The TARDIS isn't happy, the Doctor and Jessie remember a previous adventure, Tony has several questions, and the team gets split up.

Enjoy "Under the Lake!"

***

"Wow," Tony whistled, leaning against the railing by the seat Jessie was curled into and popping chocolate-covered ice cream balls into her mouth. "Your sane adventures are few and far between, aren't they?"

"Yep," Jessie smiled up at him, licking a bit of chocolate off her fingers before diving back into her bowl. "And who in the universe are danger magnets?"

"Avengers," Tony laughed.

"And Time Lords!" the Doctor added.

"I thought that was obvious," Pietro snorted.

"Oi!"

"You said it first!"

"Yeah," Jessie giggled, watching her husband and his new companion bicker back and forth. "They're a match made in Pilot-companion heaven."

Wanda snickered, watching Clara get drawn in, the brunette jumping up and down and excitedly talking about their last adventures. "You're the sane one."

Jessie smirked. "That can be debated, depending on the adventures. Though yes, I agree, often I'm the only sane one. There was the amusement park with the Cybermen, though – "

"Oh, God," Wanda shook her head. "That was the Cybermen, not you."

Jessie opened her mouth to comment, then the TARDIS made a groaning noise Tony had never heard before. "Whoa," the Doctor hurried to the console, checking the monitors. "What's wrong, girl?"

"What is it?" Jessie jumped out of her seat, absently tossing her bowl over her shoulder.

Tony fumbled to catch it as the Doctor pulled a monitor close to him. "She really doesn't like something," he narrowed his eyes.

"Is she taking us somewhere?" Jessie looked up at the rotor.

The Doctor threw a lever, and he raised an eyebrow as the familiar wheezing started. "Looks like. I didn't put in coordinates."

Jessie turned to Tony and grinned. "Mystery tour time!"

***

The Doctor sighed, stepping out of the TARDIS and turning to look her over. "What's wrong?" he asked, patting the side. "You're not happy. Why aren't you happy? Tell me."

"Oh, I hope we stay on a roll," Clara jumped out. "Monsters, things blowing up. By the way, can we go back to that place where the people with the long necks have been celebrating New Year for two centuries? I left my sunglasses there. And most of my dignity."

Tony smirked. "That sounds familiar."

"Tony, you look wonderful, but you are not two centuries," Jessie chuckled.

"I meant leaving sunglasses and dignity."

"Why have you brought us here?" the Doctor wondered, looking around the corridor.

"Here being?" Wanda asked.

The Doctor touched one of the walls, his hand coming away wet with water. "Underwater," he answered, removing a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his hand off. "Some sort of base. The technology's twenty-second century. Maybe military, maybe scientific."

"Unhappy TARDIS, base of some sort?" Jessie raised an eyebrow. "Tell me there's no underwater Satan."

"Guess that depends on if there's a religion with an underwater Satan," the Doctor shrugged.

"Does this base have a crew?" Pietro looked up and down the corridor.

"Must be, somewhere," the Doctor nodded. "If there's oxygen."

Clara sighed as they walked down the corridor. "I want another adventure. Come on, you feel the same. You're itching to save a planet, I know it."

***

"Whoa," Pietro blinked, walking into a larger room with tables and chairs scattered about. "That is one mean dragon."

"That's not quite the artwork I would want for a base," Wanda frowned, tracing the dragon, then the painted boat it was threatening. "Not an underwater one."

Jessie whistled lowly, looking around at the overturned chairs. "Well, Clara, looks like you're getting your wish."

"Food fight?" Clara tilted her head, poking at a knife in the wall.

"I think there was more to it than that," the Doctor shook his head, looking at a drink on the table. "Whatever it was, it happened pretty recently." He stuck his pinky in the drink, thinking. "Seven or eight hours ago."

"Is no sign of bodies usually considered good or bad by your standards?" Tony asked.

"Depends," Pietro called from examining the galley area. "How about no provisions?"

"OK," Clara nodded. "So something or someone forced the crew to abandon the base. Maybe they went for a swim in the creepy flooded village outside." She giggled. "Oh, yeah. You see? This is more like it." She turned to the Doctor, holding up her hand and expecting a high five. The Doctor raised an eyebrow, then snorted. "Oh, come on," Clara complained. "Don't leave me hanging!"

The Doctor just held out his hand to Jessie, who took it with a grin and followed him out of the hall. Tony took pity on Clara and high fived her, and Clara grinned, the companions hurrying after the Time Lords. "Look!" the Doctor beckoned to them when they caught up. "Told you! Crew."

Tony tilted his head, seeing the two men crouching on the ground. "How many crew members wear a suit?" he asked.

Jessie looked down at her wardrobe, then pointed at the Doctor. "He's seemed to favor it for a few years."

"Hello, sailors!" the Doctor called cheerfully.

Wanda balked when the figures stood and turned in unison, revealing black holes where their eyes were, their mouths forming words without speaking . . . and most importantly, they could see the wall behind them. "Uh oh."

"Right," the Doctor nodded as the figures approached. "I did not expect that. Hands up, who expected that?"

"OK, I'm still learning the ropes," Tony swallowed as the figures – one a black man, the other an alien in a suit and top hat – walked towards them. "Is this where we run?"

"Wait, wait," the Doctor shook his head. "I don't think they're going to hurt us. I think that they're just curious."

Jessie gulped when the alien ghost came nose to nose with the Doctor, and the man towered over her, looking down at her. "Are you sure?" she asked, one hand raising to cover her stomach protectively.

"Well, I mean, define sure," the Doctor smiled nervously, entwining her hand with his. "Look at you lovely chaps. What's happened to you, then?"

The ghosts turned around, still mouthing words without being audible. "I think this is a first for us," Pietro said. "Did the haunted house count for ghosts if it wasn't actually a ghost?"

"Come on," the Doctor told them, walking forward.

"Seriously, are they ghosts?" Pietro caught up to them first. "Or, what are they?"

"I haven't a clue," the Doctor grinned. "Isn't that exciting?"

Wanda sighed, looking at Tony. "He's like this."

"I don't think he'd be the Doctor if he wasn't," Tony pointed out.

Wanda conceded with a nod as they turned the corner and entered what appeared to be a hangar of some kind. "Those people are gone," Jessie looked around, eyes narrowed.

"If they're ghosts, they probably just walked through walls," Tony waved at said walls.

"I'm more worried about this," Wanda gestured to the craft in the middle of the hangar.

Clara looked it over with wide eyes. "Is this some kind of submarine?"

"No," the Doctor shook his head, bounding up the steps. "It's alien!"

Jessie peered at the white, rectangular object in the center of the craft. "With some sort of cargo sealed up nice and tight."

"And some really weird markings on the wall," Pietro pointed.

The others turned, then Tony picked up a flashlight on the object and shone it on the markings. Jessie blinked, examining the carvings. "That's weird," she scratched her head. "Idris isn't translating it."

"Now I'm really reminded of Kroptor," the Doctor muttered, not seeing the curious look in Tony's eyes at the previous statement.

A hissing sound made Wanda turn, and she gasped, eyes widening. "They're back!"

The Doctor poked his head out of the exit, seeing the two figures standing by the corner. "Hello!" he waved. "Did you want to show us this? It's very nice."

Clara frowned, tilting her head. "Wait, are they saying something?"

The human ghost turned around, and Pietro cleared his throat when it plucked an axe off its place on the wall. "I think that is when we run."

"Arming themselves?" the Doctor winced, hurrying down the steps. "Yes, that's our cue. Was it something Clara said? She does that, she once had an argument with Gandhi!"

"You did?" Tony looked at Clara in surprise.

"Run!" Jessie grabbed the Doctor's hand, tugging him off as the human ghost swung the axe towards him.

Wanda jumped out of the way before going after them. "I can see why the crew did a runner!"

Tony, Clara, and Pietro followed, Tony narrowly ducking and avoiding the harpoon fired at him by the alien ghost.

He yelped when he rounded the corner and his arm was grabbed, and Jessie pulled him against the wall. "Shh!" she put a finger to her lips.

Tony nodded, miming zipping his lips. Jessie cautiously peered around the corner again, then Clara shrieked further down. They pulled away from the wall as the human ghost stepped through the wall, turning to face them. "Can't you do something to them?" Tony hissed.

"Not if they're ghosts!" Jessie shook her head.

"There's the other one!" Pietro called behind them.

Jessie looked over her shoulder to see the alien ghost rise through the floor, then the Doctor squeezed her hand and tugged. "Run!"

Jessie ran after him down the other corridor, the pounding of feet behind them signifying their companions were hot on their heels. The Doctor looked around, trying to determine where to go next when the door at the end of the corridor opened, and a human woman waved at them. "In here! Quick!"

Pietro grabbed Clara and zoomed down the hallway, making the woman squeak. Tony and Wanda barreled in next, and finally the Doctor and Jessie. Another woman helped the first close the door, then they backed away as the ghosts approached. They peered inside the window but did not try to enter. The Doctor narrowed his eyes, looking back at them. "What are you?" he wondered, watching the ghosts leave.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?" one of the men, wearing a light blue shirt, asked suspiciously.

Jessie smiled. "I'm the Bad Wolf, this is Tony, that's Wanda."

"And this is Clara, that's Pietro, and I'm the Doctor," the Doctor held up his psychic paper.

The man straightened, looking relieved. "You're from UNIT!"

"Well, if that's what it says," the Doctor shrugged.

"I'm Pritchard," the man introduced himself, then gestured to the man with glasses on his right. "This is Bennett."

"O'Donnell!" the first woman beamed, grabbing his hand and shaking it wildly. "Are you really the Doctor and the Bad Wolf? I'm a huge fan!" When she turned to Jessie, she backed up a step behind the Doctor, and the woman cleared her throat. "I mean, er . . . you know. Nice work."

"Good save," Tony nodded.

"Tim Lunn," the final man waved. "I sign for Cass."

"Tell me, what about those things out there?" the Doctor pointed out the door. "What are they? Why are they trying to kill us?"

"Well, they're, er," Bennett scratched the back of his head. "They're ghosts."

The Doctor snorted. "They're not ghosts."

The final woman, Cass, started to sign, and Lunn nodded. "Cass is saying – "

"Thank you, but I actually don't need your help," the Doctor shook his head. "I can speak sign."

Jessie coughed. "Since when?"

The Doctor gave her a wounded look. "Well, you've been trying!"

"Yeah, trying."

"Can you?" Tony asked in surprise.

"It's one way I kept myself occupied when Daleks weren't attacking Trenzalore." She stepped in front of Cass and smiled warmly. "Go ahead."

Cass gave her a dubious look, but started signing quickly. Jessie nodded. "One of the ghosts is their previous commanding officer," she said. "The other . . . " Cass gestured, and Jessie nodded. "Moley guy, they don't know what he is."

"He's from the planet Tivoli," the Doctor explained.

"See?" Bennett huffed. "I told you he was an alien. Didn't I say that?"

"We've met someone from Tivoli before," Jessie frowned. "He was all cowardice, though."

"Yeah, they're not violent," the Doctor nodded, Cass watching Lunn for the translation. "They wouldn't say boo to a goose. They're more likely to give the goose their car keys and bank details. When did they first appear?"

"Oh, did you see that spaceship in the hangar?" O'Donnell asked. When the six nodded, she continued. "Yeah, we found that on the lake bed and we'd just got it on board and one of the engines started up, and then Morgan got – " She gulped. "Moran was killed."

"Then they appeared and pretty much straight away started trying to kill us," Lunn translated for Cass as she signed. "So we grabbed what we could and we were looking for somewhere to hide, and that's when we realized the ghosts couldn't come in here."

"What is this place?" Clara looked around the room.

"I think it's a Faraday cage," Tony examined the room curiously. "It's completely impenetrable to radio waves."

"And apparently whatever those things are out there," the Doctor nodded. "So, who's in charge now? I need to know who to ignore."

"That would be me," Lunn answered as Cass signed, then he shook his head and pointed at Cass. "Her."

"Actually, that would be me," Pritchard stepped forward, holding out a card. "I represent Vector Petroleum. We've obtained the mining rights to the oil."

"Mining rights?" Jessie repeated.

"The oil?" the Doctor repeated after her, flinging the card away from him. "Where are we?"

Pritchard gave him an offended look, bending down to recover it. "This used to be a military training site," Bennett explained. "There was a dam overlooking it, but the dam burst and the valley was submerged."

"Then twenty years ago, we discovered a massive oil reservoir underneath it," Pritchard nodded.

"Good morning. Entering day mode."

The six time travelers looked up at the voice, and as the lights went on, O'Donnell sighed in relief. "OK, it's morning. We can go outside now."

"Thank God for that," Lunn nodded.

"Morning?" Clara asked in surprise.

"Yeah, we're too far below the surface for daylight, so we have to demarcate artificial days and nights," Bennett told her, taking a towel from a hook.

The Doctor frowned, turning as O'Donnell opened the door. "I'd like to have a further look at that spaceship, but what about those things that aren't ghosts?"

"Oh, it's all right," O'Donnell assured him. "They only come out at night."

Pietro closed his eyes, shaking his head and following everyone out. "That is so not comforting."

***

"If whatever they are," the Doctor began as they entered the hangar.

"They're ghosts," Pritchard caught up to him.

"They're not ghosts," the Doctor huffed. "Have been trying to kill you, why haven't you abandoned the base?"

"That was my call," Pritchard said. "We've got about a trillion dollars worth of mining equipment here. We're not just going to abandon it." The Doctor stopped in his tracks and gave Pritchard a bitch face Rhodey would be proud of, and Tony looked at him in disgust. "What? If it all goes pear-shaped, it's not them that loses a bonus."

"I really hope this Vicious Pterodactyl business is never bought by Stark Industries," Tony grumbled, giving Pritchard a nasty look and walking past him. "I'd have Pepper fire you."

Wanda giggled. "It's Vector Petroleum."

"Same thing."

"It's OK, I understand," the Doctor nodded. "You're an idiot." Pritchard sputtered as Jessie laughed, and the Doctor grinned, watching up to Tony and Wanda as they stepped into the craft. "Come to mention it, why is there a Faraday cage on the base?"

"It's the mining equipment," Bennett explained. "It runs on nuclear fission. The Faraday cage has been lined with lead to act as a shelter in the event of a radiation leak."

Jessie grimaced uneasily. "So we're fighting an unknown homicidal force that has taken the form of your commanding officer and a cowardly alien, underwater, in a nuclear reactor. Anything else we should know?"

"Like a peanut allergy, or something?" the Doctor poked his head out to ask.

Tony laughed from inside, and Jessie rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"An idiot with a box!" the Doctor agreed, looking around the interior of the ship as she, Clara, and Pietro joined them. "It all started with this ship. This is where the answer will be."

Tony looked around and around, then tapped Pietro on the shoulder. "Move a second, will you?" Pietro stepped off the section of the floor he was on, then Tony crouched down. "Something I've learned flying Quinjets and similar crafts . . . " He pried open a section of the floor, and Pietro helped him put it to the side. Tony gestured triumphantly to the revealed chamber, which held a rod of some sort, the slot next to it empty. "Energy source."

"Key word now is source," the Doctor frowned. "What's happened to the stuff you've removed?" he asked the crew. "This is for long-haul flights. There should be a suspended-animation chamber for the pilot right here. Plus, one of the power cells is missing."

"Power cell?" Pritchard perked up, running to join them.

"Yeah," the Doctor pointed down to what Tony had revealed, and Pritchard, O'Donnell, and Bennett looked down. "You can see the casing is empty."

"It's not safe out here!" Lunn protested suddenly.

Jessie looked out of the ship, frowning when she saw Cass shaking her head, standing in front of Lunn and blocking the way to the stairs. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"She won't let me look inside the spaceship," Lunn huffed. "She says it's not safe. I'm saying it's not safe out here."

Jessie frowned curiously, wondering why that was. "I imagine they're pretty valuable," Pritchard mused.

"What?" the Doctor frowned.

"I mean, powerful," Pritchard cleared his throat. "Those power cells. I imagine they're pretty powerful."

"Wow," Tony deadpanned. "Nice observation. What gave you that idea, the name?"

Clara sniggered, then quickly covered her mouth. "Well, they can zap a vessel from one side of the galaxy to the other, so, you know, take a wild stab in the dark," the Doctor nodded.

"And the missing one must still be out there," Pritchard smiled.

Tony facepalmed. "Wanda, can you make him shut up?"

Wanda gave Pritchard a nasty look, and he sneered before walking off the ship and heading off. "We haven't removed anything," O'Donnell said. "There hasn't been time."

"So, what have we got?" the Doctor asked, pacing back and forth. "Moran dies, and then those things appear. They can walk through walls. They only come out at night, and they're sort of see-through."

"And what does that leave us with?" Pietro raised an eyebrow.

***

"They're ghosts!" the Doctor concluded on the bridge, grinning widely. "Yeah, ghosts!"

"That would usually be the cue to gasp dramatically, but since everyone else already figured that out," Jessie trailed off from where she sat next to Tony, and the engineer smothered a laugh.

"You said there was no such thing," Clara scowled as the Doctor shook Bennett's hand. "You actually pooh-poohed the theory!"

"Yes, well, well, there was no such thing as . . . as socks or smartphones and badgers until there suddenly were," the Doctor walked around the bridge. "Besides, what else could they be? They're not holograms, they're not Flesh Avatars, they're not Autons, they're not digital copies bouncing around the Nethersphere. No, these people are literally, actually, dead. Wow," he grinned. "This is, it's amazing! I've never actually met a proper ghost!"

Cass signed rapidly, and Jessie quickly jumped to her feet, taking her husband's arm and tugging him off to the side. "Maybe be a little less excited about ghosts when one of them is their friend?" she raised an eyebrow. "Or do I need to make you read a card?" The Doctor balked, remembering how well that had gone last time. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"But come on!" the Doctor whispered, still excited even as Clara apologized to Cass. "Don't you see what this means? Death! It was the one thing that unified every single living creature in the universe, and now it's gone. Don't you want to go out there right now, wrestle them to the ground and ask them questions until your throat falls out?"

"I don't think we can wrestle them," Jessie's lips quirked up in a smirk.

"Oh, you get the idea," the Doctor huffed. "What's death like? Does it hurt? Do you still get hungry? Do you miss being alive? Why can you only handle metal objects?"

Jessie blinked. "Nice catch."

"Thanks, love, I didn't realize I'd noticed that," the Doctor smiled. "OK," he turned back around, speaking to the entire group now. "So they'll try to kill you, blah blah blah. What does that matter? You come back. A bit murder-y, sure, but even so!"

"Please, try and calm down, my love," Jessie rubbed her temples. "You were like this when you met Shirley Bassey."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "How many songs did he play guitar to?"

"At least all the James Bond ones."

Tony snorted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's not surprising."

"OK," the Doctor took a deep breath. "Question one: what is a ghost? Question two: what do they want?"

The lights abruptly shut off, blanketing them in darkness. "Question three," Pietro deadpanned. "Why are we now in night mode?"

"That's not right," O'Donnell swallowed, turning around to a computer terminal. "We're switching back into night mode again! This can't happen! No, no, no!"

A deep tolling came from somewhere in the base, and Bennett frowned. "Er, what's doing that?"

Jessie blanched. "That's the TARDIS Cloister Bell!"

***

The TARDIS console room shone with red light when the Doctor burst inside. "What's wrong?" Wanda asked, running after him. "Why's she doing this?"

"It must be the ghosts," the Doctor answered, moving around the console. "That's why she was upset when we got here."

"Why?" Pietro frowned. "Why would ghosts set her off?"

"Because you live and you die, you're not really supposed to come back as anything," Jessie said. "The ghosts are aberrations, a splinter of time in the skin. They're unnatural. Idris wants to get away from them."

"Is her name the TARDIS or Idris?" Tony asked, looking around the room.

"Long story, I'll tell you later," Jessie waved it off.

"I'm holding you to that."

"So, what do we do?" Clara asked anxiously.

The Doctor shrugged, swinging a lever around. "Put the handbrake on!"

Tony's eyebrows shot up as the bell stopped tolling and the lights returned to normal. "That's it?"

"Brilliant," Clara nodded, flinging her jacket off and heading for the door.

"Whoa!" the Doctor protested. "Where do you think you're gong?"

Clara gave him a bewildered look. "Out there, where the action is!"

The Doctor sighed. "Oh, this is my own fault. I like adventures as much as the next man . . . if the next man is a man who likes adventures. Even so, don't go native!"

"None of us are going native, Doctor," Pietro frowned. "But they need help."

"Fight the battles that they never could," Tony recalled Fury's words.

The Doctor huffed. "You lot need hobbies."

"We do," Wanda smirked. "It's called time traveling."

Jessie laughed loudly, heading for the door. "That's not a hobby. That's basically employment."

The Doctor sighed, following the others as they headed out. "And it's employment that once upon a time got you killed," he reminded her telepathically.

Jessie stopped, then smiled at the companions when they looked at her. "Go on, grab anything you need." They headed off, and Jessie turned to the Doctor as he shut the door behind them. "Is that what you're worried about?" she asked, walking over to him and leaning against the TARDIS. "One of them's going to die?"

"How lucky have we been with companions, hmm?" the Doctor asked, keeping his voice low, just in case the ghosts appeared. "Skye's in her parallel world with her parallel husband who loved her enough to jump to this world and risk his life for her. Saleen's back at the Avengers complex, living her life and defending the world. Martha's living her happily ever after with Steve, even if it's in Wakanda and in hiding. Donna's with her mum and granddad. Jack's running Torchwood or exploring the universe on his own. Fizz and Simmons are out there saving the world with their team. Amy and Rory were sent back in time, yes, but they lived out their lives together, like any couple would like. We know what happens to River. What happens when that luck runs out? When does that luck run out? You were the first companion I had after the War, and what happened? You died, dead on the ground, and there was nothing I could do." He sighed, shaking his head. "Our luck ends somewhere, Jess. I don't want it to be with these four."

"I don't think it will be, Kasterborous," Jessie shook her head, cupping his cheek. "These aren't regular companions. These are Avengers. Every day, on and off the TARDIS, we're prepared for anything, any danger. If there's anyone I think that can survive traveling with us, it's them." She smiled. "Besides, they have us protecting them, too."

The Doctor smiled. "That, they do."

Jessie stood up on her toes and kissed him quickly. "Now, provisions, right?"

***

"Attention, all crew," O'Donnell's voice said from overhead as Clara and Pietro raided the mess hall with Bennett. "The Drum has switched to night mode early, so grab provisions and make your way to the Faraday cage. Pritchard, you are unaccounted for. Contact the bridge or get to the Faraday cage immediately. Pritchard, contact the bridge or get to the Faraday cage!"

"I'd love to work for UNIT," Bennett told the couple. "Earth's first line of defense and all. I'm probably not suited, though. Not much of a fighter. More of a bleeder."

"Not everything about the first line of defense has to be about fighting," Pietro pointed out.

Clara nodded in agreement, then looked past Bennett to see a figure in a wetsuit by the wall, their back to them. "Pritchard!" she realized. "Where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you!"

Pietro tilted his head. "What's with the wetsuit?" he wondered.

"Yeah, where have you been?" Bennett frowned.

***

"O'Donnell, it's OK," Bennett's voice came over the comm as Tony looked around the bridge, trying to see if he could help reset the settings. "Pritchard's in here."

"Pritchard, you moron," O'Donnell sighed. "Grab your stuff, we're locking down early." She turned off the intercom and rolled back to her terminal, muttering, "In case I can't get this back into day mode."

***

Clara frowned, realizing Pritchard hadn't responded to anything they said. "Is he all right?"

Something hit the window next to Pietro, who yelped and scrambled backwards, almost dropping the bottles of water he held. Bennett turned to ask what was wrong, and he paled rapidly when he saw the body floating outside. "Man overboard!" he shouted, and Pietro put his items down and ran to look. "Man overboard! We need a rescue team in the water, now!"

Pietro peered outside the window, then gulped. "Bennett, wait," he held up a hand. "It's Pritchard."

Clara gulped, seeing the body outside was wearing the same wetsuit the person in the mess hall was wearing. As Pietro and Bennett turned back around, so did the person in the room. Pritchard's ghost looked at them with black eye sockets, slowly advancing, moving his mouth in words they couldn't hear. "What was that about a man overboard?" the Doctor rushed into the room, Jessie behind him.

"He's a ghost," Clara pointed to Pritchard's ghost as Cass and Lunn joined them. "He's another ghost."

***

"Ghost!" Wanda shouted from her position by the cameras, making Tony curse and jump to his feet. "Pritchard's a ghost!"

"Come on, come on!" O'Donnell seethed, fingers flying over the computer keys, eyes moving between her fingers and the cameras. "Come on, come on, come on, come on . . . "

***

The Doctor immediately slid in front of Jessie when Pritchard's ghost picked up the metal legs of a chair, and it lifted the makeshift weapon over its head. True to her word, Jessie didn't complain; she gripped the Doctor's arm tightly as the ghost advanced, Pietro taking Clara's arm and preparing to run if necessary.

Then the lights flickered, then came on with full power. Pritchard shimmered out of existence, and the chair crashed to the ground. "Good morning," the computer voice said as everyone sighed in relief. "Entering day mode."

***

Jessie sighed, rubbing her temples as they watched Pritchard drown in the airlock. "Oh, Pritchard."

"They're working out how to use the base against us," the Doctor deduced. "Altering the time settings so they can go about uninhibited, opening the airlocks. They're learning."

"And now there's three of them," Clara added.

"Cass, what do we do?" Bennett turned her.

Cass thought for a moment, then signed. "We abandon the base," Lunn translated. "Topside can send down a whole team of Marines or Ghostbusters or whatever."

"What?" Tony sat upright.

"Wait, wait," the Doctor began.

He faltered when Cass got right in his face and signed furiously. "I can't force you to leave, so you can stay and do the whole cabin in the woods thing and get killed or drowned, if you want," Lunn translated. "But my first priority is to protect my crew."

The Doctor sighed and nodded, and as Cass turned to O'Donnell, Wanda looked at Jessie worriedly. "We're coming back, though, aren't we?"

Jessie looked at the Doctor, who nodded. "Yes, we're coming back," he confirmed.

Wanda nodded as Lunn spoke for Cass. "O'Donnell, contact Topside. Tell them we're abandoning the base on my orders."

O'Donnell nodded, picking up a receiver and pressing a button to transmit. "Topside, Topside, this is Lance Corporal Alice O'Donnell from Drum Control Over."

"Drum Control, this is Topside," came the reply. "We have received your message. Submarine on its way. Over."

O'Donnell frowned; the action was mirrored by Jessie. "Repeat, Topside? Over."

"We've received your request for a rescue sub. It's two minutes away. Over."

O'Donnell shook her head as the Doctor quickly walked over. "Topside, who did you speak to and when was this request made? Over."

"Drum Control, it was in Morse code and arrived maybe half an hour ago. Said it was urgent, comms were down, two crew members critically ill, full paramedic team requested. Over."

The Doctor snatched the receiver from O'Donnell. "Topside, this is the Doctor, UNIT security visa seven one zero Apple zero zero," he said. "You may be familiar with my work. Call back the sub."

"Doctor, why would – "

"Call it back," the Doctor repeated. "We have a hazardous and undefined contagion onboard. This base is now under quarantine."

"What did you do that for?" Bennett protested as the Doctor put the receiver down.

"Well, none of you sent that message, did you?" Jessie raised an eyebrow. "And we certainly didn't, so there's only two who could have."

"The ghosts," the Doctor nodded. "They want that crew down here."

Lunn frowned uneasily, translating for Cass. "Why would they do that?"

"I don't think to form a band," Tony deadpanned.

"Definitely not," the Doctor shook his head. "We can solve this on our own. The ghosts can only come out at night, so they change the base's time settings. Why? What's different at night?"

"It's mainly atmospheric," O'Donnell answered. "The lights are dim, the noise from the engines is muffled."

"Are any of the systems running different?" Tony asked.

Cass perked up, starting to sign. "The diagnostic sweep," Lunn translated. "When the systems are checked, that stops at night to save power."

"What systems specifically?" the Doctor asked.

"Life support, the locks," O'Donnell counted off. "They're electromagnetic. They have to be secured in case of flooding, so throughout the day, they're checked, one by one, every few seconds."

"And Pritchard was killed by one of the airlocks opening and flooding," Jessie raised an eyebrow. "Never ignore a coincidence."

"So what do we do?" Clara asked.

"O'Donnell," the Doctor turned to the woman, and she snapped to attention. "Excellent work, returning the base to day mode."

"Shut up," she blushed. "It was nothing." She shyly looked up, giggling, and Jessie shook her head, glaring at Tony when he snickered. "You really think so?"

"Now put it back into night mode," the Doctor ordered.

"What?" O'Donnell's eyes flew wide open.

"We know nothing," the Doctor paced the bridge. "We don't know what they want, that's getting us killed. Well, I won't run, not anymore. So, O'Donnell, kindly put the base back into night mode. We want to know what these ghosts are after? We ask them. We're going to do the impossible: we're going to capture a ghost."

Jessie spun in her chair, grinning at the companions. "Who you gonna call?"

"Ghostbusters!" Tony and Clara whooped.

***

At a nod from the Doctor, O'Donnell took a deep breath and changed the modes. "Good evening," the computer said kindly. "Entering night mode."

Jessie surveyed the camera footage, snorting when she saw the position the ghosts were in: Pritchard in a wall, the Tivolian standing on a wall, and Moran hanging from the ceiling. "It's like they're taking inspiration from Clara."

The Doctor smirked, then heard Bennett nervously say, "H-Hey. How's it going?"

Jessie watched the ghosts follow Bennett. "Bennett's got them moving, and Clara's in position," O'Donnell reported.

The Doctor nodded, speaking into his earpiece as he examined the map of the base. "Clara, Bennett is going to run across the top of the T-junction to your right in about ten seconds. Draw the ghosts towards you. Turn right, and then take second left."

Bennett passed Clara on the camera, and Clara gulped, jumping out and waving. "Hey!" she shouted. "Hey, ghosts! Down here!"

"There they go," Jessie said, watching the ghosts peel away from Bennett and follow Clara.

"Lunn, they're coming your way," the Doctor said. "Clara's going to duck down to her left. You've got to keep the ghosts going on the same route they're on now. Then, after about fifty yards on your left, there is a flood door. O'Donnell will close the door once you're through."

Lunn nodded, swallowing. "I – I can hear them."

"Lunn, don't let them see where you go."

Lunn nodded, then stepped out into the corridor. Clara banked left, and Lunn nodded at the ghosts that stopped. "Hey!" he got their attention. "Yeah, this way!"

Jessie blinked and leaned forward when she saw the Tivolian and Moran take the left, and Pritchard alone remained. "What?" she asked in surprise.

"We've got a problem!" Lunn shouted, taking off with Pritchard on his tail.

"They've separated," O'Donnell frowned.

"What?" the Doctor turned around sharply.

"Moran and the Tivolian are going after Clara," Jessie said, reaching for her earpiece. "Clara, look out. Two ghosts are still on your six, right behind you."

Clara inhaled sharply. "I'm beginning to think we should have left the ghosts in on the plan!"

As she took off again, the Doctor consulted the map. "Clara, there's a flood door at the end of the corridor, around the corner to your right," he said. "We'll close it from here. Listen to me, you've got to get through that door before Moran and the other ghost see you."

Jessie watched Clara jump through the door. "Now, O'Donnell," she ordered.

She tapped away on the keys, and the door slammed into place. Clara disappeared out of sight in the window, and the ghosts walked right by. "Oh, thank God," Wanda sighed.

"Guys, I'm nearly at my door!" Lunn called.

"Now, Lunn," the Doctor said. "Quickly!"

O'Donnell shut the next door, but Jessie's eyes widened when she saw Pritchard stop right in front of the door just as it shut. "It saw me," Lunn reported, and Jessie gulped. "Oh, God, it saw me! It's coming through! It's coming through the door!"

"Is there a camera in that room?" Jessie turned to O'Donnell as Pritchard passed through the door.

"No," O'Donnell swallowed as Cass backed away.

"No, no, Lunn," the Doctor backed up to the door, holding out a hand to stop Cass from running out. "Lunn, can you hear me? Can you hear me? Lunn, what's happening?" Wanda pulled Cass back towards the cameras, and the woman frantically looked over them all, as if hoping she could see the translator. "Lunn? Can you hear me? Lunn?"

Jessie called his name a few times, then Pritchard walked back through the door. "I'm OK," Lunn finally said, and Jessie sighed in relief, dropping her head. "It didn't hurt me. I'm OK."

Wanda turned Cass towards her, smiling. "He's alive," she enunciated clearly, and Cass's eyes lit up.

"What?" the Doctor asked in surprise. "What's wrong with you? Why didn't it hurt you?"

"More pressing things right now, Doctor," Jessie sighed. "Tony? Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, J," her companion responded.

"OK," Jessie found him on the cameras. "Oh, look at that. You've got two ghosts just around the corner from you."

"Oh, do I?" Tony peeked out around the corner. "Tell me something I don't know."

Jessie smirked, giving the Doctor a thumbs up when he gave her a questioning look. He nodded and headed out the door. "The Faraday cage is across the intersection and down the corridor to your right. This last part's down to you."

"Wonderful," Tony snorted. "No pressure there."

Jessie watched intently. "Go."

***

Tony stepped into view of the ghosts, then started running down the corridor. Moran and the Tivolian followed him, and Tony swiveled, checking to make sure he was still being followed. "Oh, hey, good news," he smiled nervously. "Found the third ghost!"

"It's following you, too?" Jessie asked.

"Yep," Tony nodded. "Pietro? All you!"

When he reached the Faraday cage, he bolted to the left. Pietro stepped into view of the Faraday cage, and he backed up to the wall. He narrowed his eyes, crouching into a starting position. "Come and get me, ghosts."

One by one, they entered the cage, and as the Tivolian reached for Pietro, he sped to the side, out of reach. When Pritchard was definitely in the cage, Pietro zipped out, and he ran right past the Doctor, who glared through his sonic glasses and the porthole window as the door shut. "We need to talk," he said. "How about that? You're fast, yes, but not faster than the fastest man alive in this universe."

***

Jessie turned to the door when she heard running, then Tony jogged in with Bennett and Lunn. "Nice work!" she praised, moving forward.

"Nice leading, boss," Tony grinned, hugging her tightly.

Cass engulfed Lunn in a bear hug, the translator hugging her back in surprise. Wanda hugged both Pietro and Clara when they entered, and O'Donnell punched Bennett in the arm. The Doctor pressed the bridge of his glasses, looking into the window. "Cass, are you seeing this?" he asked.

"Sonic glasses, Wi-Fi locked in," O'Donnell said. "On screen B2."

Cass leaned in, squinting at the screen, then started signing. "She says she can't see them properly," Lunn said. "The glass is too thick and they're too far away."

There was blurry motion as the Doctor looked around, then an audible sigh. Then they saw the inside of the door, then the inside of the Faraday cage. "OK," Tony blinked rapidly. "What was that?"

Jessie smirked. "Walking through walls and doors isn't just a ghost trick."

"One of many benefits of a blood bond," the Doctor confirmed. "I don't get to use that power often enough. Perfect chance to use it here." Jessie watched through the screen as Moran stuck his hand through the Doctor's body; the Doctor grimaced, but bared his teeth in a shark-like grin. "Cold, isn't it?" he asked. "Take away your weapons, and you're not so scary, are you? Is that better, Cass?"

"Looks better to me," Wanda remarked.

Cass nodded in agreement, starting to sign. "She says they're saying the same thing, the same phrase, over and over," Lunn said. "They're saying the dark, the score . . . no, the sword," he amended when Cass corrected herself. "The for sale? No, the forsaken. The temple."

"What?" the Doctor did a double take.

"Yes, she's sure," Lunn nodded. "The dark, the sword, the forsaken, the temple. Just that, over and over."

Jessie frowned, scratching her head. "Dark, sword, forsaken, temple," she mumbled. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Bennett!" the Doctor abruptly shouted, making them jump. "I need maps! I think I just worked out what our friend here is telling us!"

***

The Doctor finished looking everything over and grinned triumphantly. "They're coordinates!"

Tony blinked. "Words are coordinates?"

"The dark?" the Doctor gestured. "Space. So, whoever's following the coordinates knows they're going to another planet. The sword?" He handed an apple to Tony, a ball to Pietro, and a table tennis ball to Clara. "Orion's sword. The sword, the three stars – although one isn't actually a star, but the Orion Nebula – hanging down from Orion's belt."

"However, if viewed from the back," Jessie moved Wanda to the front of the line. "Sorry, take off one of your rings?" Wanda obliged, and Jessie held her hand up in line with the fake stars. "If viewed from the back, Wanda's ring is the Earth, and it becomes the fourth part of the sword. Now we've narrowed all of space down to one planet."

"Getting closer," the Doctor nodded. "The forsaken? The forsaken, or abandoned or empty town. See? It's a location, beaming out to someone or something across the universe, over and over. And every time they kill one of us – "

"It strengthens the signal," Clara nodded, understanding. "Another ghost, another transmitter."

"Which is why they sent for that rescue sub," O'Donnell nodded.

"Get more people down here, kill them, make even more ghosts to beam out the coordinates," the Doctor confirmed.

"Rude of them," Jessie snorted.

"Let's hope they're not ginger," the Doctor smirked.

Jessie barked in laughter as Cass started signing. "But why are they beaming out the coordinates?" Lunn asked for her. "Is it a distress call?"

"It could be," the Doctor shrugged. "Or a warning. Might even be a call to arms. It could mean 'come here, they're vulnerable, help yourself.'"

"But what this means is these ghosts are not natural," Jessie scowled. "Someone is deliberately getting people killed, hijacking their souls, and turning them into transmitters."

"So a bastard," Tony concluded.

"Basically, yes."

"I'd really like to introduce this person to a suit," he grumbled.

"But what do the coordinates lead to, though?" O'Donnell frowned. "To us? To the ghosts? What?"

"There's a final part of the directions," Wanda frowned, looking over the aerial picture on the table. "There's the dark, the sword, the forsaken. So what's the temple?"

Tony joined her in looking it over. "I think of a town, I think of stores, houses, a government of some kind . . . " He paused over one building, then pointed. "And more often than not, some place for worship."

Jessie laughed, clapping both of them on their shoulders. "I win Companions of the Adventure award, Doctor!"

"It's only one companion!" the Doctor protested.

"But they're both of mine!" Jessie smirked.

"You give awards for Companion of the Adventure?" Clara complained.

"Not really, but we like keeping score on a lot of stuff," the Doctor waved it off.

Tony snorted, leaning down to whisper in Wanda's ear. "I can think of another thing they try and keep score of."

Wanda's eyes bugged open when she caught what he was thinking of, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Tony!"

"Oh, my God, really?" Jessie's cheeks flushed with color.

"OK, changing the subject now, preferably before anyone says something they can't take back," the Doctor hurriedly turned around. "Look, whatever the coordinates are for, it's in that church. Find that and you're a hop, skip, and a jump to stopping them."

Bennett blinked. "Wait, you're not suggesting that . . . ?" He trailed off, seeing the six time travelers look at him in a way that said yes, they were definitely suggesting it. "But we're safe now! The ghosts are in the cage, we can get out of here!"

"No one has to stay," the Doctor shrugged. "In fact, I would prefer it if you went. You'll all get in the way and ask ridiculous questions. But, you know," he turned to Cass, Lunn, and O'Donnell. "You have chosen to protect and serve." He turned back to Bennett. "You have given yourself to science and the pursuit of knowledge. None of you have chosen anonymous or selfish lives. Go, and a part of you will always wonder 'what would have happened if I'd stayed? How could I have helped? What would I have learned?' I want you to go, but you should know what it is that you're leaving."

There was a moment of silence, then Cass started signing. "Cass says we should go, but everything that happens here is her responsibility now, so she's going to stay," Lunn said, nodding decisively. "So I, er, guess I should, too."

"Well, count me in," O'Donnell grinned. "Who wants to live forever, anyway?"

"Sorry," Bennett cleared his throat. "Have you gone insane? We can go home!" O'Donnell shrugged and gave him a wild grin. "They're ghosts, though," Bennett looked at the Doctor. "How can they be ghosts?" He gave the scientist a matching grin, and Bennett huffed. "Well, at least if I die, you know I really will come back and haunt you all."

Jessie snickered, patting his arm comfortingly. "That's the spirit, Bennett."

***

"What year is this again?" Tony whispered to Jessie as they watched Bennett virtually control the submarine heading for the town.

Jessie checked her watch. "2119," she answered softly.

Tony nodded. "Is it too early to try and design what they're using?"

Jessie smirked. "I'm disappointed you haven't already got something like it."

Tony looked offended, then Wanda shushed them, and they turned back to pay attention. "OK, the sub is approaching the town square," Bennett said. "Which way is the church?"

"North-northwest, one hundred and fifty yards," O'Donnell answered, and Bennett made adjustments. "That's it. Starboard two degrees."

"What are we looking for, exactly?" Clara asked.

"Something that has the power to raise the dead and turn them into transmitters," the Doctor answered. "I expect we'll know it when we see it."

"Wait," Bennett spoke up. "I've found the church."

"That's it," the Doctor nodded, seeing the rubble. "Keep going." Bennett moved the submarine forward, and the Doctor quickly held up his hand, noticing a large white object in the debris. "Wait, what's that? Move closer."

***

The group stared at the box on the floor of the hangar. "It's the suspended-animation chamber from the spaceship," the Doctor said.

"So the pilot could be in there?" Clara guessed.

"There's something inside there," the Doctor amended. "But it's deadlock sealed. I can't open it. It should be the pilot, it should be. So why do I think it isn't?" He grumbled, rubbing his temples and pacing back and forth. "More questions. Everything I solve, just more questions."

"So we go back to the beginning," Jessie said. "We arrive, we see the ghosts, and they didn't kill us. They lead us here, they show us the spaceship, then they try to kill us."

"But all we did between ghost sightings was look inside the spaceship," Pietro pointed to it.

Wanda blinked. "But what did we specifically look at?"

The Doctor straightened, then ran into the spaceship, peering at the symbols on the wall. "Not translated by the TARDIS," he narrowed his eyes. "Why?" He put his sunglasses on, using them to look at the marks. After a few moments, he walked back down to Cass. "Lunn, translate for me," he ordered, and the man stepped next to him. "Whenever we step outside, you are the smartest person in the room," he told Cass. "So tell me, what's weird about this?" he gestured around. "I know that it's all bonkers, but, you know, when you think about it, one thing keeps snagging in your mind. What is it?"

Cass hesitated, then signed. "The markings on the inside of the spaceship," Lunn said.

"The markings on the inside of the spaceship!" the Doctor nodded. "Yes! Why?"

"I don't think they're just words," Lunn translated for Cass.

"They're not," the Doctor agreed. "They're magnets."

"Magnets?" Bennett parroted. "How?"

"Well, a localized and manufactured electromagnetic field, to be precise," the Doctor explained. "The dark, the sword, the forsaken, the temple. When we heard the coordinates for the first time, did anyone expect them not to be that?" No one answered. "No, exactly. Me, neither. It's like we already knew, somehow, like the words were already in us."

"The writing is the coordinates," Jessie realized.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Everything we see or experience shapes us in some way, but these words actually rewrite the synaptic connections in your brain. They literally change the way you are wired. Why don't I have a radio in the TARDIS?"

Pietro snickered. "Because you took it apart and used the pieces to make a clockwork squirrel."

"Seriously?" Tony guffawed.

"Shut up, both of you," the Doctor huffed. "It was because whatever song I heard first thing in the morning, I was stuck with. Two weeks of Mysterious Girl by Peter Andre. I have my own mysterious girl, thank you very much, I don't need a song of it!" Jessie blushed, making Wanda giggle and pat her on the back. "Don't you see? These words are an earworm. A song you can't stop humming, even after you die."

"OK," Clara paced, thinking out loud. "So, the spaceship lands here. The pilot leaves the writing on the wall so whoever sees it, when they die, they become a beacon of the coordinates, while he slash she slash it snoozes in the suspended-animation chamber – "

"Waiting for his slash her slash its mates to pick the message up," the Doctor confirmed, looking at the chamber with a greedy look. "Every time I think it couldn't get more extraordinary, it surprises me. It's impossible. I hate it. It's evil. It's astonishing." He grinned. "If I wasn't married, I'd want to kiss it to death."

"Wonderful," Jessie sighed. "Good to know what my competition is."

"Oh, please," the Doctor snorted, reaching out and holding her cheek. "No competition at all. Just a miracle."

Jessie blushed furiously as he kissed the top of her head. "Stop it."

"Make me."

"And again," Tony rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

An alarm started wailing, and everyone looked around, listening to the computer, and O'Donnell ran to a screen nearby. "Attention, all crew. Evacuate base immediately. Emergency protocols have been initiated. This safety message was brought to you by Vector Petroleum. Fuel for our futures."

"Hey, that's not a bad motto," Tony admitted.

"Oh, no," O'Donnell blanched, reading the report that came up of the base. "The ghosts tampering with our day-night settings caused a computer malfunction. Its – its first priority is to keep the reactor cool, so it's opening the hull doors and it's flooding the base."

Cass signed wildly, and Lunn hurried to translate. "Cass says close the internal flood doors," Lunn said. "That'll contain the water in the central corridor."

"Where's the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked.

"On the other side," O'Donnell answered.

"We need to get there, it's our only way out."

"OK," O'Donnell nodded. "We've got thirty seconds before the flood doors close."

"And that's another cue to run?" Tony asked Jessie as O'Donnell led the way to one of the doors.

"Yep," Jessie agreed, grabbing his hand. "Run!"

She and Tony peeled off after O'Donnell right away, Bennett close on their heels. The Doctor was behind them, then Wanda tripped over the ledge, stumbling to the ground. The Doctor bent down and caught her. "There you are," he took her hand. "Hang on!"

"Come on!" Clara urged Cass and Lunn.

The water was already filling the corridor when O'Donnell and Bennett ran through. Jessie pulled Tony through, and the Doctor and Wanda made it to the door when it slammed shut in their faces. "Whoa!" Wanda skidded to a halt.

"Jessie!" the Doctor called.

Jessie turned to look, eyes wide and face paling. "No!"

"Look out!" Tony grabbed Jessie, watching a huge gush of water pour into the corridor.

Jessie swallowed hard, then grabbed Tony and phased them through the other door, joining O'Donnell and Bennett. "Wait, can't you just do that with all of us?" Clara panted as she joined them.

"Well, that depends," the Doctor swallowed. "Wanda, how well do you think you could stop God knows how many tons of water from crushing us in the time it takes to get over there?"

Wanda gulped. "Never tried, I don't know."

"And I can be fast, but I don't think I'm that fast," the Doctor shook his head, then pointed at the screen next to the door. "Intercom?" When Lunn nodded, he reached over and pressed it. "Jessie, you need to come back for us," he said.

"Do you think the TARDIS can make it over there?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head. "She won't go near the ghosts. Go and come back for us."

Jessie swallowed. "I don't want to leave you!"

"You think I want to see you run off?" the Doctor shook his head. "That is the last thing I want. Everything inside of me is screaming to get to you, but there is no possible way right now. You need to go back in time to when this spaceship landed. Understand why this is happening. If you do that, you can stop them killing anyone else."

Jessie took a deep breath, then looked at Tony. "Just the two of us?" she said meekly.

"I've got your six," Tony promised.

Jessie closed her eyes, fighting back tears. "Jezebel," the Doctor whispered in her head.

She turned back to the window, seeing the water had risen halfway up it. When it cleared the window, she pressed her hand up against the glass. "I'm coming back," she promised fiercely. "And I swear to God, Kasterborous, you better be in one piece when I do."

The Doctor placed his hand on his window, mirroring her. "I will be," he promised. "I love you."

Jessie gave him a watery smile. "We love you, too." The Doctor nodded encouragingly, and Jessie took a deep breath, turning around. "Right. The TARDIS."

"Wait," Bennett ran to catch up to her and Tony. "You're going to go back in time? How do you do that?"

Jessie smirked. "Brilliantly."

***

"So we just sit here?" Pietro protested as the Doctor led them back to the mess hall.

"Well, I'm going to be anxious the entire time they're away, so I'm probably going to be pacing, messing around, doing who knows what else, but basically, yes," the Doctor sighed. "We're stuck here."

"And the ghosts can't hurt us?" Wanda asked, just to make sure.

"No," the Doctor shook his head. "Not when they're stuck in the Faraday cage and can't get out."

***

Jessie put her hand on the handbrake, closing her eyes and feeling the TARDIS hum under her hand. "You can do this," Tony encouraged.

"You know, I've done adventures where the Doctor and I have been stuck without the TARDIS, or he's been stuck in the TARDIS without me," Jessie said quietly. "It's never been the other way around, me here and him there."

Tony gripped her shoulder. "Then I guess we'd better save his ass as quick as we can."

Jessie smiled, then took the handbrake off. As the TARDIS engines wheezed, she walked around the console to where Bennett and O'Donnell were waiting. "We're going back to before the flood," she told them. "And we're figuring this out once and for all, together."

***

"And you're sure they won't just leave us here?" Lunn asked, translating for Cass.

"Please," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "No, my wife wouldn't do that. And if she did, that's one hell of a way to tell me she wants a divorce!"

"Is a divorce even possible with a blood bond?" Pietro asked.

"If there is, it's extremely messy, and I'm not anxious to find out what it entails!"

"OK, OK," Wanda slid between her brother and the Time Lord before they erupted into an argument that would lead to the mess hall being destroyed. "Calm down. Doctor, she'll be fine."

"Yeah, this is how we roll," Clara nodded. "Go away, come back, and then listen to how it was done."

Lunn stopped mid-sign for Cass, his eyes looking out the window. The four time travelers turned to see what he did, and Wanda squinted. "What's that light?"

Pietro tensed. "One of the ghosts."

"Is it Moran or Pritchard or the mole guy?" Lunn asked. "How – how did they get out?"

"One, it's not a 'mole guy,' it's a Tivolian," the Doctor looked out as well. "Two, it's not any of them. It's a new ghost."

"What does that mean?" Clara asked sharply.

"It means that something happened in the past," the Doctor narrowed his eyes. "It means that somebody else must have . . . " He trailed off, and his eyes widened. "Oh, no," he swallowed hard, backing away from the window, his face draining of color rapidly. "Oh, no, no, no, no."

Wanda gasped in horror, backing up and scrambling for the Doctor's hand, which he grasped tightly, so tightly Wanda winced in pain. That left Pietro and Clara gawking at the ghost that was mouthing words to them. Even Lunn and Cass looked horrified.

Because it was the Bad Wolf walking across the lakebed, eye sockets black and empty, mouthing something at them none of them understood.

***

To be continued in "Before the Flood!"

Oh, I am going to be torturing the poor Time Lords next time. XD I'm so excited for it. Poor Tony, dealing with Jessie alone . . . and poor Clara and Maximoffs, having to deal with a freaked out Doctor. I think I know who's gonna have a rougher go of things.

Keep an eye out to see how they all do!

graphic by marvelity