Chapter Text
Rose runs forward and helps Kathy to quickly get up from the ground and run around the jerking Slitheen. But not before Margaret whips a clawed hand around, catching Kathy on her side and left arm. She cries out, falling against a wall. She feels hot-wet liquid running down her arm and her clothes on the side where the hit struck her.
Oh God.
“Kathy!” Comes Rose’s fearful cry.
“Kathy, are you all right?” Rose is asking frantically, pulling her up.
“I'm fine.” Kathy pants out. She winces in pain, holding back a gasp as she pulls herself up with the companion’s help and drags Rose out of the room with her. “We need to get going. She isn't going to be held back for long.”
Once outside the room, Kathy pauses briefly to stare down at her wound. There are large gashes in her upper arm and into her side. The claws had sliced right through her jacket and shirt. It had come close to cutting right across her stomach. Indra and Harriet are waiting in the corridor for them, the latter is staring at them all in shock.
“What—what is going on?” He asks in a panic. “Was that– was that what I think it was?”
“Yes, Margaret is an alien,” Kathy tells the man. “Now it’s best you just leave Downing Street. Now.” He tries to argue, but Kathy holds up a hand. “Do not even bother with telling any of the guards. Joseph Green and General Asquith are also aliens. They'll only tell the guards to take you away and then they'll kill you. Just leave and don't come back. Trust me; you'll be safer that way.”
“But—” He tries to argue.
“Leave!” Kathy orders him. He blinks for a moment in bewilderment before turning and running off. Kathy only hopes he will listen to her warning.
Swiftly, she turns her attention to the other two next to her. “Now us, too. We need to get out of here.”
Harriet stares in horror at the sight of leaking blood down the part Human, Time Lord and Apalapucian’s limp arm. “My god. You're hurt.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Kathy dismisses quickly pushing at the woman, though unable to lift her other arm to push Rose as well, “we just need to run.”
“No, wait. They're still in there. The emergency protocols. We need them.” Harriet says in a rush.
“We can get them later. Just worry about running for now.” Kathy tells them, even though she knows what’s happening, her instincts are screaming at her to run like hell.
The trio of females run through a series of rooms. Kathy pants as she runs, shaking from the pain in her arm and side. She sucks it up, not wanting to be bothered with it at the moment. Others need her first.
Loud crashing and slams are heard coming from behind. She knows that the alien is now after them. Rose closes each door behind them as they run, trying to block the path for Margaret who they can hear running through the halls after them. Each door Rose closes would be heard moments later crashing down, becoming nothing more than splinters flying by them by the rampaging Slitheen.
At one point, they run into a door which won’t open with Margaret right at their feet, making them pause briefly. But the lift dings loudly, distracting the alien. Kathy can hear the Doctor inside, giving a brief hello to the screeching Slitheen before he makes the lift continue on up. Kathy takes the distraction as an opportunity to push with her one good arm at Rose and Harriet's backs again to rush them off through another doorway.
——
They run down another hall, coming into a secluded room. Rose breathes for them to hide. Harriet hides behind a folding screen while Rose and Kathy go around a cabinet at the back of the room. They both crouch low to the floor, trying to even out their panting. Kathy grips her injured arm tightly, trying to ease the bleeding and the pain. She notices a small dart sticking out of her arm. Pulling it out, she winces at the barbed end scraping against the inside of her skin. She makes sure to pocket the dart, knowing of the poison it holds.
Both she and Rose stiffen when they hear the door of the room slowly creak open. Kathy tries holding her breath.
“Oh, such fun.” Margaret laughs in wicked delight. Her voice comes out trilling, in almost a singsong voice. They can hear her shuffling around the room. Getting closer. “Little human children. Where are you? Sweet little humankins, come to me. Let me kiss you better. Kiss you with my big, green lips.”
Rose grabs Kathy's good arm, dragging the woman up hurriedly and pulling them towards the very long, thick curtains by the windows. They make sure that Margaret's back is turned before burying themselves in a curtain. Rose on one side and Kathy on the other. Kathy shakes as she grips her arm. Not from fear, but from the increasingly sharp pain shooting through her arm. It feels like it is slowly catching on fire. She grits her teeth as she tries to force the growing agony down.
“My brothers,” Margaret speaks happily as the two other Slitheens, Joseph Green and General Asquith enter the room.
“Happy hunting?” Green asks his sister in delight, excited to hunt down their prey.
“It's wonderful. The more you prolong it, the more they stink.” Margaret giggles merrily. Rose and Kathy both stiffen as they hear the aliens shuffle slowly around the room. Getting closer ever so slightly.
“Sweat and fear,” Asquith states smugly.
“I can smell an old girl, stale bird, and brittle bones,” Green speaks nastily.
“A ripe youngster, all hormones and adrenaline, fresh enough to bend before she snaps,” Margaret adds.
“And the smell of an injured one. So feeble and powerless with the wonderful stench of blood. She'll be too weak to put up any fight.” Asquith sneers.
Kathy grits her teeth with anger as she feels one coming towards Rose first. Just before Margaret comes up to grab Rose, Kathy quickly steps out around her own curtain.
“Don't you dare touch her!” Kathy shouts angrily. “Don't hurt either of them! Just kill me!”
“No! Take me first!” Harriet cries out, rushing out of her own screen.
The Slitheen are briefly distracted by wondering who to kill first when the Doctor bursts in with a fire extinguisher. He sprays the male Slitheens closer to the door with CO2, making them screech at the cold blast. The Time Lord yells for them to run as he sprays the aliens. Rose acts quickly, yanking down her curtain and throwing it over Margaret.
Kathy doesn’t wait to listen to the brief introductions the Doctor and Harriet are having. She merely follows behind Rose as the girl pulls her out of the door, breathing heavily due to the pain in her torso. The trio then all run out of the room with the Doctor.
The Slitheen family are right on their tails, screeching loudly down the hall after them. The Doctor directs them to the Cabinet Room.
——
They all rush inside the Cabinet Room, closing the back door behind them. The Doctor goes over to the front door, grabs a decanter of brandy from a side table and holds it up in the air with his sonic pointed at it. He faces the oncoming Slitheen at the doorway.
“One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof! We all go up. So back off.” He warns. The Slitheen take one step back in the outer office, forming their own barrier just on the other side of the doorway opposite him. “Right then.” He smirks. “Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?”
“They're aliens,” Harriet informs him, her tone sounding torn between trying to be helpful, and wondering how he could have missed something that obvious. She stands behind the Doctor, gripping the Emergency Protocols tightly. Kathy feels her lips quirk up in a smile.
The Doctor rolls his eyes at the woman's response. “Yes. I got that, thanks.”
“Who are you, if not human?” The Slitheen who had once been the acting Prime Minister, Mr Green, wonders.
“Who's not human?” Harriet asks, somewhat confused.
“They're not human,” Rose says, nodding to the Doctor and Kathy.
Kathy can see the girl looking at her in concern. She knows it probably doesn’t help how Kathy herself is leaning heavily against a wall behind them, panting in pain while she grips her injured arm severely. The arm still drips with blood, even more coming from her side.
Harriet looks at Rose, clear disbelief on her face. “They're not human?”
“Technically I am, a little bit.” Kathy softly quips.
“Can I have a bit of hush?” The Doctor interrupts, irritated as he looks over his shoulder incredulously at them.
“Sorry.” Harriet guiltily replies while Kathy shrugs the shoulder of her good arm.
“So, what's the plan.” The Doctor asks, returning his attention to the Slitheen.
Harriet just can’t stop herself. “But he's got a Northern accent.”
“I'm sure many planets have a north.” Kathy sighs, shaking her head in exasperation. Really, this is not the time. Grimace, breathe through pain.
“I said hush!” The Doctor exclaims in exasperation, this time throwing a look at her. Kathy merely shrugs again, letting him know that she isn't trying to interrupt him. He looks back to the Slitheen once more. “Come on!” He holds the sonic a little closer to the brandy in a threatening manner. “You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of the government, what for? Invasion?”
“Why would we invade this God-forsaken rock?” The Sitheen posing as General Asquith scoffs.
“Then something's brought the Slitheen race here. What is it?” The Doctor presses.
“'The Slitheen Race'?” Asquith asks.
“Slitheen is not our species. Slitheen is our surname.” Green retorts. “Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen at your service.”
“So, you're family.” The Doctor realises.
“A family business.”
“Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a God-forsaken rock?”
“Ah, excuse me,” Asquith speaks up after a brief pause from the Slitheen. “Your device will do what, triplicate the flammability?”
The Doctor looks at the brandy in contemplation. “Is that what I said?”
“You're making it up!”
“Ah, well! Nice try.” He shrugs. “Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it.” He turns to offer her the brandy, but she shakes her head, clutching the Red Box in her arms closer to her chest.
“You pass it to the left first.” She replies, keeping forward and focused on the green aliens.
“Sorry.” The Doctor says, before bringing the decanter back around and holding it to the other side, right in front of Rose. She promptly takes it from him and thanks him. Kathy takes a swig too.
“Now we can end this hunt with a slaughter,” Asquith says, clanking his extremely long claws together. It is clear that he was trying to be threatening and scary, but the only one who seemed to actually be scared is Harriet, and the expression on her face proves that.
“Don't you think we should run?” Rose questions, slowly backing up along with Harriet.
The Doctor instead smiles innocently at the hunters. “Fascinating history, Downing Street. Two thousand years ago, this was marshland. 1730, it was occupied by a Mister Chicken. He was a nice man. 1796, this was the Cabinet Room.” The Doctor rambles on quickly. “If the Cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain.” He then reaches over to a small panel that is next to the door, lifting it up to reveal a button. He then grins widely at the Slitheen. “End of lesson.”
Pressing the button, metal screeching is heard as very thick, grey metal shutters crash shut all around the room, covering all windows and doors and blocking them off from the rest of the world. The door in front of the Doctor closes just as the Slitheen make a move to jump at him. After everything was sealed up, the Doctor turned around to face them. His grin was as wide as ever.
“Well, that went well,” Kathy announces when everything stops clanging, slumping against the wall.
“Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in.” The Doctor does seem rather pleased with himself.
“But we can't get out, idiot,” Kathy mutters.
The Doctor blinks with his grin slowly lessening as he realises the situation. “Ah.” He says quietly. He looks over to Kathy, frowning at her. “What's wrong with you?”
“She's hurt,” Rose says, going over to Kathy to check up on her. Rose gently checks over the wounds, seeing the deep gashes. “We need to get you some bandages.”
“I think there might be some in the cupboard,” Harriet speaks up, quickly setting down the Emergency Protocols to check in the cupboard in question.
The Doctor crosses his arms, looking annoyed. He rolls his eyes. “I thought I told you to stay out of trouble.” The Doctor admonishes. “You should’ve been more careful.”
Kathy rolls her eyes at him. She really doesn’t have time for this.
“Oi!” Rose cuts in. “Why don't you be useful and help us with the wounds?”
The Doctor sighs, clearly irritated but goes over to Kathy anyway. She sees his gaze lose its harshness when he sees the deep gashes on her arm and side as he realises how severe the wounds are. He carefully helps Kathy out of her jacket, tossing the useless tattered clothing aside. He lifts her shirt and examines the nasty wounds.
“Here, this is all I could find,” Harriet speaks. She brings out different coats and dress shirts.
The Doctor starts ripping them up, wrapping them around Kathy's arm and middle. Blood soaks into the material almost instantly. This would not do but it would have to do for now.
“There, that should take care of you for now.” The Doctor says, patting her on the arm. Kathy winces from the sharp pain. He quickly pulls his hand away, realising his mistake. “Oops, sorry.”
“It's fine.” She whispers in reply. She stares up at him, giving a small smile of gratitude. “Thanks.” He nods, walking away.
——
The Doctor starts looking into any weaknesses of the metal panels around the place. Unfortunately, even his sonic screwdriver can’t find a way for their escape. They are truly locked in here. Kathy moves away from the wall to help Harriet move the Prime Minister. They place him gently in the cupboard, making sure he has a nice place to rest until they can give him a proper burial. Kathy sits down next to Harrie, the woman going over the Emergency Protocols, listening to the Doctor explain how exactly the Slitheen fit inside of humans. Mostly with the help of their collars around their necks, which shrink them down, though leading to a lot of 'gas exchange'.
“Wish I had a compression field, I could fit a size smaller.” Rose cracks a nervous smile.
“Excuse me, people are dead. This is hardly the time for making jokes.” Harriet rebukes her sternly.
“Sorry.” Rose apologises. “You get used to all this stuff when you're friends with him.” She explains, gesturing towards the Doctor.
Kathy frowns, watching the blonde. She isn't sure if she is telling the truth, or is just falling back on the age-old plan of hiding what you're really feeling with a joke. Or maybe both. She supposes she can’t really talk. She has been guilty of the same thing on many occasions, and so has the Doctor.
Her whole arm has gone stiff and hard to bend now. The whole thing feels as though it were on fire. The same fire-like feeling is spreading throughout the rest of her body. She feels a thin sheen of sweat building up around her skin as a fever starts. Her body must be fighting off the poison making its way through her system. She wonders if she should tell the Doctor and let him know about the dart that had hit her. But when she glances over to him, she knows she needs to let him work. There are bigger issues ahead for them and she doesn’t want to bother them.
“Well, that's a strange friendship,” Harriet mutters, shaking her head.
The Doctor finally seems to take an interest and looks over at her. “Harriet Jones, I've heard that name before. Harriet Jones.” He muses. “You're not famous for anything, are you?”
The older woman scoffs. “Oh, hardly.”
“Rings a bell.” He says, frowning as he looks at Kathy, hoping she can help him out. All she does is shrug her shoulders at him, knowing exactly who she is and who she will become. “Harriet Jones?”
“Lifelong backbencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now,” Harriet says, getting frustrated. “The protocols are redundant. They list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs.”
The Doctor perks his head up at that, “That device you gave me, that little ball.” He tells Kathy, showing her the little silver ball she'd given him earlier. He turns back to the others, showing them the device. “It's similar to a primarily defensive weapon that my people created. It's basically an energy transporter.” He explains. “The Slitheen had trapped the name tags, setting them to electrocute us. I tried to get them to remove them before they went off. But …” He shakes his head in annoyance. “Anyway, this ball, it tried to collect all the energy in the room and returned to sender. Took them all out." He pauses. “It's a bit of a design flaw, really, the whole 'take down one, you take down them all,' sort of didn’t work so I don’t know if the other experts survived. Bit of bad planning, that.” He says the last bit pointedly in Kathy’s direction.
She tries to hold back a pained wince as she replies, “Sorry, tried my best.”
“Doctor!” Rose interrupts. “If they're all alive, then couldn't we just tell them what's going on?”
The Doctor shakes his head. “Not likely. The transporter seems to have not been built for humans.” Another side glance. God, she tried! “You humans, your systems are all,” he waves a hand in the air vaguely, “are easier to upset. The energy feedback that resulted knocked them all out. I tried to see if they were alive, but of course, that was when the soldiers came charging in, and to them, it looked like I'd done it, and they weren't really willing to listen to me.” He explains.
Harriet waves over the Doctor, getting him to look over the protocols with her. Kathy sits back in her chair, gripping onto her arm tightly as she listens as they begin to discuss the nuclear plans with the U.N. when Rose suggests they just launch a missile at the Slitheen. To which both Harriet essentially says no. Then the sound of a phone ringing makes them all jump.
“Oh! That's me.” Rose says, pulling her flip phone out of her pocket.
Rose looks at her phone and states it is from Mickey. He has sent her a picture of a Slitheen. Rose calls him immediately, asking if he is all right. He explains that the alien had attacked Jackie in her flat. He had saved her, making sure they were both safe back in his flat. The Doctor grabs the mobile from Rose, beginning to talk hurriedly to Mickey.
“Don't talk. Just shut up and go to your computer.” The Doctor instructs the man curtly. There is a brief pause as Mickey seems to refuse at first. The Doctor grumbles under his breath for a moment, then sucks in a breath. Looking ready to do something he will regret. “Mickey the idiot, I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but, uh, I need you.”
There is a smug reply from Mickey, making the Doctor grumble even more. Yes, he really regrets those words now. But it works, making Mickey begin to do as he was told.
The Doctor hooks the mobile onto a speaker in the centre of the table so they can all hear him. Everyone crowds around the table now, listening to Mickey hack into a system for the Doctor, using the password the Time Lord gave him.
“Big Ben. Why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben.” The Doctor begins to wonder while Mickey grows quiet, continuing to hack into the website.
“You said to gather the experts, to kill them.” Harriet offers timidly.
The Doctor shakes his head dismissively. “That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon, you don't need to crash land in the middle of London.”
His eyes are locked with Kathy’s, and she feels like he is trying to get inside of her head. It’s making her feel a little uncomfortable, she kept paying with her hands and tugging at her pockets.
“The Slitheen were hiding, but then they put the entire planet on red alert,” Rose adds in. “What would they do that for?”
“Oh, listen to her.” Her mother moans down the phone.
“At least I'm trying.”
“Well, I've got a question, if you don't mind. Since those two walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets.” Jackie says, finally getting everything that had been bothering her off her chest. “I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter disappear off the face of the Earth.”
Rose lets out a barely audible sigh, but Kathy doesn’t miss it. “Kathy told you what happened.”
“I'm talking to him,” Jackie says, interrupting her daughter. “'Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me… Just answer me this, is my daughter safe?”
“I'm fine,” Rose replies, laughing at the silly question.
“Is she safe?” Jackie asks again. “Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that?”
The Doctor stares off some, thinking it over. He glances over to Kathy, at the blood on the makeshift bandages they had made. He does not speak. Only remains staring distantly at the blood on Kathy's arm.
Kathy stands up from her chair, leaning in closer to the speaker. “Jackie, he can't promise that.” She tells her. “But I can. I promise you, Rose will never be hurt. She will always be safe. I will never let any harm come to your daughter and she will always come back to you. You will never lose her.”
“You promise?” Jackie asks, sounding very sceptical about this promise.
“I promise. I give you my word.” Kathy speaks evenly. “And I only give promises that I can keep. Remember that.”
“Okay. You were right before so I trust you.” Jackie says after a moment, sounding relieved.
Mickey then tells them that he has accessed the full network of the U.N.I.T's database. The Doctor instructs him where to go, listening into the signal that is transmitting from the North Sea of the Slitheen's ship. As they get through, trying to work out what is happening, Kathy blinks dizzily as she tries to clear her vision.
They hear the doorbell of Mickey's flat ring.
“Go see what it is.” He tells Jackie.
“It's 3 o'clock in the morning,” Jackie grumbles.
“Well, go and tell them that.”
Kathy whips her head over to the phone, eyes widening. Three in the morning? Nobody visits at three in the morning unless they are trying to hide something. Or... take care of loose ends.
Like Jackie and Mickey.
Then, they hear Jackie crying out something in a panic.
“They've found us,” Mickey says with dread, the sound of pounding on a door coming through as the Slitheen try to get in.
“Mickey, I need the signal!” The Doctor reminds the man.
“No, you don't.” Kathy retorts, standing up with a lot of effort to lean closer to the phone. “I'll just tell you everything in a minute. I can now.” She turns her attention to the speaker, ready to help the two on the other line. “Mickey, remember those pickled eggs I told you to keep? You still got them, right?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Mickey states quickly.
“Go to the kitchen and gather them up along with anything else vinegar,” Kathy instructs him. “As soon as he crashes through the door, hit him with all the vinegar you got. Then just watch out for the splatter.”
“What splatter?” Mickey questions.
“You'll see.”
“What the hell does vinegar have anything to do with this?” The Doctor asks in annoyance. Looking annoyed that now is the time she’s actually being honest with what she knows rather than like before.
“They're from Raxacoricofallapatorius,” Kathy explains. “They're calcium-based life forms. The vinegar will—”
“Yes, yes. I know that. Thanks.” The Doctor snaps at her, annoyed that he is not the one to figure it out.
They hear the screeching of the Slitheen and Jackie naming off the items she is putting together from Mickey's kitchen. A whole lot of pickled items. Then a splash and splattering. Both people on the other side of the line make a sound of disgust. Everyone else sighs in relief.
“Right. Splatter.” Mickey grumbles over the speaker, sounding revolted by the after-effect of the Slitheen exploding from the vinegar.
“I'll help you clean it up later.” Kathy sighs, sitting down on a chair. It is getting hard to remain standing. Everything in the room keeps tilting around as the fire continues to spread through her.
The Doctor marches over to her, glaring down at her. “Explain. Now.” He demands hotly.
She sighs, knowing this is only going to irritate him even more. “The Slitheen plans are to make everyone panic over an alien invasion.” She begins to explain. “First the crashing into Big Ben. Then the alien experts. They're going to announce to the nations of the world that the aliens killed the experts and are here to kill everyone else, as well. Then, they are going to beg the U.N. to give them the nuclear codes for launching.”
“But why?” Harriet asks.
“To make everyone attack each other with their own nuclear weapons,” Kathy tells her.
“Making everyone fight against each other. World War III.” The Doctor finishes for her. “The whole planet gets nuked.” He nods, finally seeing the puzzle fit into place. He then promptly glares harshly at Kathy. “You should have told me this sooner! I could have stopped this! I could have done a better job in saving everyone in that room!”
“I'm sorry. But we will stop this.” Kathy says quietly, she hates that her plan hasn’t fully worked. All those poor people… she feels her hearts clench at the thought of all of them.
“How do you know that?!” The Doctor shouts. “We could all die! Planet Earth—wiped from existence! Instead of your hints, you should’ve told me sooner!”
“I just couldn't tell you. I can't mess with events.” She tells him tiredly, feeling weak.
“Liar.” He barks. “You let people die, again. Yet you keep saying that you’re trying your best and doing all you can!”
She sighs in frustration, standing up despite herself. “Doctor, we can't save everyone. You've taught me that yourself.”
“Yeah, but you see the future. You should be able to stop it.”
“No, I can't and, in some places, I won't. Some deaths just must happen.” Kathy retorts.
He narrows his eyes at her, glaring. “Are you telling me you're just gonna let people die? Just like that? Not even try to save them?”
“Yes.” She states sadly in return. “And don’t act like I sit there and do nothing! If I had, we would know for sure everyone downstairs is dead! And then I got injured saving Ganesh–”
“Yes,” Harriet says, adding in her own words. “She acted without even hesitating. She jumped right into the danger, willing to risk it all. She acted valiantly, saving a man, a mere stranger. Someone who isn't her own race.” She frowns in disproval to the Doctor. “And I do not appreciate the way you spoke to her. I don't know you or her, but I can tell what you've said was nothing kind.”
“I'd say.” They hear Jackie say over the speaker. Kathy looks at it in surprise, having forgotten that Mickey and Jackie are still on the line.
“Sorry, but... I can't feel my legs.” Kathy whispers then. Harriet and Rose both blink in surprise. Confused by what she is saying.
“What?” Rose voices in bewilderment.
“I lost feeling in my legs a few minutes ago,” Kathy explains quietly.
She blinks once—and suddenly, everything tilts. Her vision spins, and the next thing she knows, she crumples on the floor, lying awkwardly on her side, blinking up at the ceiling in a daze. Harriet and Rose gasp, rushing to her side.
“Oh my god, oh my god, are you okay?” Rose cries.
Harriet crouches beside them, eyes sharp, scanning Kathy’s condition with growing concern.
“The poison,” Kathy says hoarsely. Harriet and Rose both recoil, horrified. “The Slitheen injected me when she hit me.” Her voice trembles, but she pushes through. “I think... I think it shut down the muscles in my legs.”
“What?!” The Doctor’s voice cuts in, sharp and urgent. He storms over, shouldering past Rose. His face changes the instant he sees Kathy.
The signs are all there—how could he have missed it? Her pupils are dilated. Her skin glistens with sweat, unnaturally pale, almost grey. There’s a faint bluish tint at the edges of her lips. She trembles, though the room is warm.
He pulls back the red bandages to see a greenish spot on her skin. It has vein-like trails forming around the area with the area red and inflamed. The poison having already worked its way steadily into her body.
The Doctor stares at the poisoned wound with silent fury, guilt clawing at his insides. He wraps the bandage back over it, tighter now, but it’s no real solution. Not this far along. He exhales sharply, stepping back, overwhelmed by the feeling that he’s failing her.
“Kathy, why didn’t you tell us?” Rose demands, her voice breaking. “You’ve been poisoned this whole time and you didn’t say a single word?!”
“I didn’t want you to worry,” Kathy says quietly, unable to meet Rose’s eyes. “There’s more at stake than me. Earth needs saving. I didn’t want to slow anyone down.”
“That’s not an excuse!” Rose snaps, her fear bubbling into anger. “You’re my friend. Don’t you dare put yourself second like that!”
Kathy nods faintly, but it’s clear she’s already struggling to stay conscious.
“It’s alright.” She murmurs, her voice distant but certain. “I can fix it. It’s... quite like you, but a little different.” She directs the last part toward the Doctor, her eyes just managing to meet his.
Before anyone can respond, a warm, golden-orange light begins to shimmer from her hands. Kathy recognises the sensation—a familiar warmth spreading over her fingers and into her arms.
The angry, green-veined wound on her arm begins to fade as her skin knits itself back together. The infection vanishes under the golden shimmer, replaced by smooth, unblemished flesh. Inside, she can feel it: the rush of energy weaving through her, stitching her organs whole again. Bones realign. Nerves reknit. The phantom burn of the poison recedes.
Kathy exhales slowly and groans as she sits up, limbs trembling from the effort. She’s tired—bone-deep weary—but whole. The Doctor is at her side in an instant, steadying her. Rose grips her other arm, eyes still wide with disbelief.
“Kathy?” Rose’s voice is barely a whisper now. She’s pale, still shaking. Her cheeks are streaked with drying tears, her gaze locked on Kathy like she’s seen a ghost rise from the dead. “How’re you alive? You were dying.”
Kathy lets out a breathless laugh, rubbing her arm where the wound had been, trying to shake the echo of pain. “Takes more than poison to kill me these days.”
“That looked like regeneration.” The Doctor finally says, his voice low. “But... you didn’t change.”
Kathy shakes her head, still catching her breath. “No. I don’t. Not like you. Haven’t I explained it before?”
The Doctor straightens, a little sheepish. “Well, uh, you had... but, well—I hadn’t seen it.”
Rose gapes at them both. “So that was your half Time Lord and half... Apa– Apalapucian genes?”
Kathy nods faintly. “Pretty much.”
“That was amazing.” Rose breathes, her voice caught between awe and horror. “You were dying.”
“I know.” Kathy leans back gently against them, her head tipping back, eyes fluttering shut. “And now I’m not.”
“You’re all just bizarre,” Harriet splutters, throwing up her hands in exasperated disbelief. “But I’m glad you’re well.”
Kathy turns her head slightly and offers a small, grateful smile. “Thank you.”
They get interrupted by Mickey saying, “Listen to this,” before holding the phone to the TV so that they can hear what is going on. Kathy pulls herself up and they all gather around the phone.
A new voice begins to emanate from Rose's phone, it’s Green once more disguised as a human. He speaking to the media as Acting Prime Minister. He informs them of the death of the experts at the hands of aliens and that there are "massive weapons of destruction" capable of being deployed within 45 seconds above their heads. Claiming that the UK's technicians can only 'baffle' the alien probes for a short while, he urges the UN to pass a resolution and release the access codes that will allow the UK to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the alien mothership.
The Doctor looks at Kathy, “You were right. They’re trying to get humanity to nuke their own planet.”
Kathy nods solemnly. Rose gasps in shock while Harriet cries, “Why?!”
The Doctor doesn’t answer, instead stands up angrily, going over to the door where the Slitheen are waiting. Rose and Harriet quickly follow while Kathy stays where she is. He slams the button, opening the metal shutters to see a group of Slitheen standing there, but Margaret has returned to her human form and stands in the front of the group with a cruel smirk on her face. He glares darkly at them.
“You get the codes, release the missiles and start World War Three just to get the whole planet nuked. Why?” The Doctor demands to know.
Margaret walks over towards him, looking very smug and victorious.
“But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place, what for?” Harriet asks over the Doctor's shoulder.
“Profit,” Kathy calls, joining the others. “The signal that is beaming out into space, it's an advert.” The Doctor just nods in understanding as she comes and stands beside him.
“Sale of the century,” Margaret tells them smugly though casts a confused look in Kathy’s direction at the lack of injury on her despite the blood caking her torso. Kathy raises her eyebrows tauntingly at her. Margaret lets out a growl before continuing, “We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it, piece by piece. Radioactive chunks capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel.”
The Doctor's eyes have darkened a little like Kathy knew they would. She can feel the anger starting to radiate from him, and that isn't a good thing. “At the cost of five billion lives.”
“Hmm. Bargain.” Margaret replies.
The Doctor glares harshly at her. “Then I give you a choice: leave this planet, or I'll stop you.” He tells Margaret.
Both she and the other Slitheen laugh at his words. Unbelieving in his abilities he holds to saving the planet.
“What, you… trapped in your box?” She retorts while the other Slitheen continue to laugh mockingly.
He gives her a menacing stare. “Yes. Me.” He promises, staring her down. The smile slowly slips from her face as he pins her down with his glare and presses the button to seal them in once more.
When it is finally shut, he turns back to the others, the stern expression still on his face. Harriet lets out a sigh of relief. Kathy’s phone starts to ring.
“Oh, let me guess, Carlyle again?” The Doctor quips.
She looks at her phone and sees that it is actually him this time and not Jack like before.
Kathy nods to him before answering the call. “Hell–”
“Mom, I saw the news. Is it really that serious?” Carlyle cuts her off hurriedly. She can hear a loud mixture of panicked voices behind him.
“No, it’s a big pack of lies.” She tells him. “It’s Slitheen. They just want to nuke the planet, that's all. They'll be safe in their ship in the Thames while the rest of us are blown to smithereens.”
“Are you with the Doctor? You guys have a plan, right?” Her son asks her hopefully.
Kathy can’t help but roll her eyes, even though he can’t see her. “Maybe, and it's more like a thing at the moment. The idiot hasn't come up with a plan yet.”
“Oi! That so-called idiot heard that. I'd watch it if I were you!” The Doctor warns her, wagging a finger at her as well. His earlier animosity seems to have cleared up.
She simply rolls her eyes at him while Carlyle replies. “So, definitely nothing to worry about then? Ashildr’s been worrying about—” He cuts himself off.
Kathy frowns, she’ll have to ask about that. “Tell her not to worry. Everything is going to be fine. We will sort it out. Say hi to Me for me?”
Carlyle huffs and is obviously rolling her eyes. She didn’t call her daughter-in-law Ashildr like she usually does so as not to give the Doctor any clues. Her son replies that he will and both say their goodbyes.
“Who's ‘Me’?” He asks, folding his arms across his chest as he rests back against the large wooden desk.
“Uh, the team mascot?” Kathy tells him innocently, trying not to smile too much at him.
“So what do we do now?” Harriet questions worriedly.
——
Through the rest of the night, as the UN votes whether or not to grant England the power to use nukes, Rose and Kathy end up playing hangman to entertain themselves as all of them wait for an update on what is happening in the outside world. Trapped inside the metal box of theirs. They'd invited Harriet and the Doctor to join, but Harriet had politely refused, and the Doctor had simply shaken his head, leaning against the wall with crossed arms and a dark expression as he watches them. From time to time their game is interspersed with updates from the news anchors reporting on the situation. The U.N. has still not come to a conclusion on the nuclear codes. But it is imminent that the codes will be released with the whole world filled with dread over the 'alien threat'.
Morning comes and Rose's mobile starts to go off again. The Doctor answers it on the speaker.
“All right, Doctor, I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do,” Jackie speaks.
“If we ferment the port, we could make acetic acid,” Harriet suggests tentatively.
Rose shakes her head. “Wouldn't be enough to take care of 'em all.” She replies. “Mickey, any luck?”
“There's loads of emergency numbers, but they're all on voicemail.” He tells her.
“Voicemail dooms us all.” Harriet moans, pouring herself yet another glass of port. Kathy has lost count of how many the woman has thrown down her throat now, but it is quite a few.
The Doctor is still quiet, slumping against the wall in deep thought. Kathy goes over to him and touches his arm, looking carefully into his eyes. “I know what you're thinking. It's all right. Go ahead and tell them.”
“Tell us what?” Harriet asks, looking over at them curiously. Rose stares at them as well, seeing the plan forming in the Doctor's eyes.
“You don't want them to die.” The Doctor speaks quietly in Kathy’s head.
“I don't want anyone to die. But… I know, from experience, when the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” She responds.
The Doctor gives a small chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. “You're quoting Star Trek now?”
“Oi, it's a good line.” She laughs, smiling as she is glad she could bring some humour to him. “But it's true. You and I both know that.”
“Guys, stop doing that.” Rose interrupts with a small smile that’s quickly replaced by a frown. “Tell us what?”
“There's a way out.” The Doctor tells them out loud, sounding grave. “There's always been a way out.”
“Then why don't we use it?” Rose asks, now showing that she is annoyed that neither of them had bothered to mention it before.
That is when the Doctor steps forward towards the table, and Kathy follows. “Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe.” He admits to Jackie on the other end of the phone line.
“Don't you dare!” The woman hisses at him. “Whatever it is, don't you dare!”
“That's the thing.” The Doctor tells her solemnly. “If I don't dare, everybody dies.”
“Hey, Jackie, I made you a promise, remember?” Kathy says in reassurance. “I'm not about to break it now. Your daughter will be fine. We'll keep her safe.”
“I can't guarantee any of us will make it out of here, Kathy.” The Doctor says sternly.
“Well, I can.” She replies. She stared at him squarely, keeping her gaze even with his. “You need to learn to trust me, Doctor. I trust you more than anyone else in the universe. All I ask is that you give me a chance and learn to trust me as well.”
He stares at her for a few seconds, feeling stunned that she trusts him that greatly. “You really trust me that much?” He asks in bewilderment.
“Yes. More than anything.” She replies with a smile.
He smiles back, nodding. “All right, then, I trust you.” He says.
“I trust you, too,” Rose adds, nodding to them both. “Do it. Whatever it is, do it. I trust you both with my life.”
“You'd trust us? Just like that?” The Doctor asks, looking at her in disbelief.
Rose nods firmly. “Yeah.” She responds, sounding as though it would be something obvious. The Doctor looks at the companion, stunned for a moment, then smiles.
“Except it's not your decision, Doctor, Kathy. It's mine.” Harriet speaks, finally taking a stand in the matter.
“And who the hell are you?” Jackie demands over the phone, sounding angry now.
“Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people for the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it.”
The woman’s confidence and fire may seem rather admirable to most but Kathy sees someone who would go that one step further, and that isn't always a good thing.
All the Doctor can do is smile, because he knows he can’t refuse.
——
“How do we get out?” Rose asks, sitting on the table as the Doctor grabs the Emergency Protocols briefcase off the table, and places them in front of him. Harriet and Kathy stand behind him.
“We don't. We stay right here. Exactly where we are.” Kathy explains while the Doctor begins to look through all the papers. “Mickey, now it's your time to shine. Do exactly what the Doctor tells you, no matter what got it?”
“All right, what do you want me to do?” He asks.
“The Council is voting. The results should be known any second now.” The news anchor says over the phone.
The Doctor sends Mickey to the required website and checks a few things in the emergency protocols. “Use the buffalo password. It overrides everything.”
“What are you doing?” They faintly hear Jackie ask.
“Hacking into the Royal Navy.” He tells her, before typing away at his keyboard. “We're in. Here it is. HMS Taurean, Trafalgar Class submarine, ten miles off the coast of Plymouth.”
“Right, we need to select a missile.” The Doctor tells him.
“We can't go nuclear. We don't have the defence codes.” Mickey protested.
“We don't need it, Mickey. All we need is an ordinary missile.” Kathy tells him. “Just select Sub Harpoon, UGM-A4A.” She adds, getting a little ahead of everything.
“I could stop you,” Jackie says in the background, but not in an angry or commanding kind of way.
“Do it then.” Mickey dares her.
The Doctor pauses, but nothing happens save for her quiet sniffles. “Ready for this?”
Mickey blows out a sharp breath. “Yeah.”
“Mickey the idiot, the world is in your hands.” He says, earning a poke in the ribs from Kathy. She gives him a rather fierce glare, a sure warning that he is going to get more than just a jab in the side if he isn't careful.
The tension is thick in the air now, and everyone is watching the Doctor.
“Fire.”
Jackie can be heard panicking in the background, stricken with worry over her daughter's wellbeing. Even with Kathy's promise, the mother still feels that her daughter's safety is on the line.
“Right, you lot, come and help me,” Kathy tells them, hurriedly going over to the cupboard. “We need to get everything out. It's going to be the only place safe for us.”
“Will this work?” Harriet asks.
“Yep. I made a promise didn't I?” Kathy replies, throwing out different boxes. Harriet and Rose help her, rapidly tossing out the supplies from the cupboard.
Mickey keeps them informed of the missile's tracking. He stops any other defence missiles that try to stop it, making sure it stays locked on target and heading straight for them. The Doctor unplugs the mobile from the speaker, keeping it with him as he walks around helping the others empty the rest of the cupboard. Mickey tells him that the missile is incoming, right at their doorstep. They all rush into the cupboard, slamming the door closed behind them. Crouching down under a shelf, they hold onto each other's hands tightly, waiting for impact.
Then the missile hits.
The entire place erupts around them. Kathy closes her eyes as the walls shake, a loud roaring filling her ears and all sense of direction slipping away. She tries to brace herself as best as she can, a pained whimper slipping out as the cupboard shakes and then rolls through the remains of the building inside its steel shell. She feels herself slamming into different shelves in the room as she and the others scream. It is like being stuck inside a waterless washing machine, spinning around over and over with no end in sight.
It feels like it will never stop until, finally, everything comes to a rest. Kathy lies where she landed in stunned silence for a minute as papers slowly float down around her, marvelling at their survival, and blinking up the ceiling which, she is pretty sure, had used to be a wall.
“Is– is everyone all right?” Kathy asks weakly. There is a series of groans given. She laughs weakly. “Guess that means 'yes'.” She sits up, feeling her brown hair is a nest on her head with how wild it has become from the tumble. Rose is by her feet, curled up into a ball and holding her side. “You okay, Rose?”
“Yeah, just hit my side on a shelf.” The girl groans, rubbing at her side as she sits up.
“Doctor?” Kathy asks, looking over to see the Doctor is by her head. He is sprawled out, blinking as he stares at the ceiling.
A small laugh comes out of him before he bursts out into a fit. He shakes his head, still laughing as he sits up. “I can't believe it worked!” He exclaims merrily.
“You really did know that everything would be all right,” Harriet speaks to Kathy, standing up in the small space. “How did you know that would work?”
“I know things,” Kathy states.
She pulls herself up, wincing at the new bruises along her sides which are making themselves known. She offers Rose a hand and she accepts it gratefully.
The Doctor pushes the door off its hinges. It falls at their feet, letting them see out into a completely levelled building. Smoke drifts over the blackened remains while some spots are still on fire from the missile's impact. Papers flutter over twisted girdles and rubble. The cabinet room shielded by the three-inch steel is all that’s left. 10 Downing Street is gone.
Soldiers stand off in the distance, cordoning off the street from the gathering crowds and barking commands.
Harriet looks around, then at their still intact hiding spot. “Made in Britain.” She says proudly.
“For once.” Kathy quips.
They look up as a soldier, a sergeant by his badge, comes running towards them. “Are you all right?” He asks breathlessly.
Harriet nods at him and pulls out her ID badge. “Harriet Jones. MP for Flydale North. I want you to contact the UN immediately. Tell the ambassadors the crisis is over and they can step down. Go on, tell the news!” She orders him crisply.
The soldier snaps a salute. “Yes Ma'am!” He agrees, hurrying away.
“Someone's got a heck of a job sorting this lot out.” Harriet comments, surveying the wreckage. “Oh, Lord. We haven't even got a Prime Minister.”
“Maybe you should have a go.” The Doctor suggests.
“Me?” She scoffs. “I'm only a back-bencher.” She declares, shaking her head dismissively.
“I'd vote for you,” Rose adds.
Harriet merely laughs again at such a silly notion, shaking her head. She goes to go off and see where she can help with the emergency crew, and possibly calm the citizens down.
Kathy stares solemnly at her. “Harriet.” She calls out, making the woman stop for a moment. Harriet turns to Kathy curiously while Kathy gives her sort of a sad gaze. “Be careful about the choices you make. You never know where they could lead you.” Harriet nods, walking off to continue her task.
“I thought I knew the name.” The Doctor says as they begin to walk through the rubble. They stare down the street, watching Harriet address the news reporters graciously. “Harriet Jones—future Prime Minister, elected for three successive terms, the architect of Britain's Golden Age.”
Once they are a safe distance away from the scene, the Doctor turns to the two of them. “So, you both all right?” He asks. Kathy can tell from his tone that he’s going for casual. It’s not working but Kathy shrugs it off.
Rose lets out a sigh. “Yeah, oh be glad to get home.”
“What about you, you all right?” The Doctor asks, giving Kathy a nudge.
Kathy sighs, stretching her arms out before she throws them round both the Doctor's and Rose's waists. “I don't know about you two… but I could really go for some chips and a bath.” The Doctor and Rose burst out in laughter, nodding as well.
“Oh, god, yes,” Rose says, wincing as she gives herself a sniff. “Really need that bath badly. Ugh.”
——
Jackie and Rose come out of the complex with Kathy following, heading towards where the Doctor and Mickey stand beside the TARDIS. In contrast to Jackie's expression of devastation, Rose beside her has a bright smile on her face, looking absolutely giddy, and eager to get going. The girl carries a whole bag of things to go on her journey in the TARDIS.
Jackie is relieved to see Rose, along with Kathy, alive, but is then devastated by Rose deciding that she still wants to go travelling with the Doctor.
“Rose, please, I'll get a proper job. I'll work weekends, I'll pass my test.” Jackie pleads rapidly then, turning to her daughter, pleading to the girl. “Kathy tell her. And if Jim comes round again, I'll say no. I really will.”
“Mum, I'm not leaving 'cause of you.” Rose sighs in exasperation. “I'm travelling, that's all, and then I'll come back.” Rose gives her mother a kiss of reassurance on the cheek and gives Kathy a tight hug, beaming away as she bounces off to go towards where Mickey and the Doctor are.
Jackie isn't ready to give up just yet. “But it's not safe.”
“Mum, if you saw it out there you'd never stay home.”
The Doctor is ready to break it up before a fight starts between the two blondes. “Got enough stuff?” He asks, getting Rose's attention.
Straight away she takes off the rucksack and bungees it into the Doctor's arms, taking him by surprise. “Last time I stepped in there, it was a spur of the moment. Now I'm signing up. You're both stuck with me.” She says, adding a little laugh.
“I have reminded her that she’s seen the wardrobe in there,” Kathy tells the Doctor, rubbing her hand on the corner of the blue box, saying hello. She hears a happy hum coming from the TARDIS.
Rose turns to trying to convince Mickey to come with them and the Doctor shuts it down because Mickey had asked, doing Mickey a really big favour. Kathy is kind of proud of him for that. It takes the Doctor a lot to admit that Mickey isn't just a 'stupid ape' who is blundering around, he is smarter than he looks.
Jackie meanwhile turns towards Kathy, her eyes swimming with desperation. “What if she gets lost? What if something happens to the Doctor, you’re not around and she's left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away? How long do I wait then?”
“Jackie, maybe the Doctor can't promise she’ll be fine, but I can. Remember? I can promise you that Rose will always be able to get back to you. Always.” Even after everything that is going to happen, Rose is going to end up with her mother, safe, and happy. “No, it isn't safe out there. No, there is absolutely no guarantee that she won't get hurt at some point. I mean, the Doctor and I are getting hurt all the time by something, but we survive. But she will always come back, she will always come home, to you.”
Jackie nods, smiling tearfully. She doesn’t look fully reassured but looks less panicked than before. Kathy, relieved by this, turns to the others. Rose is giving Mickey a quick kiss on the lips.
“Till the next time, Doctor.” She hugs him and he blinks in surprise before returning it. He gives her a small smile when they pull back.
“Till the next time, Kathy.”
“You better bring her back soon. I don't want to have to wait another year to see my daughter.” Jackie says sternly to the Doctor.
“And I keep saying, that was a mistake.” The Doctor sighs in exasperation. He forces a grin on his face. “I have a time machine. I'll bring Rose back in ten seconds from now. All right?”
He then walks into the TARDIS without a single backward glance. Kathy can only sigh and shake her head. There is really a lot more he could do to help ease Jackie's worries. But, she knows that just isn't how he is.
Jackie and Rose hug, and then Rose follows the Doctor into the TARDIS. Mickey gives a little wave. The TARDIS dematerialises. Jackie looks at her watch.
“Ten seconds.” She says despondently.
“Hey,” Kathy rubs her shoulder, “why don’t the three of us order a Chinese and watch Coronation Street? On me. Yeah?”
The others nod and the trio walk back into the complex together.