembering why they were in the room in the first place. His girlfriend could be a little...distracting. Astrid waved over to the pair, excitedly, a champagne flute in her hand.
“I got you that drink. For helping me back there,” Astrid greeted, holding the champagne out to Katy.
“Okay...I like her too,” Katy shrugged, happily taking the drink.
“And I got you a treat. Come on,” The Doctor announced, as the group strode forward, with him waving his psychic paper in the air. “Red Six Seven plus two,” The Doctor called out, as Katy took a long sip of her champagne.
“Quickly, sir, please, and take three teleport bracelets if you would,” An older man advised, as the Doctor grabbed the metallic bracelets, which shone a slight blue colour.
“I'll get the sack,” Astrid stated, as the Doctor passed her one of the bracelets.
“Well then, get sacked in style,” Katy insisted, placing the bracelet over the waitress’ wrist, who grinned at her.
“To repeat, I am Mister Copper, the ship's historian, and I shall be taking you to old London town in the country of UK, ruled over by good King Wenceslas. Now, human beings worship the great god Santa, a creature with fearsome claws, and his wife Mary. And every Christmas Eve, the people of UK go to war with the country of Turkey. They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner like savages,” Mr Cooper explained, as Katy’s frown deepened with every word.
“Excuse me. Sorry, sorry, but, er, where did you get all this from?” The Doctor couldn’t help but question.
“Well, I have a first class degree in Earthonomics. Now, stand by,” Mr Cooper told them, as Katy snorted.
“That told you,” Katy snickered.
“And me! And me! Red Six Seven!” A small, red men with tiny black horns covering his face cried, pushing through the crowd.
“Well, take a bracelet, please, sir.”
“But, er, hold on, hold on. What was your name?” The Doctor inquired.
“Bannakaffalatta,” The small man retorted, luckily not seeming to take any offence.
“Okay, Bannakaffalatta. But it's Christmas Eve down there. Late night shopping, tons of people. He's like a talking conker!” The Doctor pointed out, as Katy elbowed him in the stomach.
“Oi, don’t be racist!” She scolded, as Bannakaffalatta gave her a grateful nod.
“I’m just saying you'll cause a riot because the streets are going to be packed with shoppers and parties and—” The Doctor started, as their surroundings suddenly blurred.
“ Oh .”
The street they had arrived on was completely abandoned. Every shop was closed, the lights off. There were still Christmas lights hanging off lampposts and a large tree in the street courtyard, but apart from that, there was no sign it was Christmas. Still, it certainly smelt like London, Katy mused.
“It should be full. It should be busy. Something's wrong,” The Doctor warned, as Katy couldn’t help but agree.
“Yeah, definitely a strange lack of pushing and shoving for London,” She nodded.
“But it's beautiful!” Astrid gaped, her eyes darting around the new sight.
“Really? Do you think so? It's just a street. The pyramids are beautiful, and New Zealand,” The Doctor suggested, making Katy smile, thinking of a future date they would hopefully be going on.
“But it's a different planet. I'm standing on a different planet. There's concrete and shops. Alien shops. Real alien shops! Look, no stars in the sky. And it smells. It stinks! Oh, this is amazing. Thank you!” Astrid cried, jumping up and wrapping her arms around both their shoulders, stronger than she looked.
“Oh, she’s a hugger. Great,” Katy mumbled sarcastically, patting Astrid on the back.
“You know you’re somewhat of a hugger now too,” The Doctor pointed out, making Katy grimace.
“Oh God, you’re right,” Katy huffed, before she spotted an elderly man at a newsstand, watching a small TV. He hadn’t noticed them yet but appeared to be the only person left in the street. “Hi!” Katy called out, as the three rushed over to him.
“Sorry, obvious question, but where's everybody gone?” The Doctor asked, as the man gave him an incredulous look.
“Oh ho, scared! London at Christmas? Not safe, is it,” The man retorted.
“Why?” The Doctor frowned.
“Well, it's them, up above. Look, Christmas before last we had that big bloody spaceship, everyone standing on a roof. And then last year, that Christmas Star electrocuting all over the place, draining the Thames,” The man explained.
“He kinda’ does have a point,” Katy mumbled.
“And this year, with that Saxon fella’—” The man began, when the Doctor cut him off sharply.
“Well, between you and me, far as I know, this year, nothing to worry about,” The Doctor informed him, as the man regarded Katy a little closer.
“Hold on a minute. Don’t I know you from somewhere?” The white-haired man realised, just as the three disappeared in a blue haze.
“Better stay off the beer next Christmas,” Wilfred muttered, rubbing at his eyes, before pulling out the newspapers he was selling, glancing down at the headline.
Saxon murdered — body still not found.
Leaving the Doctor to investigate the ‘malfunction’ that had led to their teleports bringing them back to the ship, Katy pulled out her phone. She remembered how Martha had called her whilst she was with the Doctor’s future regeneration and without thinking, dialled her friend’s number. Placing the mobile to her ear, it rang over and over. She was just about to hang up when she heard the ringing stop, and a burst of static.
“Hey, it’s me,” Katy greeted, but earned no reply. It was odd, as she could swear she could hear breathing from the other end of the line. “Just wanted to say...well, Merry Christmas, I guess. How’s things?” Katy questioned, in a casual tone.
“Martha?” Katy pushed, when she heard something akin to a sob.
“Sorry. It’s just...when the Doctor said I’d hear from you again...I thought it would be more than just a few months,” Martha sighed.
“ Oh . Are we fighting or something?” Katy inquired.
“It’s not that...God, this is hard,” Martha mumbled.
“You want me to hang up?”
“No! No, please don’t. I don’t think we’ve spoken like this in...” Martha trailed off, as Katy grew even more concerned.
“Yeah, I’m really lost right now. I’m guessing some spoilers have happened?” Katy exclaimed.
“Yeah. You could say that. Sorry, I know how confusing this must be for you,” Martha continued, as there was some more static like she had pulled the phone away from her face for a moment. Katy glanced in the Doctor’s direction, noticing he was pulling at one of the panels in the wall. She was about to make an excuse to hang up when Martha began speaking again. “You sound just like you used to.”
“Like I used to?” Katy frowned.
“ I’m so sorry, Katy ,” Martha cried, her voice stricken with tears.
“You've got a rock storm heading for this ship and the shields are down!” The Doctor’s raised tone grabbed her attention, as she looked up to see the Steward had grabbed his arm and was leading him away.
“...Martha, I have to go. I’ll call you right back, okay?” Katy exclaimed, as she began rushing after the Doctor.
“Wait—” Martha was cut off as Katy hung up the call, quickening her pace as the Doctor was dragged out of the dining room, a crowd following after him.
The group was made up of some of the fellow travellers who had come with them to Earth, and Slade who had decided not to let Katy out of his sight for the rest of the night. The officers were struggling to pull the Doctor down one of the maintenance corridors, when a hand was suddenly grabbing at their jackets. Without warning, the two men gripping onto the Doctor were thrown onto their backs, one of whom was knocked out as his head collided with the floor.
“Don’t touch my boyfriend,” Katy warned the remaining conscious officer, stepping over him, coming to the Doctor’s side.
“You alright?” She asked, straightening his bowtie.
Then all hell broke loose.
The ship lurched to the left violently, as the people in the corridor slammed into the wall, sparks and fire erupted from every corner. A burst of hot smoke had Katy jumping back, pain shooting through her arm as she collided with the Doctor. He had his arms wrapped around her instantly, as the ship continued shaking from side to side, as if it was rolling over. Screams deafened her as the Doctor’s arms tightened, desperately trying to keep her out of harm’s way. Just when she thought the chaos might finally be over, there was the sound of two more impacts. The Doctor threw them forward to avoid a fireball that erupted from behind them. They collapsed onto the floor, as fire roared above them, leaving smoke in its wake.
The Doctor was still grasping her in a vice-like grip, his breathing panicked and heavy. Once the ship began to settle, he helped pull her to her feet, his eyes immediately surveying her for injuries. His eyes grew concerned when he saw how her arm had been burnt by the hot smoke, now shining a bright red colour.
“So...I’m guessing neither of us are alright anymore,” Katy huffed, as the Doctor ran a hand through her hair.
“I’ll get you back to the TARDIS. Fix you up, good as new,” He assured her, as she nodded.
Pressing a quick kiss to her dirty forehead, he turned his attention to the rest of the group, hoping they had been left unscathed. Everyone but the two officers appeared to be alive and moving. He expected that was a better percentage than the rest of the ship had fared.
“Bad name for a ship. Either that or this suit is really unlucky,” The Doctor huffed.
“Er, everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta. I must apologise on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruiseliners. We seem to have had a small collision,” The Steward announced, as angry protests started up.
“Small?!” Morvin cried.
“Water fountain,” Bannakaffalatta exclaimed, tuggng on the hem of Katy’s dress. “First-aider at home,” He continued, as she gave him a small smile.
“Oh, we’ll get on well then. I’m a nurse. He’s a Doctor,” Katy replied, as the pair walked toward the fountain.
“If you could all stay here while I ascertain the exact nature of the situation,” The Steward suggested, walking toward a nearby hatch, as the Doctor raised out an arm to stop him.
“Don't open it!” He yelled, but it was too late.
In the blink of an eye, the Steward was sucked out into space, as the corridor lost integrity. Their oxygen supply was quickly fading as the group were being pulled toward the now gaping hole in the ship. Being far stronger than the rest of them, Katy was able to drag herself toward one of the nearby panels, and with a flip of a switch, had set an oxygen field, allowing the group’s feet to land back on the ground.
“Everyone all right? Katy? Astrid? Foon? Morvin? Mister Copper? Bannakaffalatta? You, what was your name?” The Doctor reeled off their names, earning a few nods.
“Rickston Slade.”
“You all right?” The Doctor asked.
“No thanks to that idiot,” Slade muttered, as Astrid gave him a horrified look.
“The steward just died!” Astrid insisted.
“Then he's a dead idiot,” Slade retorted, as Katy shoved past him.
“Careful, Slade. Or you might just join him,” She muttered.
Running her arm under the somewhat lukewarm water of the fountain gave Katy a little relief, she just hoped it would be enough to stop the burn from scarring. The Doctor was busy trying to contact the Bridge, hoping to discover just how bad the damage was. Only a few minutes ago they had witnessed the TARDIS drifting away toward Earth, and with it their chance of escape. Katy glanced down at her ring, knowing the TARDIS was too far away to be called back now.
“You two make a good couple,” Astrid stated, passing her a strip of cloth to tie around her injured arm.
“Wouldn’t have believed that if you had said that a year ago,” Katy admitted, glancing up at the Doctor who had finally got a reply from the Bridge.
“We've got air. The oxygen field is holding, but the Captain, he's dead. He did it. I watched while he took down the shields. There was nothing I could do,” The officer confessed, making Katy sigh.
The whole thing had seemed far too catastrophic to not be deliberate, but she had still been hoping for the best. No matter what species, there were always too many rotten eggs.
“Just stay calm. Tell me your name. What's your name?” The Doctor inquired.
“Midshipman Frame,” The man replied.
“Nice to meet you, sir. What's the state of the engines?” The Doctor pushed, as Katy felt Astrid helping her tie up the makeshift bandage on her arm.
“And it’s just you two travelling?” Astrid went on.
“Depends. Sometimes we have friends who travel with us too but...not right now it seems,” Katy stated, thinking of her strange phone call with Martha.
“The moment the engines are gone, we lose orbit. f we hit the planet, the nuclear storm explodes and wipes out life on Earth. Right, Midshipman, I need you to fire up the engine containment field and feed it back into the core,” The Doctor advised, grabbing Katy’s attention again, as she hobbled toward him.
“This is never going to work,” Frame retorted.
“Trust me, it'll keep the engines going until I can get to the bridge,” The Doctor stated, as shouts erupted again from the group, confused and scared.
Katy gestured for the Doctor to take a step forward. Despite how he’d deny it, she knew how much he loved to be in charge. And with certain death hot on their tail? Even better.
“First things first. One. We are going to climb through this ship. B. No. Two. We're going to reach the bridge. Three. Or C. We're going to save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low four, or D, or that little iv in brackets they use in footnotes, why. Right then, follow me,” The Doctor announced, as Slade let out a loud scoff.
“Hang on a minute. Who put you in charge and who the hell are you anyway?” He cried.
“I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred and three years old and I'm the man who's going to save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?” The Doctor challenged, as a smirk grew on Katy’s face.
“ No .”
“In that case, allons-y!” The Doctor insisted, turning around as the group started to follow him without question.
Katy was just about to join them when she heard a strangled sob coming from the comms, realising Frame was still listening in. Reaching for the panel, she opened up her side of the link, now able to hear his laboured breathing.
“Are you hurt, Frame?” She questioned.
“...He shot me,” The man answered, as Katy bit her lip.
“We’re heading your way, okay? I’m a nurse, I’ll figure something out when—” Katy started, when he cut her off, his breathing growing more erratic.
“That’s not the problem, Miss. I think it’s worse than I thought. I’m...I’m seeing things,” Frame continued.
“What? What things?” Katy frowned, receiving a few moments of silence.
“There’s someone in here with me. A man,” Frame confessed, in a terrified tone, as his next words caused Katy’s blood to run cold.
“ A man in a Trench Coat. ”