"Soo....What's the plan?" Sandy asked sitting on the stairs. 

 

"Not sure yet...give me few minutes" she said still studying the console walking up and down looking at every detail, but she had trouble understanding it and was getting increasingly frustrated with herself. 

 

"We should call in" she said taking a packed of gummy bears out of her pocket 

 

"We will" 

 

"Maybe look around...I mean we do have a spaceship with one dead owner" she said darting her eyes across the room "Want one?" she asked raising a packed of gummy bears, but Yaz didn't react consumed by the console "I could try hacking it...I never hacked a spaceship though...A bit challenging I must say but a lot more exciting than an office computer..." 

 

"You can't hack this" Yaz looked at her shortly then focused back on the controls "...What weeee need to do is make this baby work..." 

 

"And how you're gonna do that?" she frowned then got up walking up to the entrance of the tunnel "Yaz" 

 

"I could do...if I had time...except that I don't...Unless I... No..." she had a whole conversation with herself, not even noticing Sandy left the room. 

 

She walked back into the hallway and was intrigued to see what the rest of the ship looked like. She remembered the saying "Curiosity killed the cat" but this was one curiosity she didn't even mind if it did kill her as she would've died happy. 

 

"Yaz" Sandy said returning back few moments after once she'd left 

 

"I don't wanna get into this again Sandy...I'll get us in trouble 

 

"Yaz" 

 

"If I could only start it up and see where it went...what's in it....Arrrrh you're so different then..." 

 

"Yaaaaz!!!" She shouted 

 

"Whaaa,?" she turned around 

 

"Someone's coming" she pointed flappingtwards the hallway ".... And when I say someone I mean a lot of people " she pointed twards the tunnel 

 

"Whaaaaa...." 

 

"Any suggestions?" 

 

Yaz stood bolted in the middle of the room 

 

"Plaaaan Yaz.....now....yesterday...." 

 

"Aaaaa fuck it" she pressed her arm and hollo popped up 

 

Sandy screamed from the top of her lungs 

 

"Wooow....Alright...I'm not that scary...Hiya" Doctor waived haply 

 

"Sandy, Doctor....Doctor, Sandy....I need your help....Nooow!" 

 

"Holly bananas...did you say the Doctor?" Sandy jumped 

 

"Very nice to meet you Sandy" she smiled then turned towards the console ".... Right...very easy Doongoon technology Yaz nothing to worry about" 

 

"Seriously...I need this gone now we've got company...." 

 

"Gotcha!" 

 

"THE DOCTOR?" Sandy kept repeating "THE ULTIMATE LEGEND" 

 

"Well not me really" the Doctor turned around "...Real me already regenerated three years ago by your time and...." 

 

"Doctor!!!!" Yaz yelled 

 

"Oh, sorry Yaz...Press this here.... then swipe across the top and everything should come up...Aaaaa! see I was right...Now that's the thruster, just easy on it very sensitive, breaks, navigation, dematerialization circuit, those are just other functions...never mind that now" she flew around the console explaining. 

 

"Yaaaaaz!!!!" Sandy screamed from the hallway "We seriously need to go...they are trying to get into the ship...and I swear those were gun shots....I hate guns" 

 

"Aaaa....That's a very strong attitude Sandy" Doctor snapped her fingers "....I like her already" she smiled towards Yaz 

 

"Got it" Yaz pressed the monitor and ship lit up like a Christmas tree making buzzing sound "...Can you concentrate pleaseeee" 

 

"I am concentrated Yaz...I can talk and work you know. Been doing it for over 3000 years....Left...that there...Coordinates?" 

 

"Dunno" Yaz looked at her confused 

 

"What do you mean you don't know Yaz?" 

 

"Wasn't planning on flying off this minute you know!" 

 

"Alright...no need to be that techy.... Are you hormonal? Cause you sound hormonal...You should really check..." 

 

"Antarctica!!!" Sandy yelled and they both looked at her confused "We need to go somewhere" she shrugged. 

 

"Right..." Doctor blinked and scrunched her nose. 

 

"Good enough for me" Yaz said and sat in a control chair strapping herself in and set the coordinates "Locking up coordinates." 

 

Doctor leaned over the console "Pull that and we're gone" she pointed to the lever. 

 

Yaz smiled at the Doctor with a spark in her eye "Here we go" she said and pulled down the lever. 

 

Doctor scrunched her face as the ship made a weird sound but in a second, they were gone. 

 

 

..... 

 

 

"Can you repeat that again for me Yaz" Kate said 

 

"We found a spaceship and I sort of nicked it..." she said on a phone "And we are in Antarctica" she said walking around the ship 

 

"So, you're not real?" Sandy poked at the hollo sitting next to her by the open door of the ship 

 

"It's a matter of perception really...Its an interactive AI hollo me...build from data of my behavior across thousands of years of my existence" she looked towards Yaz dreamy "Couldn't leave her again....I promised" 

 

"Pleaseeee Kate...You want that train...I can do so much more now...I will get to it...Give me this chance" 

 

There was a short silence on the other end 

 

"Pleaseeee" Yaz pleaded "I won't disappoint you" 

 

"Just do not cause an international incident Yaz" 

 

"When did I ever do that?" 

 

"Six months ago..." 

 

"Oi...it wasn't my fault a bunch of teenagers decided to scare villagers of Kongo on hover scooters pretending it's an alien invasion.” 

 

"Just please...be careful." 

 

"Thaaaaank youuuu" 

 

"And call me Yaz" 

 

"Will do..." 

 

"So why Antarctica?" Doctor asked 

 

"I always wondered if there was really an alien base here" she smiled 

 

"She's pissed off...." Yaz walked up to them disappointed looking down to the ground. 

 

"Oh..." Sandy said "She didn't...." she asked petrified and Yaz looked up with a massive smile 

 

"We've got the ship" she jumped 

 

"Aaaaaaa!" Sandy screamed flew to hug jumping off the ground with her "I thought she sacked you" she grabbed Yaz's hands "I literally choked for a second" 

 

"She can't sack my Yaz" Doctor said smug 

 

"She just said not to cause an international incident" Yaz giggled 

 

"We can try" Doctor said 

 

"So..." Yaz draped her arm over Sandy's shoulder "Your job is to snoop around the ship whilst Doctor here shows me how this thing works" 

 

"Do I need to call you captain now?" Sandy asked as they claimed the ramp. 

 

"It's a very flat team structure" Yaz said glancing at the Doctor, and she smiled back at her 

 

 

.... 

 

 

"So can this thing travel in time?" Yaz asked as she was squeezed underneath the console trying to follow Doctor's instructions on how to translate all the controls into Galifreyan 

 

"Should do...Doongoon did utilize the time travel at some point in 75th century and this is GF246799 model...It should be capable of time travel Yaz. May need some adaptation...can't exactly park this on a street corner Yaz" 

 

"Yeah, like police phone box is really inconspicuous" she laughed connecting the cables 

 

"Needs work..." she looked around "But figure we can manage...." 

 

"Pass me the..." Yaz said then stopped herself swallowing deeply then pulled herself from underneath the console. 

 

Doctor purist her lips as Yaz wiped her hands on a cloth turning her back. 

 

"Yaz...I'm sorry" 

 

"Don't..." she said throwing the cloth on the dashboard 

 

"Hey...we have a kitchen" Sandy peaked from the hallway smiling excited like a kid "Not really sure how it works though...and bedrooms look nice...Very organic..." 

 

"That's good" Yaz said "We need a kitchen" she looked at the Doctor 

 

"I don't know how to use the bathroom though...And I have to...." she scrunched her face 

 

"Oh...sure....I can help you" Doctor said giving last long comforting look to Yaz before she left the room 

 

She splayed her arms across the console with a sigh as her throat was getting tight and there was heaviness in her stomach she couldn’t shake off. She wiped a tear from her face and got back to work. 

 

... 

 

Sandy was right, bedrooms were cozy and bathrooms confusing but water running down her back was soothing after a whole day of crawling into every part of the ship’s operating system. At least Sandy was enjoying herself after learning the layout of the whole ship. She spent hours sitting at the console working out the ship’s programs and with the Doctor's help synchronized her own equipment to it. It was a day of a whole lot of preparation, and they were both exhausted. Yaz laid her palm to the bathroom wall, it was missing the vibrations and humming. She was on a ship for the first time in three years but not the one she wanted to be on. The Tardis belonged to another Doctor now. 

 

She left the shower and got dressed, they will have to get clean clothes, this ship didn't provide them with stuff like that. Sandy found some clean shirts left over from the previous crew, they would do till the morning. 

The knock on a door jolted her, she wasn't used to knocking anymore. 

 

"Hi" Sandy smiled from the door. 

 

Her pink hair fell over her shoulders to the edge of her chest, and she was wearing no make-up. She looked cute without make-up, pinky fingers peeking out from under the hem of a long oversized sleeve holding the doorframe. Yaz noticed tiny freckles on her cleavage, why didn't she notice that before? And those same freckles only smaller were sprinkled across her face as well. She didn't know they were there and now she couldn't stop looking at them. 

A shirt she was wearing came down past her hips and for a short moment Yaz's focus went to a pair of pale legs underneath it. She was barefoot, why was she barefoot Yaz though. It was a stupid thought, but she nearly cracked up seeing rainbow nail vanish on her toes. She was getting distracted. 

 

"Hey...what's up?" 

 

"I thought we could do something...apart from doing stuff we did before...You know, something fun.... Not that what we did before wasn't fun just...you know...if you wanted to" 

 

Yaz chuckled "Sure...Give me a minute" she moved from the door "Come in" 

 

"Sorry for barging in on you" 

 

"You're not" Yaz said platting her hair in just one lazy braid "I'm getting fed up with a long hair sometimes...It's unpractical." 

 

"It could look cute to your shoulders." 

 

Yaz looked at her contemplating it for a moment then dismissed it and tied the hair band "Right....done." 

 

"Where's your friend?" 

 

She made a gesture of touching her upper arm without any further explanation and Sandy wondered if her friend was going somewhere to spend some time to herself or if she was just turned off like a light... And then she stopped herself because the thought somehow seemed cruel but at the same time she was intrigued, yet too embarrassed to ask any more questions about how this worked between them, or how it even came about. She half wondered as they walked down the hall if this was common practice among those who traveled with the Doctor. Do the companions retain the Doctor's holo forever or was Yaz an exception, and if so why. She suddenly felt like one of those curtain twitchers who pry into other people's business and decided not to think too much about it. 

 

Despite the close friendship they had, there was an unspoken rule. They never talked about the Doctor. It was a name that was rarely mentioned among them. And besides knowing that Yaz had been traveling with this enigmatic person for years, Sandy didn't know much else. Yaz never shared, Sandy never asked. Yaz always initiated a conversation. If it ever happened it would mostly consist of random information about a place, an alien race she had encountered, or a technology she was familiar with. 

Not that Sandy minded this, she just sometimes wished they could share that part of her life the same way they shared everything else. But she came to the conclusion that it was either forbidden or too difficult for Yaz to talk about it. Too difficult, probably more of a reason because she couldn't miss the wide smile on her face and the twinkle in the corner of her eye that would always unfailingly be followed by sadness moments after she mentioned any of it. 

 

"We could make pancakes..." 

 

"Could do" she said hooking her arm with her. 

 

"Just need to figure out that kitchen...Your friend showed me...it makes food can you believe it." 

 

"You got yourself a pancake date" Yaz smiled at her 

 

"Why do you think this ship looks like it's made of stone?" Sandy asked running fingers down the wall as the walked "...Reminds me of ant colony my brother had" 

 

"Doctor says it's special material which makes the ship more durable. It creates impenetrable membrane from the inside so even if the outer shell is destroyed the inner one would stay intact." 

 

"That's cool...looks a bit like a beehive" she giggled "Hey...wanna see something really cool" 

 

"Sure" 

 

She tapped her smart watch and image popped up "I made a ship layout.... So we know where we're going..." 

 

"That's clever...I got lost today...took me ages to find my room" 

 

"Did you see that room with all the plants" 

 

"I know...right...how cool is that..."

"Do you thik they are like tomatoes?" 

 

"Maybe..." 

 

.... 

 

Turned out Sandy was good in making pancakes and the food replicator was a new gadget she was becoming obsessed with. 

 

"So what's a plan for tomorrow?" Sandy asked spreading chocolate on a pancake and rolling it up "Now we have a ship" she giggled 

 

"First stop is that factory" 

 

"We're going on alien planet" she looked up with a massive grin "An alien planet Yaz...I can't believe I'm even saying that..." 

 

Yaz laughed taking a milk out of the replicator 

 

"For you this may be just a normal day Yaz I won't be able to sleep...." 

 

"Used to be...not anymore" she said looking at the milk bottle and smiled 

 

"What's funny?" 

 

"Did you and the Doctor change replicator program?" 

 

"Yeah...She said we would have serious digestive problems with the food it was designed to make.... How did you know?" 

 

"Her favorite milk" she said and ran her thumb over the bottle then blinked, turning around looking for glasses. 

 

Yaz sat opposite her "Desolation" she said taking a pancake" 

 

"What?" Sandy looked up confused. 

 

"First ever alien planet I saw...Desolation" 

 

"That doesn't sound welcoming" 

 

"It wasn't" 

 

Sandy took a sip of milk not taking her eyes off Yaz. It was like a subtle plea to continue talking without verbally asking. 

 

"Mmmmm....ten out of ten for pancake skills" she said licking her fingers 

 

"Like them?" 

 

"Mmmm" she nodded with her mouth full "Perfect" she mumbled. "It was poisonous" Yaz said when she could finally speak normally 

 

"What was?" 

 

"Desolation" 

 

"Was it? What...like air.... like toxic fumes and gasses?" 

 

"No... some of it yes but not all of it. Water was filled with flesh eating microbes" 

 

"Eeeewwww" 

 

"It was used to create and test bioweapons and all sorts of stuff" 

 

"By who?" 

 

"A race you never want to encounter..." 

 

"Were you scared?" 

 

"Shitting myself" she laughed "Like literally..." Also..." she smiled cheeky "...loved every minute of it" 

 

"Did I tell you when I went diving?...Hardly  the same level as an alien planet...buuut my equipment failed?" 

 

"Nooo...God" 

 

"Oh yeah...It was probably the only time I seriously thought I'm gonna die. But I also couldn't help myself and go again" 

 

"Well...I did see alien planet, but I never went diving" 

 

"Really? ....Well...take me to an alien planet and I'll take you diving" 

 

"Deal" Yaz laughed raising her hand giving her high five 

 

"What's gonna happen to this ship once were done?" 

 

"Dunno..." she shrugged taking another pancake "My guess UNIT will keep it" 

 

"And we go back to boring desk job and office computers" she sighed 

 

"Look at her" Yaz laughed "...two hours on a spaceship and she doesn't wanna leave" 

 

"Of cause not!!.... Are you kidding me...this is epic...Why would I wanna leave Yaz?...I'm literally living for this moment for the past 20 years of my life girl" 

 

"You might change you mind when you see what's out there" 

 

"Fat chance of that happening I can assure you...Did you wanna leave?" 

 

She looked up silently "Noo" she nodded then looked down to her plate again 

 

"I'm sorry" Sandy said 

 

"Don't be...I saw things people can only dream of..." she wiped her face and sipped more milk "We should go to bed...tomorrow's gonna be a long day" she said getting up 

 

"This is our first sleep over" Sandy smiled. 

 

"On a spaceship" Yaz giggled 

 

"In Antarctica" she burst out laughing "Oh...ooooh...." she got up hastily ".... You go Yaz I gotta check something before we leave" 

 

"What you need to check now?" 

 

"That alien base...I'll never forgive myself if I don't" she said rushing out into the hallway 

 

"We are legit going on another planet Sandy....What's to check?" she yelled after her 

 

"I just gotta know babe.... I want to believe Scully" she giggled as she disappeared around the corner 

 

Yaz shook her head laughing. She returned to her bedroom, picking up clean clothes from the washer unit on the way. At least they smelled nice again. The ship was small, but it had everything they needed for the time being. Compared to the Tardis it seemed like a toy, but it was a ship nevertheless. Her phone rang 

 

"Hey....sorry I was gonna call...we were busy making preparations for tomorrow" 

 

"That's ok...I thought so. Be careful Yaz. I'm not sure I like this. You've got no backup" Kate said 

 

"I'll be fine...I'm used to it" 

 

"Do not engage...we only need information" 

 

"I won't...we come, find out what we need and leave" 

 

"Alright...Keep yourself safe" 

 

"I will...Hey Kate" 

 

"What?" 

 

"Thanks for this...I really appreciate it" 

 

"You're welcome" 

 

… 

 

Sandy raced down the hall, tying up her hair. She was boiling with a mixture of emotions, excitement, anticipation, and a complete rush of adrenaline. This morning she could not have breakfast and only slept for a short time, tossing, and turning, overwhelmed by everything. 

 

"Moooorning" she smiled as she entered the control room 

 

"Morning...sleep well?" Doctor asked 

 

"Sort off...too excited.” 

 

"Heeey" Yaz turned from the console "Alright...We made these...they replicate the tattoo Martha found...so we can enter the facility undetected." 

 

"Cool" she said turning around and moving her hair out of the way so Yaz can place it at the back of her neck 

 

"Stay close to us, do not wonder off and do not touch anything" 

 

"Gotcha" 

 

"We need to transfer as much information from the factory as we can. We need everything from their manufacturing statements, list of buyers, inventory, list of employees." 

 

"Basically, the whole company profile.... I can do that" 

 

"Sandy" Doctor said "Look for deleted files. A lot of what they're making is illegal, they will cover their tracks and remember, the best way of hiding something is in the most obvious of places" 

 

"Right...got that" 

 

"The translator Doctor set up should automatically work for you. So don't worry about that" Yaz said "Ok...ready?" 

 

"Yap Beam me up Scotty" she said excited. 

 

Both Yaz and the Doctor looked at her confused 

 

"Star Trek?" she frowned "Seriously?" 

 

"My reference to popular science fiction culture is poor" Doctor said 

 

"I can see that" Sandy said smug 

 

"Oi!!.... I do watch Star Wars" Doctor said 

 

"I would hope so" Sandy said 

 

"Don't get her on that please" Yaz said "We will never leave" 

 

"All I ever said Yaz was that hyper drive is pretty outdated." 

 

"See...told ya" she laughed "Well not everyone has a Tardis...." 

 

Doctor shrugged. 

 

"Anyway let's go" 

 

"Going on an alien planet!" Sandy took her phone out "Selfie time" she raised it above her head 

 

"Oh... that's a new one...I love selfies" Doctor smiled and jumped from end of the room the next 

 

Sandy draped her arm over Yaz’s shoulder and snapped the photo of all three of them "Looking good Doctor...You came out a bit shaking but I fix that." 

 

Yaz pissed herself laughing headed towards the console "Sit your ass down if you don't wanna be shaking like the Doctor" Yaz laughed from the chair strapping herself in "Locking coordinates..." she said and swiped her fingers over the monitor, then the other one and pulled the lever. 

 

They landed right in front of the factory. It was a strange feeling for Yaz to get out of the other ship. Factory halls and production lines stretched as far as the eye could see. It was dark outside, and Sandy wasn't sure if it was night or if this was just the dark side of the moon. She tapped on her smart watch and an image popped up showing the entire layout of the place. 

 

"This way" she pointed 

 

Once inside, they found themselves surrounded by thousands of people from all over the galaxy circling the factory floor. Sandy's eyes widened at the sight of some of the alien species and she tugged on Yaz's sleeve. 

 

"Aliens Yaz" she whispered leaning over 

 

"That's Orix Sandy...very smart race.... Highly advanced in genetics" Doctor said "Responsible for ending the deadly pandemic in 68th century which took over 20 million lives across this part of the universe.....Dark times Sandy" 

 

"Waaaaaw....loook at all those machines" Sandy's eyes traveled across the massive place ".... What a waste of all these resources just to produce weapons of mass destruction." 

 

"That is a very valid point Sandy" she said turning around her shoulder ".... Did you know that the government's are 70% more lightly going to invest in military than in science or medicine?"  

 

"That's so sad...I think we need to go that way" she pointed. 

 

They walked up to the highest security level above the production lines. Armed robots at least 9 feet tall and fully armed guarded the entrance to the entire area. 

 

"Here we go..." Yaz said a bit nervously "Time to see if our ID-s work" she turned to Sandy whose eyes darted around the guards. She felt her heart rate quicken with each step she took and remembered Yaz's words from last night about everything that's out there in space, but then she took a deep breath and continued walking. 

 

"Identification please" one of the robot guards said towering over Sandy's head. 

 

Yaz moved her braid with a slight head tilt showing a tattoo on her neck. The guard scanned it. The second that it took for his scanner to flash red seemed like eternity and Sandy could feel anxiety when she saw the color. 

 

"Clear..." he said 

 

Yaz's eyes met Sandy's relieved, and she too moved her hair out of the way letting him scan her neck. 

 

"Clear" he said. 

 

Doctor smiled satisfied as they proceed towards the gate 

 

"Holograms are not allowed!" he said as his arm extended in front of the Doctor "All Holograms and AI devices have to be submitted to the department of security" 

 

Sandy looked at Yaz horrified. 

 

"I can't do that" Yaz replied worried 

 

"All Holograms and AI devices have to be submitted to the department of security...Refusing to comply will result in device being destroyed" he said, and the energy field suddenly shut down over the Doctor's hollo 

 

Jaz jumped putting her hand on the guard’s arm "Oi...you can't do that!" 

 

"Well," The Doctor looked up at the guard "...article 5499ZH899G states that every employee has a right to keep all devices necessary for them to perform their job properly and with the greatest efficiency which includes and is not limited to any service devices." 

 

Both Yaz and Sandy looked at her completely confused 

 

"Do you identify as a service device?" the guard asked 

 

"Absolutely....huge help...she can't live without me mate...Gets totally confused" she said smug 

 

Yaz darted her way frowning 

 

"In this case you may proceed.... Please make sure you bring valid authorization for your working aid device next time Yasmin Khan" 

 

"Definitely...thanks for that...Really appreciate it. I'll make sure I give you a good review" she said pulling Sandy's sleeve as she was rushing to leave as soon as possible. 

 

"Can't live without me!" she repeated as they walked away  

 

"Well if we are honest about it Yaz..." 

 

"Oh, she gets totally confused" Yaz said marching down the hallway 

 

"I did exaggerate a bit..." 

 

"A bit?" 

 

"I think she's annoyed" Doctor leaned towards Sandy "...my AI receptors detect high levels of anxiety." 

 

Sandy chuckled "That was scary...You alright Doctor?" 

 

"Who me...oh yeah...Don't worry Sandy...Aaa here we are Yaz" she pointed to the door. 

 

"Yap...that's it" Sandy said looking at her display 

 

Yaz took a sonic out and opened the door 

 

"I used to do that with a lot more style" Doctor said to Sandy who just laughed 

 

When they entered the room, Sandy's eyes widened as she looked at the white glowing strings that consumed the entire ceiling like blood vessels coming down from the ceiling like one big artery feeding into the pull of blue water on the floor 

 

"Holly bananas..." she smiled excited "Mainframe..." she said "That's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen" 

 

"We haven't got much time" Yaz said 

 

"Gotcha..." Sandy stepped forward reaching for the strings and ran her hand over them "Waaaaaw...ok...let's get to work" she cracked her knuckles and pulled out her earphones then opened her green suitcase on the floor pulling out a long lead "A bit retro...but should work" she said dipping it in the water 

 

"I hope she knows what she's doing?" Yaz said to the Doctor "She's never seen anything like this before." 

 

"Smart girl your Sandy" she grinned 

 

"She's not my Sandy" Yaz said as her eyes floated towards a tiny woman sitting on the other end of the room bobbing her head to the music and happily tapping on her little gadget 

 

"She should be...could be" 

 

"Don't..." she looked at her shortly then sat on a floor. 

 

Doctor sat next to her "I can't give you what you need Yaz" 

 

"This isn't a time or a place for this conversation" she said pulling nervously on a buckle of her sleeve 

 

"It never is..." Doctor placed her glitching hand on over Yaz's 

 

"Just 15 seconds left" Sandy turned haply over her shoulder taking one earphone out of her ear 

 

"Alright babe" Yaz smiled and got up 

 

Doctor looked up at her pursing her lips then image gliched 

 

"Why are you glitching more than usual?" Yaz asked worried 

 

The Doctor was speaking but she couldn't hear her, the image glitching more and more until it faded completely as Yaz looked completely horrified at nothing. Then suddenly all the lights turned green, and the alarm went off. Sandy pulled the headphones out of her ears and jumped to her feet 

 

"I didn't do anything!!" she said to Yaz "Where's your friend?" 

 

"We need to leave.... Now!" Yaz said and looked around the room then opened the door to see robot guards approaching "That's bad...." 

 

"What's bad?" Sandy asked 

 

"Robo guards" 

 

'"Whaaaa?...." 

 

"Exit strategy!" Yaz looked around the room "Right....I got an idea" she said stepping into the pull "Sandy where does this go?" 

 

"Ammmm...." she opened her map "feeds down below to shafts..." 

 

"If we get inside, we can bypass the guards and get to the Tardis" 

 

"Tardis?" Sandy looked at her confused. 

 

"Ship...get to the ship....it needs a name..." 

 

The shooting could be the herd outside and the door bent. Yaz directed the sonic at the strings which suddenly pulled from the floor and shriveled towards the ceiling changing color from white to blue. She reached into the water trying to lift the cover that led to the hatch below but found it too heavy to lift on her own. Her leg gave way, and she almost lost her balance 

 

"Wait...I'll help you" 

 

"Aaaarrhhh...can't hold it anymore" Yaz said struggling to keep it up as the water drained down below 

 

Sandy quickly packed up her suitcase and flipped the strap of it across her shoulders to free her hands then grabbed the heavy lid on the other side 

 

They herd a buzzing sound and both looked towards the door 

 

"Get inside" Yaz almost pushed her down the shaft and quickly followed after 

 

An explosion ripped through the room and flames brushed above their heads. Sandy screamed as Yaz pushed her lower into the hole. 

 

"Go go go" she yelled 

 

She could hear Sandy's heavy breathing as she crawled down the narrow opening and the scraping of her little suitcase on metal. Worrying thoughts about the Doctor's hollo raced through her head, but she didn't have time to think about that now. 

 

"This is probably a good time as ever to mention that I'm really claustrophobic" Sandy said 

 

"Perfect timing" Yaz chuckled 

 

"On a happier note, I did get all the information" she said looking over her shoulder towards Yaz 

 

"Shhh" Yaz pointed to the grid on one of the shafts. 

 

Sandy opened her little map, wordlessly pointing to the location of the ship. They didn't have to go far, but they had to go down into one of the rooms to get to her. Yaz motioned for her to move. Not long after, she finally saw the exit. Picking the lock, she opened the grid and they both crawled into the room, but they heard the footsteps of one of the robot guards in front. 

 

Yaz spotted a massive metal cabinet next to the door and pulled Sandy into it closing the door behind them securing the lock with a sonic. 

She felt Sandy's breath on her cheek as her face was inches away, her fingers clutching the sleeve of her jacket. Then suddenly she became distracted. She looked down at the floor and to her absolute horror the bottom of Sandy's trainers looked like disco balls as the pink, blue and yellow led lights inside them continued to flash in the dark. 

 

"Sooorry" Sandy whispered and Yaz put her hand over her mouth 

 

Suddenly something flashed making them jump and Doctor's hollo glitched next to them. 

 

"Oh..." she blinked "Bad timing, maybe? " Doctor scrunched her nose 

 

"Whaaaa?" Yaz's mouth fell open 

 

"All clear Yaz" Doctor said and disappeared. 

 

Yaz opened the door and pulled Sandy's hand "Run!!" she yelled

 

They ran outside and could see the ship in arms reach. Avoiding laser shots, they managed to finally reach the ship. 

 

"I need console closer" Yaz yelled running through the hallway "Who ever designed this odd to be shot." 

 

"Shooting....Shooting" Sandy yelled as she ran behind her 

 

"I knoooow" Yaz yelled as she ran as fast as she could into the control room and manically started up the ship then pulled the lever 

 

She slumped over the console with a sigh as they landed. 

 

"What happened to you?" " Yaz turned to the hollo 

 

"EMP Yaz...just needed few minutes to recharge me brains." 

 

"Don't ever do that again" she said trying to catch her breath leaning against the console "You alright?" she turned to Sandy 

 

"That was exciting" she grinned haply. 

 

Yaz shook her head laughing "Those need to go" she pointed to her feet

 

"Yeah...sorry about that" she looked down as her trainers were still flashing. 

 

"Aaaa....I like those" Doctor jumped 

 

"You would do" Yaz said rolling her eyes 

 

.... 

 

"Now that's interesting..." Doctor leaned over the console looking at the monitor "Open that Yaz" she pointed 

 

"What am I looking at?.....Ooooh....oooh" 

 

"Yeah...." 

 

"What?" Sandy asked with her mouth full munching on M&M's lining up all the yellow ones on a console 

 

"Why did you leave all the yellow ones?" Yaz frowned 

 

"Don't like the taste" 

 

Yaz shook her head "Ooookkk...anyway..." 

 

"Want one?" 

 

"No thanks" 

 

"I used to love those..."Doctor said "I do miss food..." 

 

Yaz glanced at her with a gentle smile "Going back to this..." 

 

"What did you find?" Sandy asked again resting her head on her arm 

 

"Our deceased friend worked on something....Something which he made a ton of effort trying to hide. The same file was on his office computer Sandy" Doctor said 

 

"Can you see what it is?" Sandy asked 

 

"It's encrypted" Yaz said "Can you crack it?" she asked the Doctor 

 

"Not without the Tardis Yaz" 

 

"I can try" Sandy lifted a finger 

 

"This ship seriously needs work Yaz if you're gonna..." 

 

"It's going back to the UNIT" she said deflated 

 

"Right" Doctor nodded "Still needs work..." 

 

"Loads of stuff was sold to the same buyer...Look" Yaz said "Lanni?.....What's Lanni?" 

 

"Not what Yaz.....Where" Doctor said "It's a colony on a Moon of Santabra in 62 century used for mining the rare elements" 

 

"Why would a mining company need all this?" 

 

"Good question Yaz" Doctor said "Maybe we should pay them a visit?" 

 

"Excuse me" Sandy said "Ammmm....May I just say something" 

 

They both turned their eyes on Sandy 

 

"I think we really need some clean clothes" 

 

"I know just a place" Doctor grinned 

 

....

 

"Welcome to the biggest shopping paradise on this side of the universe" Doctor opened her arms as Yaz and Sandy stood at the door of the ship looking at the biggest shopping center a person could ever imagine. 

 

"And how are we gonna pay for it?" Sandy frowned "I doubt my credit card works here" 

 

"No... but this one does" Yaz winked showing oval transparent little plate 

 

"Where did you get that from?" she hopped behind Yaz confused 

 

"Let's say I kept some stuff when I left the Tardis" she giggled 

 

.... 

 

"Hey Yaz, look" Sandy tapped on a white t-shirt with some bright multi color writing on it in a language she didn't understand and symbols started flashing like lights on a Christmas tree 

 

"You are not getting that" she laughed 

 

"Why nooot?" she pouted "Just around the shiiiip.... I promised no field work" 

 

Yaz laughed rolling her eyes 

 

"Shut up and kiss me" Doctor's eyes widened as she read the inscription on a t-shirt 

 

"Whaaa?" Sandy looked down 

 

Yaz burst out laughing "You might wanna reconsider that one" Yaz couldn't stop laughing 

 

"Na-Na roll roll" Doctor suddenly jumped of the floor as they walked back towards the ship 

 

"Whaaa?" Yaz frowned 

 

"Na-Na roll roll Yaz" she pointed excitedly towards the candy store "...Oh I love Na-Na...Can't eat them though" she deflated 

 

Yaz felt her heart stop for a moment as she choked on her own tears at the back of her throat. 

 

"You get it Yaz....gotta try them...So nice" 

 

"Next time" Yaz said, and Doctor regretted saying anything as she watched Yaz kicking the dirt with her boots all the way back to the ship 

 

Sandy sped up her pace to catch-up with Yaz 

 

"You alright?" she asked squinting her eyes in a sun 

 

"Mmmmm" Yaz glanced at her for a moment with a subtle smile 

 

"This is really nice...wanna try?" She offered something resembling sugar candy 

 

Yaz reached out taking a piece "It's nice...Like raspberry." 

 

"She's trying" 

 

"I know" 

 

"I know it's not perfect...But nothing is" 

 

Yaz smiled at her and paused for a moment. She reached for the sparkly pink sunglasses on top of her head and slid them down onto her face with a smile "Nothing is Sandy Mackay" she said and kissed her cheek "Hey!!...Doctor!!!" she turned around walking backwards "...Changed my mind...Let's get those Na-Na things." 

 

"Really?" she smiled haply. 

 

"Yeah..." she said smiling as her eyes glistened with tears. 

 

.....