Forty-two minutes on the clock. The heat is rising. Can the TARDIS trio survive this one?

***

As the TARDIS whirred away, the Doctor was busy sonicking Martha's phone. "Right, there we go. Universal roaming. Never have to worry about a signal again."

He threw it back to her. "No way. This is too mad. You're telling me I can phone anyone, anywhere in space and time on my mobile?"

"That's the idea." Willow chimed in.

"As long as you know the area code. Frequent flier's privilege. Go on, try it." The Doctor encouraged. However, just as she opened up her flip phone, the TARDIS jolted suddenly. He ran over to the monitor, checking for any interferences. "Distress signal. Locking on. Might be a bit of-" Before he could finish his sentence, their machine came to an abrupt stop and the trio was knocked off their feet. "Turbulence. Sorry."

"At this point, I'm used to it." His fiancee admitted.

The Doctor helped her back onto her feet as Martha stood up herself. "Come on, ladies. Let's take a look."

The moment they opened the TARDIS' doors, they were engulfed by a raging heat. "Blimey, the temperature in here!"

"Whoa, now that is hot." The place was glowing red with steam bursting out of every pipe.

Martha stumbled out, instantly feeling the heat. "Whuff, it's like a sauna in here."

Willow removed her brown leather jacket and threw it back into the TARDIS, revealing a light-blue shirt underneath. The Doctor inspected their surroundings. "Venting systems. Working at full pelt, trying to cool down. Wherever it is we are. Well, if you can't stand the heat..."

He strolled over to a bulkhead door and unscrewed it, soon entering a corridor. Their surroundings were very reminiscent of another adventure Willow had with the Doctor. 

"Oi, you three!" On the other end of the corridor, two men and a woman came racing towards them. 

"Get out of there!" The woman yelled as the others stepped out.

"Seal that door, now!" The first man shouted, pushing the bulkhead door shut.

The woman glared at them. "Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?"

"Are you police?" he asked.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Why would we be police?"

"We got your distress signal." She told them.

Willow folded her arms. "We're here to help... somehow..."

"If this is a ship, why can't I hear any engines?" questioned the Doctor.

"It went dead four minutes ago." The woman stated.

"So maybe we should stop chatting and get to Engineering, Captain." Another man suggested.

An overhead computer spoke. "Secure closure active."

"What?"

"The ship's gone mad." The second man said.

Another woman with a pixie cut came sprinting down the hallway as every exit behind her was being blocked off. "Who activated secure closure? I nearly got locked into area twenty-seven." As the last bulkhead closed, she turned to the three strangers. "Who are you?"

"He's the Doctor, she's Willow, and I'm Martha. Hello..." Martha informed them, her words trailing off as she wandered over to a small porthole.

"Impact projection forty-two minutes, twenty-seven seconds." The computer announced.

"We'll get out of this. I promise." The first woman vowed.

"But what is it? What's wrong?" asked Willow.

Martha glimpsed through the porthole, her eyes widening in shock. "Doctor."

"Forty-two minutes until what?" he queried.

"Doctor! Willow!" Martha raised her voice, inviting them over. "Look!"

As they three stared out of the porthole, they observed a bright sun that was surprisingly close to their ship. "Forty-two minutes until we crash into the sun."

The Doctor glanced back at the group. "How many crew members on board?"

"Seven, including us." The woman told them.

The other man explained. "We transport cargo across the galaxy. Everything's automated. We just keep the ship spaceworthy."

"Call the others, I'll get you out." The Doctor ran back to the bulkhead door, trying to unlock it again.

"What's he doing?" The first man questioned.

"No, don't!"

He opened the door, only to be knocked down by a blast of heat. Willow crouched beside him, checking if he was okay. "What the hell was that? We need to get to our ship!"

The second woman, wearing a protective mask, slammed the door shut. "In the vent chamber?"

"It's our lifeboat." The Doctor choked on the fumes that came out.

"It's lava." The other man affirmed.

The woman removed her mask, checking the temperature. "The temperature's going mad in there. Up three thousand degrees in ten seconds, and still rising."

As the Doctor was helped back onto his feet, one of the men said. "Channelling the air. The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's going to get."

Martha faced the Doctor and Willow with a tone of fury and panic. "We're stuck here."

"So, we fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the sun. Simple." The Doctor attempted to motivate the crew. "Engineering down here, is it?" 

"Yes." The first woman answered.

"Impact in forty, twenty-six." The computer said as the crew made their way to Engineering.

Everyone was careful not to touch the metallic surroundings as they entered the area. "Blimey, do you always leave things in such a mess?"

The place was in ruins. Steam was flooding from the pipes and broken shards of glass were on the ground. "Oh, my God."

"What the hell happened?" One of the men asked whilst examining the broken pieces of the engine.

"Oh, it's wrecked." The first one said.

"Pretty efficiently too." The Doctor suspected. "Someone knew what they were doing."

"Sabotage?" Willow guessed.

"Absolutely."

"Where's Korwin?" The captain asked. "Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?"

"No." Her crew answered.

"You mean someone did this on purpose?" Martha asked.

The captain rushed over to the intercom. "Korwin, Ashton? Where are you? Korwin, can you answer? Where the hell is he? He should be up here."

The Doctor took the time to search their location. "Oh, we're in the Torajii system. Lovely. You're a long way from home, Martha. Half a universe away."

"Yeah. Feels it." She responded.

"And you're still using energy scoops for fusion? Hasn't that been outlawed yet?" he wondered.

With shifty eyes, the captain answered. "We're due to upgrade next docking." Willow could clearly tell that she was hiding something. "Scannell, engine report."

Scannell, one of the crew members, stated. "No response."

"What?"

"They're burnt out. The controls are wrecked. I can't get them back online."

The Doctor immediately disagreed. "Oh, come on. Auxiliary engines. Every craft's got auxiliaries." 

"We don't have access from here. The auxiliary controls are in the front of the ship." The captain told him.

"Yeah, with twenty-nine password sealed doors between us and them. You'll never get there in time." It appeared that Scannell had already lost hope.

Martha queried. "Can't you override the doors?"

"No. Sealed closure means what it says. They're all dead-lock sealed." Scannell asserted.

The Doctor sighed. "So a sonic screwdriver's no use."

"Not everything can be solved with a magic wand," Willow mentioned. "But, with all the resources we have, I'm sure that we'll fix this problem in no time."

Scannell clashed with her confident statement. "Nothing's any use. We've got no engines, no time, and no chance."

"Oh, listen to you!" The Doctor was honestly shocked by their attitude. "Defeated before you've even started. Where's your Dunkirk spirit? Who's got the door passwords?"

"They're randomly generated. Reckon I know most of them. Sorry, Riley Vashti." The other man introduced himself.

"Then what're you waiting for, Riley Vashti? Get on it." He prompted.

"Well, it's a two-person job. One, a tech-ish for the questions, and the other to carry this. The oldest and cheapest security system around, eh, Captain?"

"Reliable and simple, just like you, eh, Riley?" The captain joked.

He heaved a massive bag onto his back, struggling with the weight of it. "Try and be helpful, get abuse. Nice."

"I'll help you. Make myself useful." Martha said, grabbing another item off the floor.

"It's remotely controlled by the computer panel. That's why it needs two." He explained.

Willow raised her eyebrows. "You know what? I'm fantastic at trivia. I'll join you two."

"Oi." The two women stopped, looking back at the Doctor. "Be careful."

"Aren't we always?" Willow questioned with a soft chuckle. He smiled in response, yet there was an obvious glimpse of worry in his eyes.

"Impact in thirty-four, thirty-one."

***

Riley plugged his portable computer into the system, soon tapping away. "Hurry up, will you?"

"All right. Fix the clamp on." Martha grabbed the clamp and fastened it onto the wall.

Willow leaned over his shoulder. "Do you know the answers then?"

"Each door's tripcode is the answer to a random question set by the crew. Nine tours back, we got drunk, thought them up. Reckoning was, if we're hijacked, we're the only ones who know all the answers." He explained.

"Oh, well, the drunk mind can think of a lot of things." She cited. "But not all of them are sane, though."

"Not exactly."

"So, if you know the answer..."

"I type it in. This sends an unlock pulse to the clamp. But we only get one chance per door. Get it wrong, the whole system freezes." Riley finished her sentence.

"Better not get it wrong then." Martha replied.

"Okay. Date of SS Pentallian's first flight. That's all right. Go!" The lights on the clamp flashed, turning green and unlocking the door.

Martha's grin widened. "Yes!"

"Twenty-eight more to go!" They sprinted through the door into the next area, already setting up the equipment.

On the comms, the Doctor's voice came through. "Abi, how's Korwin doing? Any results from the bio-scan?"

"He's under heavy sedation. I'm just trying to make sense of this data. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll let you know." Abi spoke on the other end.

From those few words, Willow knew that there was something wrong on this ship, but they didn't have time to ponder upon it. "Willow? Martha? Riley? How're you doing?"

"Area twenty-nine. At the door to twenty-eight." Martha told him over the comms.

"Yeah, you've got to move faster." He demanded.

Willow rolled her eyes, storming over to the comms. "Oi, we're getting there! Be patient for at least once in your life."

"Find the next number in the sequence three one three, three three one, three six seven." Riley read the question on his computer. "What?"

Martha turned to him. "You said the crew knew all the answers."

"The crew's changed since we set the questions." He informed them.

The Timelady huffed. "Of course it has."

"You're joking-"

"Three seven nine." The Doctor voiced.

With a furrowed brow, Martha responded. "What?"

"It's a sequence of happy primes. Three seven nine." He clarified.

"Type it in!" Willow instructed Riley.

Although, he seemed unsure. "Are you sure-?"

"Just do it! I trust his intellect." She interrupted. "Some of the time."

"Hey!"

"Love you, and thanks!" Then, she switched off the comms, knowing that she had annoyed him. She smirked as Martha held the clamp up to the door and it turned green.

"We're through!" exclaimed Martha.

"Impact in thirty, fifty."

As they entered the next area, Martha sighed. "I can't believe our lives depend on some stupid pub quiz." They watched as Riley opened his computer, reading the third question. "Is that the next one?"

"Oh, this is a nightmare. Classical music. Who had the most pre-download number ones, Elvis Presley or The Beatles? How are we supposed to know that?" he questioned.

She was hoping one of these questions would offer something fruitful. "I do. I love classic music. I grew up to it with my..." Willow stopped, swiftly remembering that she wasn't human anymore. "Anyway, it's Elvis."

"Are you-?"

"Just type it in, Riley!" she yelled, her rage reappearing momentarily. It unnerved both Martha and Riley, but it did the trick. The crew member hastily typed it in whilst her friend attached the clamp to the door, unlocking it.

Nevertheless, as they were about to pass through, a scream erupted through the comms. The trio froze with unexpected chills running down their spines. "What was that?" uttered Martha.

Willow ignored her, instead, sprinting over to communications. "Doctor, what the hell was that? Who screamed?"

"Concentrate on those doors. You've got to keep moving forward." He declared.

She could sense the fear in his voice. "Is there something else on this ship?"

There was a slight pause on his end, and she knew what it meant. "Just keep moving, and be careful."

It didn't give her much clarity, but it was enough to cause some panic amongst them. "Impact in twenty-seven, oh six."

"Come on." They rushed through the door, once again attempting to solve another puzzle. They stood in silence, working things out independently with an air of uncertainty. Willow only hoped that they weren't being hunted down by something dangerous.

A few minutes passed and Captain McDonnell's voice came back on the comms. "Everybody, listen to me. Something has infected Korwin. We think he killed Abi Lerner. None of you must go anywhere near him, is that clear?"

Willow, Martha, and Riley shared a fearful look that made their journey even more terrifying. If one of the infected has already killed, then who would be next?

Ashton's voice came on the line. "Understood, Captain. Erina? Get back here with that equipment."

"Impact in twenty-four, fifty-one."

"I wish there was a way to switch that off." Willow grumbled as they moved along to the next area.

***

They had made it to area seventeen by the time they started communicating with the Doctor again. "Doctor, we're through to area seventeen." Martha disclosed to him.

"Keep going. You've got to get to area one and reboot those engines." He conveyed.

"Heat shields failing. At twenty per cent." The computer announced.

Willow faced Riley with an alarmed frown. "That's not good, is it?"

He shook his head before continuing his work. "Come on!" he whacked his computer, infuriated with the device. "Everything on this ship is so cheap." Unexpectedly, the bulkhead door to area eighteen opened with a clang, intervening with their work. "Who's there?"

On the other side, a figure stepped through the smoke with an orange helmet over his head. It had a polaroid filter that prevented them from seeing his eyes and yellow gloves on his arms. Martha and Willow hesitated. "Is that Korwin?"

"No, wait a minute." Riley appeared to recognise him and soon smiled. "Oh, Ashton, what're you doing?"

"Burn with me." He responded with a deep, threatening voice.

"Well, if you want to help-"

"Burn with me. Burn with me."

"You know, I don't think he wants to." Willow remarked, beginning to step back. 

Ashton moved closer to them, raising an arm up to his filter. "Move! Come on!" 

To avoid a burning fate, Martha slammed her hand on a control unit and opened a door. The three ran inside, closing it behind them. They were stuck in a small area, prevented from fulfilling their mission.

He appeared at the window, looking in at them. In response, Riley utilised some controls and unlocked a small hatch. They scrambled inside, shutting the door once they were safely inside. "What is happening on this ship?"

"Nevermind that, where are we?" contested Martha.

"Airlock sealed. Jettison escape pod." An overhead computer reported.

This day couldn't get any worse. "Oh, great!" Willow raised her voice, fed up with everything.

"That doesn't mean us?"

Willow leaned over to the comms, speaking through them. "Doctor, Ashton's infected. We're stuck in an escape pod, and he's trying to jettison us!"

There was no reply, however, Riley was already working on the controls. "Tell me you can stop it."

He furiously typed the keypad, fighting back against Ashton. "Jettison held."

The trio equally exhaled in relief. "Thank you."

Sadly, their ease didn't last long. "Jettison reactivated."

Martha screamed as Riley worked on the keypad again. "Come on." The women watched him fight against the infected crew member, using different sequences to prevent the other from completing their wish. "Tsilpinski sequence. This'll get him."

"Jettison held. Escape pod stabilised."

"You're pretty good." Martha beamed, complimenting the young man.

Willow relaxed a little, yet they were still trapped in the small pod. Ashton was still outside, working out a way to jettison them again. Unknowingly to the others, the Doctor had heard their cry for help and was now met with the infected Ashton. "That's enough! What do you want? Why this ship? Tell me."

In frustration, he punched his fist through the keypad, permanently setting off the jettison. "Jettison activated."

The trio had seen what he had done and Riley could not fight against it anymore. "He's smashed the circuit. I can't stop it. I can't stop it!" They were trapped.

On the other side, the Doctor attempted to speak with the infected Ashton. "Come on. Let's see you. I want to know what you really are."

He approached him, standing nose-to-nose. Ashton raised his hand to his visor, about to reveal his eyes to the Doctor. Nevertheless, before he could, the infected Ashton felt a rush of pain that incapacitated him for a moment.

"Airlock sealed." The computer disclosed.

Ashton straightened up, swiftly shoving past the Doctor as his focus transferred to something else. He knew where he was headed, using the intercom to warn the Captain. "McDonnell? Ashton's heading in your direction. He's been infected, just like Korwin!"

There was a soft sigh through the receiver. "Korwin's dead, Doctor."

Martha pressed against the escape pod doors. "This thing's locked!"

The Doctor raced over to the controls, but the whole thing was wrecked. There was no way to rescue them. "Airlock decompression completed. Jettisoning pod."

He looked through the window with a depressed stare. "Doctor!" Martha banged on the door, thinking that he was going to free them.

"I'll save you!" he yelled through the door.

They couldn't hear him, but Willow and Riley knew that their screaming was hopeless. "Martha, it's too late."

"Doctor!"

"I'll save you!"

"I can't hear you!"

Willow placed a hand on her arm. "Martha..."

"I'll save you!" His words remained silent as the pod was finally released from the ship. It began to float towards the sun, leaving them helpless. The Doctor watched on as the person he cared about drifted away from him.

***

At least, Willow knew that she would not burn alone. They didn't even have forty-two minutes anymore; they could crash into the sun at any given moment. "The wonderful world of space travel. The prettier it looks, the more likely it is to kill you." Riley commented.

"He'll come for us." Martha insisted.

He shook his head. "No, it's too late. Our heat shields will pack in any minute, and then we go into free fall. We'll fall into the sun way before he has a chance to do anything."

"You don't know the Doctor. I believe in him." She said.

"Sometimes it's hard to," added Willow, "but he always saves the day in the end." She wore a solemn expression, slowly losing hope.

"Then you're lucky." He stated. "I've never found anyone worth believing in."

Martha glanced at him. "No girlfriend? Boyfriend?"

"The job doesn't lend itself to stable relationships."

"Family, then?"

"My dad's dead, and I haven't seen my mum in six years." Riley described, soon recalling his life from before. "She didn't want me to sign up for cargo tours. Things were said, and since then, all silent. She wanted to hold on to me, I know that. Oh, she's so stubborn."

She scoffed. "Yeah, well, that's families."

"What about you two?" he asked.

Willow bit her lip in uncertainty. "I lost them."

"Full works. Mum, Dad, Dad's girlfriend, brother, sister. No silence there. So much noise." Her eyes widened. "Oh, God! They'll never know! I, I'll just have disappeared, and they'll always be waiting."

"Call them." Riley urged.

"He's right," Willow responded, sharing a look with her friend. "You should really call them."

With some hesitance, Martha reached into her jean pocket and pulled out her mobile phone. She unflipped it and found her mother's number, calling her. The dial tone lingered for a few seconds until there was an answer. "Hello."

Upon hearing her mother's voice, Martha's demeanour brightened a little. "Mum, it's me."

She could sense the distress in her daughter's voice. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, of course." She lied.

"Martha?"

"Mum, I- You know I love you, don't you?"

There was a soft chuckle. "Of course I do. What's bought this on?"

"I never say it. I never get the time. I never think of it, and then... I really love you. Tell Dad, Leo, and Tish that I love them." Martha tried to hold back her tears, but her fear of never seeing her family again was beginning to overtake her.

Her mother paused. "Martha, what's wrong?"

She wasn't sure if anyone would believe her about being in the far future, so she just kept on lying. "Nothing. I promise."

"Where are you?" she questioned.

Martha shrugged. "Just out."

"With anyone nice?"

"Some mates."

"What mates?"

Martha knew that this was only the day after Lazarus, so she was still interested in the Doctor and Willow. "Mum, can we not just talk?"

"Of course. What do you want to talk about?" she wondered.

"I don't know. Anything! What you had for breakfast. What you watched on telly last night. How much you're going to kill Dad next time you see him. Just anything." Martha just wanted to hear something good about her mother's day because she knew it was better than hers.

"Are the Doctor and Willow with you? Are they there with you?" she interrogated, further disappointing her daughter.

She hissed. "Mum, just leave it."

"It's a simple enough question," Francine replied.

Understanding that this conversation wasn't going to go well, she decided it was best to cease it before it could get any worse. "I'd better go."

There was a short stammer on the other end as if she were panicking about something. "Er, no, Martha, wait."

"See you, Mum." It was too late for Francine to stop her, Martha already ended the call as tears began to flood from her eyes. She fell into Riley's arms, sobbing as the temperature rose in the escape pod. Willow gazed back at the ship, praying that he would be able to save them.

"This reminds me of something." She mentioned.

Riley raised his head in confusion. "What?"

"Another adventure I had with the Doctor. Before Martha came along." Willow remembered. "It was nearly a year ago. We were stranded under a black hole, and we were separated." The face of the Beast roared in her memories, frightening her even now. "There was this creature. I still don't know what it was, but it knew everything. It knew more about me than I did at the time." That was the day everything changed, and she wished that it hadn't. "We had no way of surviving, especially after we were told that the Doctor could be dead. We had no TARDIS. No means of escaping. No hope."

"But you did it somehow?" he implored, his arms wrapped tightly around Martha's shoulders.

"Of course we did." Willow bowed her head. "But it cost everything." 

There was silence for a few minutes, the trio beginning to feel the heat taking hold of them. The air was dense and sparse. At this point, they wanted the air to run out before they reached the sun; it would be better that way.

However, there was an unexpected jolt that perked them back up again. The computer screen flashed, informing the three that the pod was being re-magnetised. "We're being pulled back!" Riley exclaimed, completely astonished.

"I told you! It's the Doctor!" Martha screamed, fully believing in him again.

Willow squinted at the ship as they were getting closer, noticing the Doctor standing by the airlock. "What is he staring at?"

"Us, isn't he?" her friend asked.

"No, he's not looking at us." She shook her head, slowly piecing together what had caught his eye. "He's looking at the sun."

Eventually, he moved from the airlock doors as the pod was about to dock. "Airlock recompression completed." The computer announced.

Once they were safely returned, the trio scrambled out of the pod. Willow raced over to the Doctor who was heaving on the ground in a weakened state. "Doctor!"

"Doctor! Are you okay?" The women crouched over him.

Willow flipped his body around as he opened his eyes, only to reveal two blinding lights had overtaken them. "Stay away from me!"

The others backed away, but Willow remained, clinging onto him. "Oh, my God!" she cried. The Doctor shut his eyes again, his body clenching. "What did you do?! What did you do?!"

McDonnell jogged over. "What's happened?"

"It's your fault, Captain McDonnell!" he accused.

"Riley, get down to area ten and help Scannell with the doors. Go!" she ordered the young man.

Immediately, Riley obeyed and dashed towards area ten. The Doctor continued. "You mined that sun. Stripped its surface for cheap fuel. You should have scanned for life!"

Willow grazed her hand across his forehead, nearly scorching her skin before swiftly pulling away. "He's burning up. Like really burning."

"I don't understand."

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Martha inquired.

"That sun is alive. A living organism. They scooped out its heart, used it for fuel, and now it's screaming!"

McDonnell couldn't understand what he was babbling about. "What do you mean? How can a sun be alive? Why is he saying that?"

Her mouth gaped, grasping onto the situation at hand. "Because it's infected him. A part of it's inside him!"

The captain covered her mouth. "Oh, my God."

The Doctor was in excruciating pain, screaming out. "Humans! You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry! You should have scanned!"

"It takes too long. We'd be caught. Fusion scoops are illegal." She confessed.

Willow glared at her with a flaming fury. "Why didn't you tell us this in the first place?! This could have all been prevented!"

He grabbed her arm, holding her down to avoid a fight. "You've got to freeze me, quickly. Stasis chamber. You've got to take it below minus two hundred. Freeze it out of me! It'll use me to kill you if you don't. The closer we get to the sun, the stronger it gets! Med-centre, quickly! Quickly!"

"Martha, help me!" she yelled, wrapping one arm around his waist. Martha nodded, supporting his body on the other side.

The two women dragged him towards the med centre, striving to stabilise him in time. Captain McDonnell followed from behind. They knew the infection was rapid, taking over its host within a few minutes. Nonetheless, Willow was going to make sure that it wouldn't take the life of her future husband.

"Impact in seven, thirty." The computer system stated.

Once they were safely in the med centre, Martha rushed over to the control unit. "I can do it!" She unfolded an instruction manual, skimming through.

"McDonnell, help me get him into the stasis chamber." The captain obeyed, the pair lifting him onto a small mattress.

"Willow!" he screamed in anguish, the fear adamant in his voice.

She grabbed his hand, comforting him the best she could. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here. I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Willow turned to Martha. "Set it to the coldest temperature. That's the only way to flush the heat out."

"No, you don't know how this equipment works. You'll kill him. Nobody can survive those temperatures." McDonnell pleaded.

"Well, it's good that he's not a bone-headed human then. He can survive being frozen. I know he can." She informed her.

She spoke again. "Let me help you, then." 

Willow faced her, seething sweat and anger. "We don't need you. Not after what you've done."

"Ten seconds. That's all I'll be able to take. No more." He tried his best to explain, even though he was in complete agony.

"Do you think it will do it, Willow?" Martha asked as she configured with the controls.

"It has to." He never gave up on her, so she wasn't going to give up on him anytime soon.

"It's burning me up. I can't control it. If you don't get rid of it, I could kill you. I could kill you all." There was something different about his voice. Whatever was inside him was rapidly taking control. It was only a matter of time before it took him over. "I'm scared! I'm so scared!"

It was rare to see him in this state. She had never seen the Doctor this frightened before. He was the bravest man she ever knew, and he was about to slip away. "We're going to fix this. I promise. It will all be over soon."

"Just stay calm." Martha assured him. "You saved us, now I return the favour. Just believe in us."

"It's burning through me. Then what'll happen?"

"That's enough. We've got you."

"There's this process, this thing that happens if I'm about to die-"

Willow tightened her grip on his hand. "No, you're not doing that. That's a last resort. I can't lose you now."

Martha placed her hand on the joystick, preparing to freeze him. "Are you ready?"

His lips quivered. "No..."

Hesitantly, Willow let go of his hand and Martha sent him into the stasis chamber. She typed in the correct temperature before slamming her hand against a green button, activating it. The Doctor screamed, the cold steadily overtaking him. His fiancee stepped back with one hand on her mouth, weeping at the sight of him.

Frost danced across his skin, decorating him with white flecks. It wasn't enough to cool him down yet, but it was certainly doing the trick.

Although, in the midst of the process, the power in the med centre shut down. They were left in the dark. "No! Martha, you can't stop it! Not yet!"

"What happened?" she questioned, trying to get it working again.

However, it was no use and McDonnell knew why. "Power's been cut in Engineering."

"But who's down there?" 

"Leave it to me."

The captain sprinted off, leaving the women on their own. "McDonnell, wait!" It was too late, though. She was gone.

"Impact in four, forty-seven."

The ice that covered the Doctor was quickly melting, allowing the infection to resume. They had just under five minutes to save this ship from crashing into the sun. "Come on. You're defrosting."

"Martha, Willow, listen! I've only got a moment. You've got to go!" he begged, not wanting to hurt them.

"Are you insane?!" she cried. "We're not leaving you here to die!"

"Get to the front. Vent the engines. Sun particles in the fuel, get rid of them."

"Did you not hear me?! I'm not leaving you!"

"You've got to give back what they took."

"Kas-!"

"Please, go!"

She conveyed her silent worry with Martha, both women comprehending that they had no choice in the matter. Willow leaned down, planting a brief kiss on his cheek. "We're going to come back for you."

They exited the med centre, rushing back through every area. "Impact in four, oh eight."

It was as if the ship went on for miles. The heat was affecting their strength, but their concerns for the Doctor's health kept them going. "Impact in two seventeen. Primary engines critical."

"We're running out of time!" yelled Martha.

"We're going to make it!" she shouted with confidence. If the Doctor could use his confidence as a weapon for good, then so could she.

"Repeat. Primary engines critical. Survival estimate projection zero percent."

Upon reaching area four, they heard his voice over the intercom. "Willow!"

They halted, alarmed. "What is it?"

"I can't fight it. Give it back or..." His voice crackled, sounding more demonic. The women knew that it wasn't because of the intercom's feedback. "Burn with me. Burn with me, Willow."

"Come on!" Willow grabbed Martha's hand, yanking her through the opened doors. "I'm not losing him!"

"Impact in one twenty one."

In area one, Riley and Scannell had managed to gain access to the auxiliary engines. They tried to enter the correct commands, yet they resisted them. "It's not working. Why's it not working?"

The alarms continued to blare as Willow and Martha finally made it through. "You need to get rid of the sun particles in the fuel. Dump it. All of it. It's the only way."

"What-?"

"JUST DO IT!" she screeched, fully furious.

With nothing left to lose and no time on their hands, they simply obeyed. The men typed in the commands, managing to do it just in time. "Fuel dump in progress. Fuel dump in progress."

There was a loud bang, signalling that the ship was beginning to shift. "There! The auxiliaries are firing!"

The countdown stopped, and the crew were in the clear. "Impact averted. Impact averted. Impact averted."

Riley analysed the fuel capacity. "We're clear. We've got just enough reserves."

Willow let out a relieved sigh, tiredly embracing Martha. With smiles on their faces, they soon realised that someone was missing. "Doctor!"

They broke away, racing back down the ship. In area twenty-two, a figure emerged. The Doctor grinned, his eyes now back to normal. As soon as they made it through, Willow jumped onto the Doctor, hugging him.

The trio had survived getting burnt to death; that was worth something. "You're so sweaty." She commented.

"So are you." Willow stepped back, allowing Martha to take him in her arms. Once again, they had narrowly avoided a terrible situation. All in a day's work, eh?

***

The remaining crew gathered in area thirty, admiring the Doctor's ship. The TARDIS was still intact to the awe of the survivors. "This is never your ship."

"Compact, eh? And another good word, robust. Barely a scorch mark on her." The Doctor, impressed with his vessel.

Though, Martha didn't want to leave them. "We can't just leave you drifting with no fuel."

"We've sent out an official mayday. The authorities'll pick us up soon enough." Riley told her.

"Though how we explain what happened..."

"Just tell them. That sun needs care and protection just like any other living thing." The Doctor informed the men.

"Leave it to the National Trust. I think they're still around." Willow quipped, following the Doctor inside the TARDIS. "See you."

As Martha was about to enter the TARDIS behind them, Riley held her back. "So, er, you're off then. No chance I'll see you again?"

She shook her head. "Not really. It was nice, not dying with you. I reckon you'll find someone worth believing in."

"I think I already did." Aware that this would be the last time she'd ever see him, Martha pushed her lips against his.

To her glee, he didn't resist it. "Well done. Very hot." She disappeared behind the TARDIS doors, closing them behind her. "So. Didn't really need you in the end, did we?" The Doctor glared at her, solemnly. "Sorry. How are you doing?"

He avoided the question. "Now, what do you say? Ice skating on the mineral lakes of Kur-ha. Fancy it?"

Willow huffed. "I think I need a shower first. A very cold shower."

Martha shrugged, acknowledging the normality of the situation. "Whatever you like."

"By the way," he caught her attention again, revealing a key on a chain. "you'll be needing this."

She stepped closer, her eyes full of wonderment. Martha cupped her hands, allowing the key to be placed in her palms. "Really?"

"Frequent flier's privilege. Thank you." He said, showing how grateful he was for Willow and Martha.

Her calm exterior turned to horror. "Oh, no. Mum." The Doctor and Willow returned to the controls as Martha contacted her mother again. 

"Hello?" Francine answered.

"It's me again." She replied.

"Three calls in one day." Her mother mentioned.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Over emotional. Mad day." Martha excused.

"What are you doing tonight? Why don't you come round? I'll make something nice and we can catch up." She insisted.

She nodded, thankful that her mother wasn't asking any difficult questions. "Yeah. Tonight. Do my best. Er, just remind me. What day is it again?"

"Election day." Francine told her.

"Right. Of course. I'll be round for tea. Roughly."

"And what about-"

"Anyway, I've got to go! See you later. Love you."

Unknown to her, Francine wasn't alone. A young blonde woman was listening in on the call before she hung up. When she did, Francine reluctantly put her phone in an evidence bag for them to keep. "That's all?"

"For now. Have you voted?" she questioned.

She crossed her arms. "Of course. Just don't expect me to tell you who for."

"Thanks for all you're doing, Mrs Jones. Mister Saxon will be very grateful." The TARDIS trio had no idea what was coming their way.

***

Hey everyone. Please read this if you can. It's one in the morning and I'm really tired.

This may be a bit of a rant because I just wanted to explain some things. Sorry I haven't been able to update. You have to understand that I am still a human being. I'm still in education and I'm about to begin some really important exams. If I don't pass those, I won't get into the university I want to go to. Writing these chapters (specifically for my Doctor Who fanfics) can be a hassle. I write over 7000 words per chapter and I know I should really split the episodes into parts to make it easier but I like to stick to my patterns, so I won't do that until I write more Doctor Who fanfics.

Also, I have other books that I am writing for (including some that are unpublished). I love this series, don't get me wrong, but I only write when I'm inspired to. Willow is my first original character and I'm not letting her go yet. I want to finish this but I think it will take me longer than expected. We're halfway through anyway. I promise that I will have this finished by the end of next year, then (after I've completed the spinoffs) I will be taking a break from this series so I can focus on other books and my studies.

Whenever I see comments about wanting an update, I feel so guilty because I know you all want more but I can't give that to you immediately. Please understand that I don't do this full-time. If I rush, then the chapter would look horrendous.

On happier news, RTD is coming back to write for Doctor Who (his era was always my favourite). I'm so happy! Also, Flux was decent enough and Eve of the Daleks was great. THASMIN IS CANON EVERYONE!!! It's like Ten and Rose all over again. It can never be and the Doctor knows it. Can't wait for the Sea Devils episode to come out.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I don't know when the next update is. You'll just have to be patient with me. The next chapter will be short, so it will be easier for me to write. Stick around, I guess.

- Alice ❤