Clara had, until the very end of that first night with Danny Pink, thought she had completely blown her chances of a second date. Somehow, though, they had managed to salvage their budding relationship and date number two was almost about to begin. They were going to take it slow, just have dinner and a couple drinks, but that didn't mean Clara couldn't be excited for it. Or dress up in a very casual 'I'm trying to look like I'm not trying while secretly trying' outfit.
First, though, she had to be an adult and clean up her flat. You know, just in case they did end up coming back for coffee and a quick snog. Dishes were done, floor was vacuumed, and she just had one load of washing to put in when she heard the whirring engines of the TARDIS coming in to land in her hallway. She pressed the button on the machine, turning the cycle on. Normally she would be very happy to see Danni, and rather happy to see the Doctor as well, but the fact that she was about to head out on a date again wasn't exactly ideal. She'd have to send them away, and while the Doctor would take it as just a sign to come another day, she knew Danni was still suffering from the hurt of the rejection that Twelve seemed to be putting her through and she didn't want to add to it even more.
She stood up from her crouch just as the kitchen door opened and the Doctor stepped him, "I've got a date tonight." She told him.
"Dressed like that?" He asked, sounding bewildered and Clara shot him a look.
"What's wrong with how I look?" She asked, glancing down. She had thought she'd done rather well with her selection.
The Doctor furrowed his brows as he looked her over. He wasn't sure, really. Her hair didn't look right, for one. Too long and too brown. The suit itself wasn't too bad, but it lacked something. Maybe a skirt, "None of it looks right." He told her, sticking with the one feeling he could put into words, "Maybe you should cut your hair."
Clara just shot him a look, "Why are you here?" She asked, "And why isn't Danni stopping you talking?"
Ah, it seemed like the small talk was at an end. Good, he couldn't understand the point, "She's currently having a long soak in the bath after a day out with her mother." He explained, watching the surprise appear on Clara's face.
"She went out with River?" She asked, amazed.
"It is why I am here." He replied, "I need your help." Normally Clara would have made a joke – something about him always needing help – but the seriousness in his tone made her pause before she did. Her mind immediately flew back to when he had asked her if she thought he was a good man. He had demanded her full attention and deliberation, and she had felt the seriousness behind the question and give it all the respect it deserved. It wasn't very often that the Doctor was knowingly serious, and she took her attention off her date for a moment.
"Let me put the kettle on." She told him gently, "This sounds like we're going to need a cuppa."
~0~0~0~
Clara passed the Doctor his drink, which she had made in the plainest mug she could find. He had moved to the living room, waiting for Clara in silence as he took in the room. She seemed to have a lot of pictures of his wife. He'd removed the only picture of her from the bedroom; that may have been a mistake, but a picture of her couldn't ever replace the woman who was, most likely, just soaking in a bath without a care in her head. Just how it should be.
If he was honest with himself, this whole situation was making him nervous. He needed help, that was painfully evident, but he wasn't exactly happy with admitting something was wrong. But out of everyone he knew, Clara was the best source of information he had. Someone who had absorbed his Eleventh self and all that came before him. He just knew how bad the conversation could turn. And if it got back to Danielle, he wasn't sure if they could recover from that.
"So, how can I help?" Clara asked, sitting on the armchair across from him. The Doctor looked down at his drink, wondering if she'd remembered to put sugar in it.
"I spent three hundred years alone on Trenzalore." He started slowly, "And every moment I spent thinking and worrying about my wife. But, it appears, I may not have kept the memories as close as I thought I had."
Clara frowned slightly, "You think you've forgotten something?" She guessed but he shook his head.
"I know I have." He replied, "Danielle told me she wanted to go see River. In reality, she wanted to see River to ask her to visit my previous body." Clara's eyes widened, leaning in slightly closer as she cupped her own mug in both hands.
"She went to see Eleven?" He nodded.
"She begged, apparently. She does not believe that I…" He trailed off, feeling incredibly uncomfortable expressing his feelings to anyone who wasn't his precious Danielle. His Danielle, who should have known his feelings for her, and yet seemed to be the only one who didn't. And he hadn't seen it for so long that he actually felt like he had failed her.
"She thinks you don't love her anymore." Clara finished, not as a question, or with even the hint of surprise in her voice. She knew, probably because Danielle had told her. The one thing he had promised she should always believe, and he had somehow managed to convince her of the opposite, "Do you blame her?"
His eyes snapped to Clara's. She didn't look surprised or remorseful at her words. If anything she was staring back defiantly at him, almost daring him to object, "What's that supposed to mean?" He challenged.
"What it sounds like." Clara replied, "You left her to the mercy of a half-faced robot-"
"No, I didn't." He interrupted sharply, "If I had gone back for her, then she would have died. I saved her."
"Did you tell her that?" Clara replied, "Or did you just slam the door in her face and run off?"
The Doctor scowled. That was exactly what he had done. He'd told her there was no use all of them being caught, but he didn't explain the reasoning behind the statement, "I'd just regenerated." He offered as an excuse, "It wasn't my finest hour."
"And what about leaving her to go explore a Dalek?" Clara continued, throwing another of his mistakes back at him, "You didn't even ask if she wanted to come. You can't tell someone that you don't want them there and not expect them to take it to heart."
He wanted to tell Clara that he had explained his position on that, and he really had been trying to not be too worried about her. Maybe too hard, maybe he'd overcompensated. That was why he was here; he didn't know anymore.
"My previous body was the one who held her hearts." He started, "He seemed to be able to bewitch her without even trying, and I seem to have forgotten it all. You, however, still seem to have some of him rattling around in that tiny human brain of yours."
"Could have done without the insult," Clara murmured, "And I guess I still have a few of your memories, why?"
"I need you tell me how to make this better." He replied, "What am I doing wrong, because I just seem to be upsetting her."
Clara sat in silence for a moment, observing him closely. She'd seen what his behaviour had done to Danni. It had taken away all of her confidence and turned her back into the shy young – well, not young – woman that she had first met. She didn't stand up for herself anymore, only for others. She would start to feel like he cared, only for him to take it away from her. It made her angry to see him treat her so dismissively.
But the man in front of her wasn't trying to dismiss his wife. He had a heavy weight on his shoulders, his own inability crushing down on him. He didn't want to be dismissive, and it was quite obvious that he was at his last resort asking her.
"I don't know much about your relationship." She told him, "I only have the memories I can barely remember, but I can tell you one thing." She took a sip of her tea, "She just needs to know you love her. Tell her, show her. Hold her hand when she's scared, or when she's not."
He looked decidedly uncomfortable, not at her suggestions in themselves, but at the implications. Eleven had wanted to whole universe to know how much he had loved Danni. He just didn't feel the same. He wanted to keep it secret, to keep her all to himself. The whole universe didn't deserve to know how much he adored her, how his every thought somehow revolved around her, that was nothing to do with anyone else.
But, he had to admit, he'd not considered if Danielle felt the same. Perhaps part of the reason she had been so happy with him was because of the showing off. He probably should ask her, but with all the memories he was sure he'd forgotten over the years, he didn't want to upset her any more. What if they'd already had that conversation, and he just upset her by admitting that he'd forgotten something else?
Maybe that's what upset her in the first place. She'd asked on a couple of occasions if he'd forgotten something, most recently her trip back to the past. Perhaps she was seeing what he could not. She had always known him so well.
"Is that what he would do?" He asked her, the distain heavy in his voice.
"Why don't you like him?" She asked him, "That's not the first time I've heard you talk about him like he's some…" she paused for a moment, trying to think up the best description of the way he spat Eleven's pronoun, "like he's some panto villain. He's you."
Oh, that had definitely not been the right thing to say. Clara watched the Doctor, who had been hunched over in his despair over his disintegrating relationship, sat up straighter, eyes narrowing in anger, "I am not him." He snapped, "You, the universe and Danielle are all better off without him. I'm just not sure how to convince her of that."
Clara snorted, "You're never going to convince her of that." She told him confidently, "She loves all of you, but she spent her entire life with Eleven. What you need to do is convince her that she's not better off without this you."
He wasn't too thrilled at her advice, or the fact that all she did was reaffirm the idea that Danielle would always pine after that moron. The man who had killed her, who had held her hearts and broke them time and time again by leaving her behind. He would never discard her so readily; he was entirely too selfish for that. He didn't want her reliant on him as she had been with his younger selves. No, he wanted her to willingly come to him for help, and only him. That dark, twisted part of him that had him doubting his credentials as a good man wanted her all to himself, and he wanted her to truly want that as well.
Although that could be because they'd not had sex in three hundred years. What he'd give to see her like that again. To see her finally crying out for him instead of the man in his memories.
"And, pray tell, how do I do that?"
Well, that was the question, wasn't it? Clara didn't know exactly how to answer it, because Danni had just always wanted to be with the Doctor. Even when the two women had spent time together, when Danni had seemed happy and bubbly, when the Doctor came back even Clara couldn't deny just how happy she seemed. There was no real reason that Danni was so happy to see him, she just was.
The one thing that Danni did adore, though, was feeling loved by the man she loved in return. Clara could vividly see the anger on her face when she'd suggested anything but that. Back on Trenzalore she had been furious at Clara's words, her reply a snarl – 'I may not be much, Clara Oswald, but I am loved.' That was the key to all of this, wasn't it? Danni just wanted to feel loved, and the Doctor wanted to prove to her that he did, even after regenerating. All he had to do was show her that.
But, as it always happened, Danni appeared from the TARDIS, which had conveniently parked in the hallway leading to Clara's living room. Her hair was slightly damp and she had a frown on her face. Her gaze fell onto the Doctor and she seemed to shy away from him, "I-I couldn't find you." She explained, "Is everything alright?"
"Quite, my Pet." He promised and Clara was relieved to see the pink tint that appeared on Danni's cheeks, "I was just trying to convince Miss Oswald to join us on our next trip. I was thinking the Satanic Nebula."
Danni took a few steps closer and Clara realised just how much like a small, easily startled animal she seemed. Her heart went out to the pair; both were desperate to be with each other and neither knew how to do it, "Is-Is that the one you can see from the observation tour on Litus?"
"Luptus." He corrected, "But yes." A smile spread on her face.
"Oh, that sounded lovely." She declared, looking to Clara, "You'll love it, sweetie. Apparently you can actually see the stars forming. Not instantly, of course, that takes more time than we ever have, but you can see the way the dust is pulling together. I've always wanted to go."
"It sounds wonderful." Clara agreed, "But, as I was trying to tell your husband, I have a date tonight." She stood up, taking the Doctor's mug off him even though there was still tea in it, "No amount of tea is going to change it. I want this one to go properly."
Clearly disappointed that she was coming, Danni still seemed really happy that Clara had a date, "Same guy?" She asked, purposefully not mentioning his name in front of the Doctor as Clara had requested.
Clara nodded, "Managed to get a second chance with him." She explained, "And I'm taking it." She headed into the kitchen, placing the mugs on the side for her to deal with when she got back. She grinned, a quick idea coming to mind as she walked back out to them, "You two should still head there, though. Go on a date while I go on mine." She shot the Doctor what she hoped was a subtle look, hoping he'd pick up on the opportunity she was giving them.
Danni's head snapped to look at her husband, her eyes wide and hope filling her chest slightly at the suggestion. They'd only been on a few trips since he regenerated that could be considered a date, and none that had been officially designated as one. While Eleven hadn't always called their trips dates, she had always felt like they had been. With Twelve it had been harder to gauge it. She had hoped he'd been trying to take her on dates, but she had felt unable to call them that.
He saw the way she lit up, how she almost glowed with anxious anticipation. He smirked slightly; perfect, this might actually be perfect, "A date?" He purred, standing up, "I think, perhaps, that might be the best thing that has come out of your mouth all day, Miss Oswald."
Danielle's grin spread, and he knew that he'd made the right choice coming to Clara for help. She held just enough of his previous self to give him the guiding knowledge to help him show his wife that he was still here. Just better. Less likely to kill her.
Ring!
All three of them turned, in unison, to the sound of the TARDIS's phone ringing. Not the main console phone, which the Doctor had long since reconnected, but the outside one. The one that only Clara and the two Time Lords has access to. Even the Ponds had only had the phone number to the main console. Images of little boys talking through wired grills in London flashed through both the Doctor and Danni's minds.
"How is that even happening?" Danni asked, closing the gap between herself and the Doctor as the trio approached the TARDIS slowly.
"I don't know." The Doctor admitted, "Hardly anyone in the universe has that number."
"Well, I've got it." Clara piped up, her interest being quickly pulled from her date to the ringing phone that no one should be able to call.
"Yes, from some woman in a shop. We still don't know who that was." The Doctor pointed out.
"What woman?" Danni asked with a frown. Clara shot her a look.
"The one that gave me your number?" She reminded, and Danni nodded as if she remembered, instead of showing the embarrassment at the fact that she'd forgotten another memory over the many years she'd been alive.
"Oh, of course, I knew that."
"No you didn't." The Doctor retorted, "But you can't be expected to remember everything." Danni frowned, wondering if she should have been hurt by his bluntness, "You always did put too much stock in how much you remembered. Always thought you were useless when you couldn't recall. You were always so much more than your memories, Danielle."
He missed the soft smile that appeared on her face, and had their minds still been connected, he would have felt the warmth that filtered through her at his words. He'd not even thought about them, nor the effect they might have on his wife, which was evident in the way that he continued to the door of the TARDIS. They just fell out of his head, in such an offhand way, that she could tell he didn't just say it to reassure her – it was just how he felt.
He opened the door, reaching for the phone but Clara shook her head, "Don't."
The Doctor turned back around to look at her, "Why not?"
"Because she wants to go on her date, and whoever is calling you is going to be interesting." Danni explained.
"So?" The Doctor asked as the phone kept ringing.
"It might become a thing, and she'll have to come." Danni finished. The Doctor rolled his eyes.
"It's just a phone, my Pet." He declared, reaching out and picking up the receiver, "Nothing happens when you answer the phone." And he held it to his ear…
"Ahhh!" The Doctor jolted in surprise at Danielle's scream of fright and disgust, his hearts immediately speeding up at the sound of her distress. She was in the chair next to him, hands out in front of him as she chucked the memory worm as far away from her as she could.
Memory worm?
He looked at his own hand, seeing the worm he was holding and realised that they'd moved. Clara was on the other side of him, doing much the same as Danielle had done moments ago. Across from them was a man and a woman, but he was more focused on getting Danielle as far away from the creatures as he could before working out what had happened. He grabbed the top of her arm, yanking her roughly out of the chair and behind him where he knew there was only a wall.
"Stay there." He told her firmly as his eyes quickly scanned the room.
"What's going on?" She asked, her voice full of her fear. Like he had said just a moment ago – or, what was a moment ago for them, but was most definitely a lot longer than that – her memories meant a lot to her. She had thought it had just been her younger body, but the panic rising in her chest at the idea of losing any of them forcefully proved that maybe she'd misjudged herself somewhat.
"I don't know." He replied lowly as Clara looked up at him from her own worm. He immediately held a hand out to her, "Don't touch it!" He warned.
"Where are we? How did we get here?" The brunette asked rapidly, obviously just as unnerved by their change of scenery as they were.
"I don't know." Danni whimpered, "Doctor, what's happening? Why were we holding memory worms?"
Her panic was palpable, even without being joined he could feel it and his hand reached out without him even thinking about it, taking hold of hers tightly. He wasn't exactly thrilled himself; no one wanted to wake up on the receiving end of a memory worm, but as he could remember everything up to answering the phone at Clara's, he was sure he hadn't lost too much.
Across from them the two strangers looked just as bewildered as they were. One was obviously a cyborg based on the chips embedded on the side of his head. The woman looked humanoid as well, but he had no memory of them before this moment.
"Who are you? Sorry, what's going on? I don't understand." The man asked as he looked over them all. He looked incredibly dazed, the Doctor didn't blame him one bit. No one liked the idea of being forced to forget. And he'd already forgotten so much.
His attention turned back to Danielle, who was shaking in his grasp. She was holding onto him so tightly, "Doctor, what do we do?" She asked weakly.
"Just don't touch them." He replied reassuringly.
"What is that thing?" The woman across the table asked. Clara stared at her, something the Doctor noticed. Something happened while he wasn't paying attention.
"It's a memory worm." The Doctor replied.
"What happened to your face?" Clara asked the other woman, more concerned about that than the fact they'd all appeared in a room with no memory of how to get there.
"Deletes your memories." The Doctor continued and Danni whimpered behind him. She couldn't lose more memories; she couldn't afford it. She'd lost so many just by living too long, who would take more from her? What had they taken?
She squeezed her eyes shut, searching for noticeable gaps. Running through her time from the moment she had been thrown back into the universe. Donna as a bride. Being dissected deep underground. Dinosaurs on a spaceship and lots of kissing. Madness. Illness. Drumming. The Master, looming over her, telling her he'd never let…
"Danielle!" Her eyes shot open and she gasped in fright, brown eyes of an evil man long gone swimming in her mind. The Doctor held her by both arms, a concerned look that looked more foreign on his face than she'd like to admit, "Don't." He warned her, "They're gone, it's a simple wipe, but effective. Thinking about him isn't going to help."
"Him?" She asked in confusion, wondering how he could have possibly known what she was thinking about, but he'd already turned away. Had she somehow let him in to see what she had been looking at? How else would he have known that she had been deep into her the memories that surrounded her short but terrifying time on the Valiant? One of his hands left her arm, but the other slid down, capturing hers tightly. He didn't thread his fingers through hers, but he'd taken it without her a thought and she instantly seemed to calm down.
"How did I get here?" The woman who Clara couldn't stop looking at asked.
"The same way we all did, but we've all forgotten." The Doctor replied.
The woman turned to look at him, distrust written all over her face, "And who are you?" She demanded.
"I am the Doctor," The Doctor's voice replied, although not from the man himself. Each of them were instantly drawn to a silver case on the table that up until that point they had ignored, "a Time Lord from Gallifrey. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."
"I am Clara Oswald," Clara's voice followed on from his, again not coming from the woman but from the case. Unlike the Doctor, though, Clara sounded exasperated, "human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will. Do I really have to touch that worm thing?" The last question was asked in a hushed whisper as she addressed someone else rather than the recording device.
"Yes, unfortunately." Danni's hushed voice replied and she jumped as the Doctor pulled her closer.
"And change your shoes." The Doctor commanded, "Danielle, your turn."
"Doctor, I don't…" Danni's voice replied, sounding anxious before she let out a sigh, "Danielle Fielding. Um… it's complicated, I guess? I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."
"See? Not so hard." The Doctor's voice replied, although instead of the annoyed tone Danni would have expected from him, he had said it soothingly, like he knew she was struggling with it, "You're next, Psi."
The way the man across the table seemed to sit up straighter at the mention of the name suggested he was Psi, and the voice confirmed it, "I am Psi- augmented human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will." The man reached up, pulling off one of the chips on his head to examine it, although Danni had no idea what he was looking for. She didn't give it much thought, though. They had bigger things to worry about.
"I am Saibra," The female's voice finished off the round, "mutant human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will." With two small clicks, the metal case unlocked and opened, raising its lid and admitting a golden light. Clara and the Doctor shared a look; neither of them knew what was happening, but it couldn't be good. Once again the Doctor checked to make sure Danni was still by his side. They had no idea where they were, or why, so he was immediately at a disadvantage. How could he help her if neither of them knew what was going on?
Once the case was lying flat on the table, two screens popped up out of it; one for Clara, the Doctor and Danni to watch and one for Psi and Saibra. It didn't display much, just a grey room with a man in a black hoodie that shadowed his entire face.
"This is a recorded message." The figure declared, his voice not one any of them seemed to recognise, "I am the Architect. Your last memory is of receiving a contact from an unknown agency. Me. Everything since has been erased from your minds. Now, pay close attention to this briefing." The image of the figure faded away to a shot of a planet. It quickly zoomed in, heading for a large white building.
"This is the Bank of Karabraxos, the most secure bank in the galaxy." As he spoke, what appeared to be an advert for the bank played on the screen, demonstrating everything that was being explained to them, "A fortress for the super-rich. If you can afford your own star system, this is where you keep it. No one sets foot on the planet without protocols. All movement is monitored, all air consumption regulated. DNA is authenticated at every stage. Intruders will be incinerated. Each vault, buried deep in the earth, is accessed by a drop-slot at the planet's surface. It's atomically sealed, an unbreakable lock. The atoms have all been scrambled. Your presence on this planet is unauthorised. A team will have been despatched to terminate you."
Right on cue there was hammering on the door. They all spun to face it, where a pair of eyes could be seen looking into the room through one of the many slats, "This is bank security. Open up."
Danni's free hand shot up to take hold of the Doctor's arm, holding onto him tightly, "Theta, what do we do?" She whispered.
"Your survival depends on following my instructions." The Architect continued as the guard continued to bang on the door, trying to get into the room.
Saibra stood up suddenly from her chair, "There's another exit." She told them, quickly heading over to the new door.
"All the information you need is in this case." Psi quickly reacted, pulling out a cable and plugging it into one of the many chip slots on his head. The other end went into the side of one of the monitors.
"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked him.
"Downloading." Psi replied simply, focusing on his task and the Doctor smiled.
"Augmented. Nice." He declared as he too looked into the case for something useful.
"The Bank of Karabraxos is impregnable." The Architect reiterated as the Doctor pulled out a small device, giving it a quick once over before pocketing it, "The Bank of Karabraxos has never been breached. You will rob the Bank of Karabraxos."
The Doctor nodded towards the door, "Everyone, move." He told them, only needing to do so once. Saibra was quick, Clara taking just one look at the two Time Lords before following. Psi was next, then the Doctor let go of Danni just to nudge her forward, "Stay close, Danielle. Never leave my sight."
"Wasn't planning to." She replied as they left the room just in time for the guards to break into it. The other three were waiting on the other side, but the Doctor wasn't hanging around.
"What are you all standing there for?" He snapped, "Run!"
~0~0~0~
Compared to the extravagant style of the bank in the advertisement the mysterious Architect had shown them, the corridors that they ran down were grey and metal, typical for the behind the scenes of a place such as this. Very plain, easily cleaned and with no branding at all so if any pictures were to be leaked, there wasn't anything linking it back to such a prestigious place.
"Okay, okay, okay. Stop, stop, stop." The Doctor suddenly declared, waving his hands in the air to signal that they weren't to go any further, "Far enough." They came to a stop, standing in a circle. The Doctor nudged Danni inside it, but seemed to ignore her after seemingly protecting her.
He turned his attention to Psi, walking over to him, taking in every little detail he could, "Augmented human. Computer augmented, yes?" He asked as he started stalking around him. His eyes quickly drifted to the tattoo on his neck, "Mainframe in your head?"
"I'm a gamer." Was Psi's quick reply, one that even Danni could tell was an automatic response, and therefore a lie, "Sorry, who put you in charge?"
The Doctor came to a stop in front of him, "You're a liar." He declared, "That's a prison code on your neck."
Psi paused for a moment before realising that no one was going to believe him if he didn't tell them the truth, "I'm a hacker slash bank robber."
"Good." The Doctor replied with a nod, "This is a good day to be a bank robber."
"You're taking stock, aren't you?" Danni asked him, watching him turn his back on Psi and to Saibra, "Trying to find a link?"
He nodded, "Mutant human. What kind of mutant?"
"Like he says, why are you in charge now?" Saibra retorted, also on the defensive. Danni didn't blame her, they had all seemingly agreed to be there, but none of them could remember. Danni wasn't feeling particularly at ease either, especially when the Doctor continued to probe her. With an annoyed sigh, Saibra took her glove off and clapped a hand on Danni's arm. Instantly there was another version of herself staring back, clothes and all.
"Woah." She breathed as Saibra removed her hand and turned back to herself, "You're a shapeshifter?"
"I touch living cells; I can replicate the owner." Saibra explained. Clara grinned, not only at the fact that there was two Dannis, which was never a bad thing, but now she had an explanation for what she had seen in the room they'd woken up in.
"Your face, when we first saw you." She pointed out and Saibra nodded.
"I touched the worm."
"But you had my clothes." Danni added, noticing that she'd now gone back to her all-black number, "How did you do that?"
Saibra shrugged, "I wear a hologram shell."
"That's excellent." The Doctor interrupted, slightly delighted about how intrigued Danielle seemed to be. He always liked it when she was enjoying their trips, especially if it was distracting her from the fact they'd all had their memories wiped, "Don't touch my wife again."
Danni gasped as Saibra looked rather insulted, "Doctor!" The blonde snapped, "Don't be rude!"
"I need to know which is the real you." He retorted, "It'd be easier if there was only one of you walking around." Well, she couldn't fault that logic. But he could have started with that, instead of sounding so offensive.
"So, what is this?" Danni asked, "We've got a bank robber and the woman who can get him inside?"
"It would appear so." The Doctor replied.
"But why us?" She continued, "I mean, you're incredibly smart, but there's no need to bring you on board if they can already get in."
"Maybe our skills will become apparent the further along we go." The Doctor reasoned, "For now, all we have is this." He held up the small device he'd picked up earlier. It had a screen in the middle, which he held out to Saibra, "Human cells. DNA from a customer, maybe? A disguise to get us in?" Saibra glanced down at him, realising what he was suggesting and not being particularly thrilled about it.
"We're actually going to do it?" Clara asked nervously, "Rob the bank?"
"I think we have to." Danni replied, "You heard us. 'Of our own free will'. We've agreed to this. Who knows what might happen if we don't follow through."
"Incinerated, I would think." The Doctor replied, reminding them all of the words the guards had shouted through the door. With another quick glance at the group of strangers, Saibra touched the DNA.
~0~0~0~
Now as an old white man with grey hair, Saibra lead them all into the main entrance to the bank. She could hold the image for as long as she liked, apparently. Usually things like that would hold Danni's attention, however as they seemed to have been chucked into the middle of a bank heist with no memory of agreeing to it, she was more concerned about how they would make it to the other side without being incinerated.
The main hall was a giant expanse of a room, all grey stone and high ceilings. There were a few people going about their business, but none of them were paying much attention to anyone around them. She guessed being that rich, someone else would worry about the public for you.
"Question one," The Doctor murmured, "Robbing banks is easy if you've got a TARDIS. So why are we not using it?"
"No, question one is where is the TARDIS?" Danni pointed out, "Since when do we go anywhere without her?"
"Yes, you're right." The Doctor agreed, "Definitely should have been question one."
"We should find her before we do anything else." She replied, "It'd make this whole thing a lot easier."
Before the Doctor could answer, a loud alarm sounded throughout the bank. People stopped in their tracks, looking around as large security grills fell in front of all of the exits, stopping anyone escaping, "Banking floor locking down."
The small group fell to a stop near the centre of the room, "They know we're here." Saibra declared in her new male voice.
The final exit opened and a woman walked out, followed by two men in suits. They headed towards a male customer, who looked at all of them with a confused look on his face, as another creature followed through the doorway. Wearing orange overalls and its arms bound, the giant creature towered over everyone else. Its eyes were on stalks on either side of its head, and it looked around before its gaze fell on the man the woman and her two lackeys.
"What is that?" Saibra asked.
"I don't know. Hate not knowing." The Doctor replied, going over every species he could think of and unable to place the creature that was brought out in a straightjacket.
"A prisoner." Danni declared lowly, her eyes never leaving the creature. Clara frowned at the way Danni's voice seemed to be filled with anger.
"What makes you say that?" She asked as the woman addressed the man they'd approached with a sickly happy voice, "Could be the head of security."
"When's the last time you saw an employee chained up so they couldn't get away." The blonde pointed out and Clara looked back at the creature.
"Is it, sir?" The woman continued after the man's denial of the guilt they'd seemingly detected, "Well then, we will certainly double-check." She turned, glancing behind her to see if the creature had joined her, "The Teller will now scan your thoughts for any criminal intent." She shot the man the fake grin that only came with working in customer service, "Good luck, sir."
She stepped out of the way as the customer put down his briefcase, his gaze firmly locked to the eyestalks of the Teller. The customer looked absolutely petrified while the rest of the room just looked uncomfortable.
"Interesting." The Doctor murmured.
"What's going on?" Danni asked, unable to tear her eyes off the sight in front of her, "What are they going to do to him?"
"The latest thing in sniffer dogs." The Doctor replied lowly, almost impressed with what he was seeing, "Telepathic. It hunts guilt." They all watched on as the customer grabbed his head, grimacing and groaning in pain as the Teller's eye stalks moved slightly from side to side.
"What about our guilt?" Clara reminded them all.
"Currently being drowned out." The Doctor reassured them all, although it was little comfort as they watched the man squeeze his eyes shut, teeth grinding together as his fingers pressed against his temples.
"What's he doing?" Clara asked.
"If he has a plan, he's trying not to think of it."
"Ever tried not thinking about something?" Psi asked with a hint of panic in his voice.
"No." Clara replied.
"It becomes the only thing you can think about." Danni told her, "Thinking about not thinking about it, then thinking that you are thinking about it because you're trying not to. Once you have to try, you'll never stop." How were they supposed to get out of this, when they had a telepathic prisoner who could find every plan you had in your head? How did you rob a bank when even your thoughts weren't safe from view?
They all watched on solemnly as the man was found guilty, although the reasoning behind that wasn't even deemed important. The Teller crushed his mind, melting his brain until his skull collapsed, and then the woman apologised for the inconvenience and walked away. The Doctor was rather disgusted at the use of another alien to punish would-be criminals, but he could tell without a glance at his Danielle that she was absolutely horrified at what she had witnessed. But while they were out in the open he couldn't take her hand, couldn't risk anyone noticing anything out of the ordinary happening with any of them. If she was brought to the attention of the Teller, it would sense her guilt, and he couldn't save her from that.
"Come on." He commanded once the bank seemed to go back to business, "We don't have time to hang around." With a purposeful stride to make it seem like they came to the bank all the time, the Doctor lead them to one of the depositing rooms that had been shown on the advertisement the Architect had left them.
The room itself reminded Danni of a rather ornate elevator rather than a separate room from the banking floor. Saibra approached the DNA computer interface, exhaling into the receiver as the neutral male voice instructed. Danni hung back, glancing back at the door, looking incredibly nervous as the doors shut behind her, adding to the feeling that they were being trapped into a small box together.
"Are you okay?" Clara asked Danni gently, placing a hand on her arm as she gently pulled the blonde woman into the room. The Doctor realised a moment too late that he should have been the one comforting her, not Clara. He was so busy trying to get them all to the other end of this bizarre situation he hadn't even thought that maybe he could have used the time to build up their relationship once again. This was definitely one of those moments Clara had been talking about, one to make her feel loved, as was evident by the grateful smile Danni sent Clara.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, "But did… the Teller seemed rather sad, don't you think? It can't be nice, being forced to melt people's brains like that." She had seen the look on the creatures face. While definitely not completely humanoid, she had seen the sadness in its eyes, and heard the remorse in its roar when it had declared the man guilty. She wasn't surprised by the fact that the people in the bank hadn't reacted to it, just very sad that once again the pain of another creature was below their urgency to get on with their day.
The Doctor should have known her own hearts weren't focused on the danger they were in, but in the suffering of another. It was moments like this that reminded him of why she held his hearts so completely and why he was happy to give them to her. He couldn't always decide on whether he was a good man or not, but it didn't matter. She was always there to remind him of what it was to be one.
He clapped a hand on her shoulder, moving her from the centre of the room to the case that had appeared from the vault, "As soon as we're out of this mess, we'll be looking into it." He promised her and she shot him a happy grin in reply, "But we are still in danger ourselves."
"If he can break in here and plant this thing, then why does he need our help?" Saibra asked, giving the case a pointed nod.
"Depends what the thing is." The Doctor replied, popping the lid of the case open. Inside was a device with wires coming out of it sat in padding foam, "Okay, well, I'm no expert, but fuses, timer. I'm going to stick my neck out and say bomb." He turned away, pacing slightly in frustration. While it was obvious to even the most pudding of brains that the bomb wasn't there to blow them up, the fact that it was there meant that they were going to have to use it to blow something up. Probably to get further into the vaults, considering where they were currently stood.
"A bomb?" Danni asked, looking over the device, "For what?"
Well, that was the question wasn't it? They were supposed to get into somewhere, but where? They couldn't walk around with a bomb, even he would struggle to hide that guilt, they'd become targets instantly. So it had to be something in this room. The Doctor stopped his pacing as he remembered the information that the augmented human had downloaded from the first case they had come across. If he was the Architect, he would have left them a schematic of the bank in that information, that was basic stuff for a heist.
He turned to Psi, "Bank schematic. Now." Psi stared for a moment, looking like he was about to protest at being commanded to do anything, but decided against it. He turned and walked up to one of the pillars that made up the ornate room, pulling out a cable. One end he plugged into his head, the other he stuck onto the pillar. A blue screen was projected onto the pillar with an overview of the bank displayed on it.
"Oh wow." Danni said as they all joined him, "That's amazing, can you do that with anything?"
Psi smirked slightly, feeling rather good that he'd managed to impress someone, "If I've downloaded it, I can display it. Makes hacking on the move much easier." He zoomed into on the building, bringing up more detail.
"I'm not sure if I agree with the hacking," Danni reprimanded him, "but it is pretty awesome."
"It was pretty inexpensive too." Psi told her, much to her interest, "It interfaces with my existing software, I barely needed an upgrade."
"Yes, yes, we all love a computer." The Doctor grumbled, not liking the smile that was on his wife's face, "Zoom in on us."
"Rude." Danni told him, but she turned to the screen to show that maybe they should be paying attention to what they were doing. The Doctor could barely hide how happy he was at the fact she was telling him off much like she had done with his younger selves. Clara just smirked at the blatant show of jealously, one that based on Danni's little smile, she had picked up at as well.
"The floor below is all service corridors," the Doctor declared after a quick look over the screen, "the veins and arteries of the bank." He walked away from the wall to the middle of the room, a move that Psi took as a sign to unplug the portable screen. The Doctor held his hands out to his sides and started tapping his feet on the floor, almost dancing on it.
Clara looked at Danni, hoping she could spread some light on what he was doing, but she seemed just as perplexed as they all were, "Sweetie, what are you doing?" Danni asked him.
The Doctor stopped dancing, "He wants us to blow through the floor." He declared, much to the protest of everyone else in the room. He picked up the bomb, barely paying attention to anyone else as he looked it over.
"Er, no. No way." Psi declared, walking towards the doorway, "You can do you what you like. I'm going to take my chances out there."
"Psi." Clara called after him. He turned back around, walking back over to her.
"If you get caught, they'll kill you too." Danni added, hoping that he'd stay with them.
"No, no, no. This guy," he jabbed in the direction of the Doctor, "your grandad, is a lunatic."
Danni frowned. She'd understood Robin Hood thinking he was her grandad, after all as kind as he was, the times were much different to what they were now. But with mutant humans and computerised humans, why would that have been his first choice?
"He's my husband." She corrected, "And he's actually rather clever behind all that rudeness."
"Fine, husband, whatever." Psi retorted, "He wants to blow a room up with us in it."
"What do you want, Psi, more than anything else?" The Doctor asked him, "Whatever it is, it's in this bank. You agreed to rob the most impregnable bank in history. You must have had a very good reason." Psi shifted uncomfortably, like he knew that the Doctor was right, "We all must have. Picture the thing you want most in the universe, and decide how badly you want it." He looked over them all. Saibra was looking away, looking almost ashamed of the thing that had come straight to mind. Danni was just watching him, showing him that he still had a chance of fixing what was broken between them. Psi was trying to hold his gaze but even had thought of something instantly. The Doctor turned to Clara, who quickly looked away from Danni, like she hadn't even noticed where she had been looking. Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?
"Well?" He pressed, this time his voice lower, giving them all the little push they needed to get back onto the task at hand.
Psi's leg bounced on the spot slightly as he fought the temptation, but ultimately he needed to know what he'd agreed to do this for, "Still don't understand why you're in charge."
"Basically, it's the eyebrows." The Doctor replied, Clara nodding in agreement and Danni smiling at him. He'd always had a way with people, being able to challenge them without pushing them too far.
The Doctor placed the bomb in the middle of the floor where it started to make a whirring noise, ready to go off, "Everyone to the edge of the room." He commanded, "Face away from the bomb." He grabbed Danni's hand again, this time pulling her over to one of the pillars. He stood behind her, stepping close, putting himself between the bomb and his wife. The moment he was pressing up against her, he remembered that they were supposed to be on a date. He could turn this into the best date she had ever been on; rob a bank, find out why they were doing so, and then save a creature afterwards. Action, adventure and saving the day. Definitely more impressive than anything that his younger body could have ever done for her.
"You know; I can look after myself." She told him. He nodded, dipping his head so he was completely surrounding her.
"I know." He replied, "This is just so much more fun, isn't it my Pet?" He took a sniff of her beautiful blonde hair, revelling in being pressed up against her, "If only we were alone…"
"Theta." Danni whined quietly, although the warmth that spread through her was hard to deny when her skin burnt with it. She knew what he was implying, and while nervous about his new body, it just brought up memories of daydreams she'd had about him, "The bomb."
He nodded in agreement, using his head to nudge hers to the side. He pressed his lips against the soft skin on her neck, using them to feel the quickening of her pulse, "A pity, my Pet." He purred as the bomb let off a high pitched squeal, followed by the tiniest of explosions. All of them turned around, baffled, to find the hole in the ground they'd expected. They all walked over, looking down into the service hallway below. Just off one side of the hole was a ladder leading down, but all it did was confuse the group further.
Except for the Doctor, who crouched down to pick up the bomb, "Nice. Dimensional shift bomb. Sends the particles to a different plane." He explained, sounding impressed as he looked up to see if they felt the same. The others were still too nervous, but he watched Danielle's face break out into a grin.
"That's so cool." She breathed and he nodded, standing up, a grin on his face to match her own.
"Come on then, Team Not Dead." He motioned to the ladder. Saibra went down first, happy to be out of the room and danger for now. Clara let Psi go next, before following herself. Before Danni could head down the ladder, though, the Doctor pulled her up close, pressing her back against him. She gasped at the feeling, what he was showing her; just how very frustrated he was that people were there.
"The quicker we find the TARDIS, the better." He growled into her ear and she shivered. She wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but she didn't really care. He was finally touching her like he used to, like he wanted to and she completely agreed about finding the TARDIS. He still found her attractive, that was step one, wasn't it?
He held took hold of her hands, placing the bomb in them, "This button here will close the hole." He instructed, "Would you like to do the honours?"
She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything at all. Once again she was thrown by his behaviour; one minute he was touchy feely, the next he was blowing up a room with her in it. He was an absolute whirlwind and she still wasn't sure what to think about him.
But she wasn't about to give up the chance of being able to bring particles back from another dimension. He let her go down first, but only far down enough so he could follow. He watched her face light up as she pointed the device at what was now the ceiling, the hole fixing itself like it was never there. Her amazement was addictive, and when she met his eyes with her own, highly amused, gaze he decided that showing off wasn't a bad thing, as long as it was to her.