Chapter Text
“Everything’s fine!” the Doctor said, trying very hard not to sound like she was panicking.
Ryan, Graham, and Yaz—all grabbing hold of something in the console room as it rocked violently—looked at the Doctor like they knew she was lying.
“Totally fine,” she reiterated, trying to reassure herself. She ran madly around the console, trying to rectify the problem...whatever the problem was. Sparks flew, singeing her fingers. She jumped back with a yelp.
“What’s happening?” Graham asked, yelling over the sound of the cloister bell booming and the engines making a sickly, cacophonous noise.
“It’s, er…” The Doctor tried to understand the readings, but they were all over the place, spiralling out of control.
“You don’t know?” Ryan yelled, an edge of panic starting to creep into his voice.
The Doctor paused to frown at him. “Well give me a minute!”
“We’ve given you at least five!” Graham protested.
There was an especially big bump and a collective yell that followed. The engines began to grate with an ear-piercing noise, rising to a crescendo.
“Hold on,” Yaz said, staring down at her feet. “I feel...weird.”
“Yeah,” Ryan agreed, “sort of tingly?”
The Doctor glanced over herself. “I don’t feel any—” But when she glanced back up again, her friends were gone.
And three others stood in their places.
“Don’t worry, everything is fine.” The Doctor smiled at his companions, trying to convince them (and himself) that he wasn’t panicking.
Nyssa, Adric, and Tegan—all holding tight to the edge of the console as everything turned sideways—didn’t look like they were convinced. Especially Tegan.
“Completely fine,” the Doctor assured. He pressed a few buttons to look like he knew what he was doing and sparks shot at his face. He leaped back with a startled cry.
“What’s wrong with the TARDIS?” Adric called over the sounds of TARDIS machinery going haywire.
The Doctor cleared his throat, mentally willing the TARDIS to give him something, anything to go on. “It’s a, er...time…”
“You don’t know,” Tegan finished, her voice saturated with biting sarcasm.
The Doctor huffed. “Now give me just a minute, and—”
“You’ve already had at least five!” Tegan shot back.
The biggest bump of them all threw both the Doctor and his companions off their feet. The TARDIS engines grated, but with an unusual rattling noise that made the Doctor’s ears ring as it grew louder.
As Nyssa began to right herself, she frowned and looked down at her hands. “I feel...strange.”
Adric wiggled his fingers. “Yes, sort of like a tingling feeling.”
The Doctor glanced down at his own hands. “Well I don’t feel any—” But when he looked up, Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan were gone.
And three others stood where they had been just a moment ago.