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The Doctor turned and faced the fam as the TARDIS landed at their newest destination, a big grin on her face which always became contagious to anyone else around. She breezed past them and pushed open the TARDIS doors.
“Welcome to Jemania!” She exclaimed.
“What?” Questioned Ryan.
“Jemania,” repeated The Doctor, “A land of gems.”
Yaz was taken aback by the beauty of the place. The sky was splattered with bright blue, pink, and purple and a dash of yellow, all swirling together to make mesmerizing streaks and designs in the sky. The sun was a beautiful marble of orange and yellow, shining brightly in the sky. Yet it wasn’t letting off intense heat. It was comfortably warm. A nice contrast from the wintery planet they’d been stuck on for over a week thanks to a TARDIS malfunction. Graham, while happy to be on a warm planet, could care less about the beauty of the place when his stomach was grumbling so demandingly at him.
“Does this planet have restaurants, Doc? I’m starvin’. Ate my last pickle and cheese sandwich a few hours ago.”
“This planet has plenty of restaurants! Brilliant food served on gorgeous gem plates. Go explore! Have some fun. I need to get a few things for the TARDIS while we’re here. Meet back here at nightfall! We’ll have the best spot for star gazing. Think this place is beautiful now? Wait till nightfall. Later gang!” The Doctor grinned before running off, leaving her gang to their own business.
Graham was first to disappear, heading off to find one of these brilliant restaurants The Doctor bragged about. Ryan was next to wander off, undecided about where he wanted to go first. The last to wander off was Yaz. She decided to head for the shops and see what they offered here. The Doctor had given them a pocket full of money to have fun with. Why not take advantage?
x
Maya grinned devilishly from her hiding spot as she watched The Doctor and her gang split up. They would all be vulnerable. Perfect. Though, she could care less about the men in the group. The Doctor didn’t seem as attached to them as she was to Yaz. She’d been stalking them enough to see how the women looked at each other. Maya’s real target was The Doctor. But snatching her now would be too easy. She preferred taking the more torturing route for this victim, and that was to take the companion she was closest to.
She quietly emerged from her hiding spot as Yaz disappeared into the city. She had been here before and knew the place well. But it had been a while since she had stopped by, so she’d take her time to browse the shops and stalk her soon-to-be hostage more closely.
x
There seemed to be stores every where Yaz looked. There was a store for everything from jewelry to portable vehicles like hoverboards. There was even a sex store she had accidentally wandered into, a crimson colored gem collar catching her eye before she found her way out. She briefly imagined said collar on The Doctor, and her face almost got as dark as the collar.
She wandered into every store that appealed to her, taking her time to look around and eventually buy a couple of things. Much to Yaz’s surprise, they had a lot of clothing that suited her lifestyle with The Doctor. Comfortable yet flexible enough for the crazy adventures they were often thrown into.
It was after the tenth store she decided to take a food break. She found a small cafe just a few stores down from this planet’s version of Hot Topic. She ordered herself a simple lunch and found a table with a nice view. Maya ordered herself a small lunch as well and decided now was the best time to approach her hostage-to-be.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” She asked politely.
Yaz looked up from her food and briefly studied the mystery woman.
“Not at all,” replied Yaz with a smile.
“Thanks.”
Maya sat down across from her and quietly began eating. It was the first time she’d eaten today.
“What’s your name?” asked Yaz.
Maya swallowed her first bite before replying.
“May,” she said. A nickname of hers.
“Nice to meet you May. ‘M Yaz.”
“Nice to meet you Yaz.” Maya smiled.
The women shook hands before they continued eating. They let the silence make itself comfortable between them as they ate, both hungry from their constant walking.
“So, do you come here alone?” Maya asked.
“No. I came with a group of friends. Today’s like a day off for us from our busy lifestyle. How about yourself?”
“Same here, except I come alone.”
Maya’s job of being an assassin meant a life of lots of traveling. A lot of the time it was solo traveling, not that she minded. But sometimes she liked some company. So she’d either go back to her organization’s location and see her friends or stop at a planet and meet a new friend to hang out with for the day before wiping their memory that night.
Yaz and Maya finished their lunch and threw away their trash before Yaz invited her new friend to continue shopping with her. Maya grinned at the offer, happily obliging. She loved when hostages walked into their own trap.
“I’ve been here before. Why don’t I show you to some of my favorite stores around here?” suggested Maya.
“I would love that.” Yaz smiled.
Maya stayed honest to her word and took Yaz to a couple of stores. Yaz bought a few things for herself and a couple of things she was confident The Doctor would like. Maya bought a few things as well to keep up the act. After those couple of stores, Maya slowly led her away from the busy streets towards the quieter ones as the evening approached. Yaz noticed this and questioned May on where they were headed.
“There’s a beautiful garden and art gallery this way. I thought you’d like some quiet after spending so long in the busy streets.”
“Is it too much further? I promised my friends I’d meet them at nightfall.”
“No, not much further now,” replied Maya.
When they arrived at this “garden and art gallery,” Yaz was disappointed to see that they hadn’t arrived there at all. Instead, there were woods in the distance. She frowned in confusion.
“May, where’s the-“
Yaz was interrupted when a strong hand covered her mouth and another pinned her firmly against the chest of another person. A woman. May.
“May?!”
Yaz’s voice was muffled by the hand. Immediately, Yaz struggled against her attacker but to no avail. It was like struggling against tightly bound rope. But she didn’t stop. Maya realized she couldn’t drag Yaz, so she effortlessly picked her up in her pinned position and carried the struggling woman to her TARDIS.
“LET ME GO!” Yaz screamed against her hand.
Maya did. But not in the way Yaz imagined. Maya threw her in her TARDIS, their bags of merchandise scattering across the floor. Yaz immediately headed for the door but was stopped by Maya, who suddenly had a syringe in her hand. Yaz’s eyes widened and she stepped back. Where had that come from? Before Yaz could ask questions, Maya plunged the needle of it into the side of Yaz’s neck and administered the serum. Yaz winced.
“Shhh...sleep now, Yasmin Khan,” Maya said quietly.
Moments later, the world around Yaz went black.
x
An hour passed and nightfall finally arrived. The Doctor was first to arrive at The TARDIS, putting away what she had gotten that day. Ryan and Graham returned together with food and a couple shopping bags. The Doctor was happy to see them but frowned at Yaz’s absence.
“Where’s Yaz?”
“I don’t know. I briefly seen her a couple of times but that was all. She was with someone the last time I seen her,” said Graham.
“What did this other person look like?”
“Brown hair. Definitely female,” said Ryan.
“How do you know it was another female?”
“Because she had really long hair and a sway in her walk.”
The Doctor nodded. “Have you tried calling her?”
“No answer,” said Graham.
The Doctor frowned again. That wasn’t like Yaz at all. She walked in the TARDIS. She had to know where Yaz was. The time machine was always keeping tabs on their whereabouts. Except the TARDIS didn’t know where Yaz was. That’s when the worry struck and a bad feeling brewed in her gut. Something was wrong with Yaz and they had to find her.
x
Yaz slowly regained her consciousness, moaning at the light grogginess still nagging at her. She looked around as she tried to remember what had happened. Only flashes of the day appeared behind her eyelids but it was enough to give her an idea of the situation she was currently in. May had kidnapped her.
“You’ve finally woken. Have a nice snooze?” Maya smiled briefly.
Yaz flinched. She hadn’t even noticed the woman there. Too quiet to be detected. Or she was too dazed to study her surroundings. She tried to move and looked down at her newly tied hands. She tried again, and saw her ankles were tied too. She started to get frantic until Maya laid a hand on her.
“What’d you do to me? Why am I here?” asked Yaz.
“Just gave you a little somethin’ to take a quick nap. You looked tired. As for why you’re here, that’s more complicated. I’m surprised you were so easy to snatch though. I thought police officers on Earth were trained better than that.”
Yaz froze.
“How’d you know that?”
“Oh, I know a lot about you Yasmin Khan.”
Maya put her hand under her chin so their eyes met, her thumb softly stroking the skin. She smiled.
“I know a lot about your friends, too. Been following you guys around for some time. Glad to see everything went okay on that frozen planet you were stuck on. You seemed to get pretty cozy with The Doctor.”
Yaz broke eye contact and blushed at the memories. She had cuddled with The Doctor a lot during that time to stay warm, which lead to The Doctor rambling about her specie’s superior biology and how they didn’t get cold as easily as humans. It had kept them both awake and a bit distracted until day broke and The Doctor could fix the TARDIS.
“What do you want with me?” Yaz’s tone was a little firmer now, and she met Maya’s gaze.
“You’re like my bargaining chip, Yaz. Bait would be a nice way of describing your purpose too. I see how much The Doctor favors you. She’ll cooperate with me if she knows your life is at stake.”
“Why do you need her?”
“Her long life has led to a long list of crimes, Yasmin Khan. Some crimes more serious than others. She’s been running for a long time. But I’ve got her now, and I’m not stopping until I get her. She needs to pay for what she’s done.”
The Doctor? A criminal? Yaz knew The Doctor did questionable things at times but she didn’t seem like the type to commit crimes. Especially not a list of them.
“You’re lying.”
“I partially lied to you on Jemania, but I’m telling the truth now.”
“Where are we?”
“In my TARDIS, on another planet.”
Yaz’s eyes widened briefly. A TARDIS? That could only mean...
“You’re a time lord?”
“Not full time lord, but yes.”
Maya let go of her chin. Yaz squirmed as Maya eyed her like a piece of meat. It made Yaz uncomfortable.
“Quit looking at me like that,” she snapped.
“And what if I don’t?”
Yaz spat on her. Without missing a beat, Maya slapped her across the face, startling her into silence. The whole side of Yaz’s face stung from the intensity of the slap. Tears brimmed her eyes.
“Be careful with your actions, Yasmin. I’m the one with all the power.”
The assassin smiled darkly. She untied her ankles and forced her on her feet.
“Let’s go make your friends a nice video. You’re in a lovely condition to do so.”
Maya forced her out of the room she was in and towards the console room.
x
The Doctor, Ryan, and Graham spent over two hours searching Jemania high and low for Yaz, only for them to return to the TARDIS empty handed. The Doctor led the way into the TARDIS. A beep announcing a new message got her attention. She rushed over, thinking that maybe Yaz had messaged the TARDIS. But she was very wrong. A video appeared on screen.
“If you’re as predictable as I assume you still are, Doctor, you’ve just spent a few hours looking for someone who belongs with you?”
Maya smiled devilishly and forced a tearful Yaz on her feet. The Doctor let out a quiet gasp while Graham and Ryan stood with open mouths.
“It’s safe to say I found her long before you did. And you’ve just wasted precious time looking for her. If you don’t know who I am, Doctor, I’m part of the Quiston Calcium Assassins and my target is you. We both know the long crime list you hold. I must admit ‘s pretty impressive. But it’s time to stop running and face your punishment. You have three days to turn yourself in to me. But you have to find me first. If you fail to show up, then I get to decide Yaz’s fate.”
Maya grabbed Yaz by her hair and forced her to her knees. She bit the inside of her cheek to stay silent and tried to keep a strong facade but the look in her eyes betrayed her. Could The Doctor save her in time?
“I look forward to meeting you, Doctor. Otherwise, you lose a special friend.”
Maya made her hand change into a bear’s paw, the claws razor sharp. She wasn’t just a time lord. She was a born shapeshifter who had incredible control over what parts of her body she could change. One scratch from her and Yasmin would be infected. Yaz’s scream echoed through Maya’s TARDIS before the video ended.
“No!” The Doctor yelled.
She looked at her reflection on the black screen, unable to see herself clearly because of the tears that threatened to fall. After thirteen regenerations, she still hadn’t learned to stop picking up companions and making them suffer for things she had done. The Doctor balled her hands into fists and closed her eyes tightly. Her emotions were high now. They threatened to break out of the area she had them contained in.
“Doc, what did that girl mean?”
“We’ve been travelin’ with a criminal?”
“No,” The Doctor’s voice was firm, “Some of my actions over my lives may seem questionable to many, but many of those actions were to save the universe or to save a planet. If it wasn’t for me, the universe would be gone by now.”
Her voice trembled now. Ryan was hesitant to believe her, but Graham wasn’t. This extraordinary woman had saved them in Sheffield a few years back. She let them into her life and had always kept her promise of keeping them safe. Sometimes that promise had been stretched but none of them had died. Injuries were part of this lifestyle but Graham wouldn’t have it any other way if it meant The Doctor wasn’t with them. They were family. No one got left behind no matter what. Graham stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I believe you Doc,” he said quietly.
Ryan struggled to. The Doctor has been great to them and all, but everyone had skeletons in the closet. He disappeared down the corridor that led to his room to process this.
“Come on. We ain’t got no more time to waste.”
“Yeah, let’s get a shift on,” The Doctor whispered, not trusting her voice to speak any higher.
The couple of days that followed were solely focused on chasing this assassin. A shapeshifting Quiston assassin was rare and aggressive. They never liked to leave witnesses and they always brutally murdered. If they didn’t kill, then they wiped your mind and made you work for them. Graham never left the console room. If he slept, it was in the chair by the console. Ryan eventually came out and lended a hand. Whatever The Doctor’s past was, he could accept it, right? The Doctor was quite accepting of them in her TARDIS and part of her life. She was accepting of a lot of things. He could try to be too. The Doctor didn’t think of food or sleep at all. Adrenaline was going through her nonstop, making it impossible for her to sit still. A couple of times she had been incredibly close to having Yaz. So close that she had seen her and just before she could touch her, she was gone. It was Maya’s way of teasing The Doctor, seeing what it would take to break her. But the Time Lady wasn’t giving up. She wouldn’t let the demons of her past take yet another one of her friends. But catching this assassin wasn’t easy. She was always on the move. She never stayed still long enough for The Doctor to get a good signal from her TARDIS. She was smart, The Doctor would give her that.
x
Yaz wasn’t much better than The Doctor. She hadn’t eaten since Jemania and was drained from all the teleporting Maya forced her to do. More than once, The Doctor had been so close to her and every time Yaz would scream in desperation before Maya brought her back. It was agony. But she didn’t lose hope. Deep down, she knew The Doctor would save her. She always did.
Maya came in her small room with a tray that contained breakfast. Yaz instinctively moved to the area of the bed furthest from the assassin. Maya made no move suggesting she was coming for her though. She placed the tray on the bed and looked at the young woman.
“Enjoy. I’ll be back shortly.”
She left the room. Yaz moved closer to the tray and studied its contents. Another warm meal with a smell that was hard to resist. Her stomach grumbled painfully. She rested a hand on it.
‘Spose a bite wouldn’t hurt,” she said quietly.
She picked up the fork and slowly took a bite. Just a small one. Flavor bursted in her mouth. One bite turned into the whole tray being cleaned off. She took a last sip of water as Maya came back in the room. The assassin was surprised at what she saw.
“Finally couldn’t resist the smell, huh?”
Yaz didn’t reply. She only moved into that little corner of the bed furthest from Maya again. The assassin climbed on the bed, further forcing Yaz into the corner. She grabbed Yaz’s wrist to cuff it again. Instead of submission from the hostage, she was given a fight. Yaz pulled her wrist away and punched the assassin in the face. Maya was taken aback by the move, her vision going cloudy as tears welled up in her eyes. Yaz went one step further and shoved Maya away from her. She moved quickly off the bed and ran out of the room. A growl of anger came from Maya’s throat as her vision cleared up. The time she’d sat there had given Yaz precious moments to hide. Except it didn’t matter. Maya was good at tracking her prey. It was engraved in a shapeshifter’s DNA to track well. It was part of their survival. She didn’t have to travel far before she found her stubborn hostage. And this time, Maya made sure she couldn’t run off. She picked her up by her throat and shoved her against the wall. Yaz gasped for air and desperately clawed at Maya’s hand.
“Don’t you dumb humans ever learn? You’ve got nowhere to hide on this ship, Yasmin Khan. Fighting will only make your experience here worse.”
She let Yaz fall to the ground. Yaz coughed and gasped for air while Maya cuffed her and dragged her by her hair to the console room. She made her sit on the uncomfortable ground.
“‘S been two days, Yaz. Only one more day before I get to decide your fate. Still hopeful your beloved The Doctor is going to save you?”
Maya moved around the console as she spoke, pushing a few buttons, flipping switches and pulling a lever. She was deciding on where to tease The Doctor with Yaz today.
“The Doctor is the definition of impossible. In moments like this, she can pull through.”
“Getting all inspirational on me, are you now?”
Yaz didn’t answer.
Minutes passed in silence. Yaz watched Maya’s face slowly soften as she watched the console, her hand brushing against her clothed stomach. The woman she faced minutes ago didn’t look like the woman in front of her now. She looked different. Nicer, almost. Like the tough attitude was just a facade to hide who she really was. Was she being forced to do this?
“Get up,” she said suddenly.
Maya forced Yaz to her feet as her TARDIS materialized at their destination.
“Where are we?”
“You’ll see.”
Maya took her outside of the TARDIS. Yaz looked around. Her squinted eyes met two suns and a beautiful orange sky. Yaz frowned in confusion.
“Where are we?” She asked.
“Gallifrey,” replied Maya. “Home of The Doctor.”
They were in a rural part of Gallifrey. No one would find them here unless they were looking to cause trouble. Or if they were a certain Time lord looking for their companion. Maya led Yaz to a metallic spot that looked out of place on the ground. Quiston had placed some paralysis fields out here to be used as punishment for Quiston Assassins and their targets. Yaz didn’t have time to ask what it was because as soon as she stepped on it, she found herself unable to move anything except her eyes. Eyes that were now wide and frightful. What was this woman going to do next?
“I wonder what The Doctor will think to see you in this paralysis field,” Maya wondered aloud.
She’ll be furious, Yaz thought to herself.
Maya smirked at her as if she could hear her thoughts before she left her alone in the hot Gallifrey sun. Yaz couldn’t move to watch her leave. She could only hear the faint closing of a TARDIS door. The afternoon sun made Yaz unable to see a lot of what was in front of her. But from the mountains she could see, Gallifrey was a beautiful place. She wondered what was so bad about this place that made The Doctor not want to bring them here. She closed her eyes when the sun’s power became too much to handle.
'Help me, Doctor.' Yaz thought to herself.
x
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The haunting beeps of the TARDIS were the only thing killing the silence of the room. She was signaling that she was low on fuel. TARDISes could go quite some time before having to be refueled. Long enough for The Doctor to forget about the tank apparently. Since they had been chasing the assassin, they were traveling from one place to another with hardly a break in-between. And she was traveling very quickly, which took up fuel quicker. If she ran out of fuel now, she would have to materialize at the nearest Temporal Rift to refuel and they didn’t have time for that. To save power and fuel, The Doctor had cut power from a variety of things including the game room- much to Ryan’s disapproval-, the karaoke room, a few of the kitchens, some corridor lights, and even some of the lights in the console room.
But all of a sudden, it happened.
The beeping changed. The Doctor nearly flew out of her chair. This beeping was a good beep!
“What is it, Doc?” Graham sat up in his seat.
“The TARDIS has a steady signal on Yaz’s location,” replied The Doctor.
“Do we have enough fuel to even get there?” Asked Ryan.
“I don’t know. But we have to try.”
The signal was coming from a place far away from where they were. The Doctor’s face had fallen when she realized where they’d be headed: Home. Her home. The place she had worked all her lives to come back to but now she was trying to avoid it again. She forced a smile on her face and turned to briefly face Ryan and Graham.
“Let’s get a shift on.”
She pulled down on a single lever, and they were off.
It felt like an eternity before she heard the TARDIS materialize at their destination. Ryan and Graham stood to follow The Doctor before she stopped them.
“I need to do this alone,” she said.
“But you’ve gone alone all the other times and always came back empty handed,” replied Ryan.
“I know. But this time, I really need to go alone.”
The Doctor looked at them.
“Trust me.”
Ryan and Graham slowly sat back down and watched The Doctor leave the TARDIS. The Doctor squinted as she stepped into the bright Gallifrey suns. She took a deep breath. Home. Never again did she think she’d breathe in the air from here. The air which belonged to the high council who hated her so much. The Doctor looked around. They were in a rural part of Gallifrey. Lots of punishments happened out here, away from people so no one would hear the screams. She began to walk away from the TARDIS, listening for anything out of the ordinary. A faint hum in the far distance manage to catch the attention of her ears. She perked up a bit and followed the sound. As the humming grew louder, her hearts sank as she recognized what it belonged to. A paralysis field. Her pace quickened into a brisk jog but she stopped in her tracks a moment later when she finally saw the paralysis field and who was in it.
“Yaz,” she murmured sadly.
The assassin behind this would pay. They would see a side of The Doctor they had only heard about. The time lord ran up to the paralysis field.
“Yaz?”
“Mm,” Yaz replied lazily.
“Oh good, still conscious. I’m gonna get you out. Hang on.”
The Doctor moved in such a way to retrieve her sonic that she triggered something beneath her, and a blinding white light took over her vision. They had been suddenly teleported somewhere. The dark laugh of a female could be heard moments later, and The Doctor looked up with squinted eyes to find the assassin who had started this mess.
“Maya Carson.”
“Doctor. It’s a pleasure to finally meet Quiston’s most wanted.”
Maya forced The Doctor’s hands behind her back and cuffed them tightly. She forced her against the wall beside Yaz, who was a little more composed now. The Doctor looked at her. She looked a little broken but not shattered. The time lord had seen her companion look better to say the least.
“You alright?”
“I’ll be fine,” Yaz responded quietly.
“Ah, save your chit chat. You’ll get time to catch up,” Maya said as her TARDIS dematerialized.
“Where are we going?” Asked The Doctor.
“Quiston, of course. My mission is done,” she smiled.
“Let Yaz go. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“She does now. She knows too much to be released.”
The Doctor felt a hard tug at her hearts as her brain registered what that meant for Yaz. Death.
There was quite a crowd when Maya’s TARDIS materialized in front of Quiston. She materialized here purposely just so everyone could see her monumental achievement. The Doctor had been the hardest target to locate in Quiston’s long history and Maya had been able to finally catch her. She felt like she deserved to show off a little. The crowd roared in a language Yaz couldn’t understand when Maya forced her out of the TARDIS. The Doctor didn’t try fighting against the assassin once they were in front of the crowd. Any attempt of escape would mean regeneration for her and certain death for Yaz.
Maya led the women to their cell once she let the crowd have a good look. She tossed them in the small, cold room without a word and released them from their cuffs. She closed and firmly locked the door behind her, letting out a deep sigh. Now that her target -and a bonus- was in a cell, it was time for a nice dinner. She briefly pressed her hand against her stomach as she headed for the large cafeteria calling for her.
x
The Doctor and Yaz waited until they heard Maya walk away to get on their feet. They looked at each other before sitting on the cot that would barely fit them. Silence made itself comfortable as minutes passed, The Doctor unsure of what to say. What could she say? They were basically looking death in the eye at this point and it was all her fault. And poor Ryan and Graham....they didn’t realize the trouble she was now in. The Doctor could only hope Quiston didn’t find her TARDIS and take them too. They had nothing to do with this. Neither did Yaz. This was all about The Doctor and the questionable actions she had done in the past. What would her fam think of her now? Ryan and Graham claimed they still wanted to travel with her but did they really mean it? Would they still think the same after this was finished? What did Yaz think? Would their relationship ever be the same again? Would Yaz even want anything to do with her after this? She glanced at her companion, played with her hands in her lap.
“‘M sorry,” The Doctor said quietly, “I failed you.”
Again, she thought to herself. She had failed her fam a few times when her plans didn’t quite work out in precious adventures. But that was forgivable since she had gotten them all out alive. This, this wasn’t forgivable.
“No you didn’t. You came and you got me, just like I knew you would. Maya tried telling me you’d never find me, that she would be deciding my fate. But I didn’t believe her.”
“I came to get you but I didn’t save you. You were only pulled deeper into this mess that doesn’t deal with you.”
“But we’ll find a way out,” said Yaz.
“Not this time I’m afraid,” The Doctor admitted quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Quistons are lethal. If you fight them, they’ll punish you. And since I’m such a high threat to them, they’ll kill me.”
“What did you do to make them want to arrest you?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
The Doctor looked away. There were things in her life she could care less to share with anyone. She traveled the universe to try and make up for the wrongs she had done in her past. But those wrongdoings always seemed to haunt her. The memories would always be there and the damage she had caused would be too. Going to other planets and periods of time wouldn’t change that. She sighed as Yaz moved from beside her to instead lay behind her with her back towards her.
“I’m gonna get some sleep. You should try too,” said Yaz.
“‘M fine, thanks. Maybe later,” replied The Doctor.
There was no way she could sleep now or later. Not when her death finally seemed to be on the horizon. A couple incarnations back, she had said how death would be a gift. She still thought that deep down, but she didn’t think she would ever bring one of her beloved companions to the grave with her. The guilt of that wouldn’t allow her to sleep and neither would her busy mind. It wasn’t long before the quiet noise of Yaz’s breathing filled the room. Breathing was a subconscious thing The Doctor never paid much attention to unless they were in a stressful, possibly deadly situation. Now, the simple noise was enough to make her shed a tear. A tear that turned into a lot of tears. The Doctor counted each salty drop as they hit her legs or the floor. Approximately 900 tears fell from her eyes before they came to a stop. She could see why humans always needed a good sleep after crying. It was quite tiring to do. And yet, she still didn’t sleep.
x
The only interaction she and Yaz had with anyone outside their cell was Maya bringing them food during the couple days that followed. The assassin had even asked what they wanted for their last meal. The Doctor had chosen custard creams and Yaz chose a spicy curry. They both savored that last meal before Yaz got some sleep, leaving The Doctor to endure another night alone within her thoughts. She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep until she was awaken by the feeling of cold cuffs being placed around her wrists and ankles. A chain connected the cuffs on her wrists and ankles, leaving The Doctor with limited mobility. Yaz too.
“Let’s go,” said Maya.
The Doctor was surprised by the gentleness Maya used to force them up off the small bed. She and Yaz followed the assassin obediently. They kept a brave face on, but Yaz’s heart was beating wildly against her ribs. The Doctor, on the other hand, wasn’t sure how she felt. She felt guilty to be the cause of Yaz’s death, of course. But she didn’t know how she felt about finally being led to her own death. She never thought the day would come so she never sat and thought about it. And the time she was given to think about it didn’t give her many answers.
Their walk seemed to go on for ages before Maya finally stopped in front of a large door. The door looked like any other door in this huge place. For a place built for violence and death, The Doctor and Yaz had to admit the place was beautifully designed. Maya led them inside. The room was bigger than Yaz and The Doctor had expected. Though they hadn’t exactly used the past few days of their lives to imagine the final room they’d be seeing. Nor did they imagine the way they’d be executed. The electric chair in the middle of the room made Yaz’s heart drop. She had heard many stories about this method of killing. Some people suffered, having to be electrocuted more than once before their body finally gave out. Others had been luckier, only having to be electrocuted once or twice. Yaz always thought she’d go out in a peaceful way. Dying in her sleep had been the way she always thought she’d go. But since she started traveling with The Doctor, she was aware she could go out in a much different way. She hadn’t expected the way to be so earth-like though. She was pulled from her thoughts when someone was forcing her closer to the chair. Her body went into fight mode. She struggled against Maya’s hold, did whatever she could to put more distance between her and that deadly chair. Yaz was pleading with the assassin without realizing it and her face was becoming wet with tears. Maya fought back, jerking on the chains keeping Yaz within her control. Yaz tried to swing at her with her cuffed hands. Maya dodged the swing and grabbed her by the neck like she had done in her TARDIS a few days ago. She shoved her into the chair and climbed on her to keep her there.
“You wanna die by strangulation or electrocution? Either way, I’ll make your death long and painful,” Maya growled.
She applied more pressure to Yaz’s throat before she could answer. That’s when The Doctor started swinging. And unlike Yaz, her swing made contact with the side of Maya’s head. Maya didn’t budge despite the sudden pain that burst to life in the back of her head. So The Doctor used a more drastic measure. She used the chain connecting her wrist cuffs to her ankle cuffs and wrapped it around Maya’s throat, yanking backwards hard. That got Maya’s attention. She let go of Yaz and let herself fall back on The Doctor which resulted in a tangle of limbs on the floor. Yaz gasped for air. The fall left The Doctor vulnerable for a couple valuable moments Maya used to her advantage and pinned The Doctor on the floor. The Doctor attempted to fight off the assassin as Yaz watched from the electric chair, unable to move from shock and fear. A distant explosion caused the three women to freeze. Maya looked towards the door. Moments later, another explosion happened. This one was closer. Maya was the first to react, moving quickly to remove the cuffs and chains from The Doctor and Yaz. Confusion fell over them.
“Follow me,” said Maya.
She opened the door and looked at them.
“Now! If you want to live.”
Both women hurried to their feet and Maya led the way down the corridor. The Doctor tried ignoring the cries of pain and horror while Yaz was compelled to go towards them to help.
“Ignore them. They’ll be taken care of,” Maya said as if she could read their minds.
They took a turn to head down another corridor when a third explosion was heard from the corridor they’d previously been in. The Doctor and Yaz instinctively ducked and looked behind them before looking back at Maya. Did she know about these explosions? They took a final turn and Maya quickly opened the first door she saw. Inside the room were two TARDISes: hers and The Doctor’s.
“What?” The Doctor questioned.
“Go! We don’t have much time!”
Yaz didn’t question her. She pushed open the TARDIS door before she could change her mind. The Doctor, on the other hand, hesitated.
“Why?”
She was still looking at Maya.
“No time to explain. You’ll find out someday. Hopefully.”
Maya stepped into her TARDIS. The Doctor stood there in shock for a few more moments before finally stepping into hers. Both TARDISes de-materialized in unison. Instead of feeling incredibly relieved like she should, The Doctor was confused. She wanted answers but Maya’s words made it sound like she wouldn’t get any for long while....