Identity Thief (Doctor Who)

Identity Thief is the fifth episode of the first series of Doctor Who produced by The 56Studios. It marks the first appearances of Missy, the Rani, and the Replicators. Its story concludes in Identity and Change

Story
The console hummed softly as she strode around it. Flicking switches and turning knobs, the room vibrated as the ship changed course.

Stepping back, she watched the coiling metal rings in the middle of the console. She smiled. At long last, her plan was coming together. At last, she would achieve her goal. She glanced around the edges of the room, where several dark figures stood dormant.

“Look out, Doctor,” she said. “Because you’re finally about to get what’s been coming for you.”

She pressed a few more buttons before pulling lever. There was a loud noise before the ship shuddered. Her smile broadened.

A moment later, the engine quieted. The rings stopped before falling into the center of console and away from sight. They had landed. Walking across the console room, she grabbed her jacket from the stand and slung it over her shoulders. She pulled a silver object out of the pocket, inspected it, and then replaced. Looking back at the figures, she smiled.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” she said before she exited the ship.

Stepping out, she looked around the tall room that greeted her. She smiled again. This was exactly how she wanted it. Looking at her ship, she saw that it had disguised itself as a tall pillar. It seemed slightly out of place, but she didn’t really mind.

“Hello?” said a voice.

Behind her, a man came striding up to her. She turned at his arrival, her eyes narrowing. He looked from her to the strange pillar beside her.

“Can I help you, madam?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, reaching into her pocket. “I was wondering if you would get on your knees?”

He looked confused.

“What?”

She pulled out the silver object. Holding it in front of her, it suddenly unfolded into a kind of gun, with three rings around the barrel that got smaller as they got closer to the tip. It glowed with energy. The man suddenly thrust his hands into the air, sweat forming on his brow.

“Please! Don’t kill me!” he pleaded.

“Oh, don’t worry,” she smiled. “You’ll be alive for the next few minutes.”

He whimpered. Ignoring him, he raised her free hand and snapped her fingers. The man watched her in confusion when suddenly a section of the column next to them swung open, and a figure came marching out. It seemed to be wearing a shiny one-piece black suit, with a strange helmet that reflected the entire room. Slim, but sturdy armor covered its body.

The woman looked from it to the man. “Replicate.”

It looked from her to him. Two red eyes flashed behind the figure’s visor before its entire body began to shimmer. He watched in horror as its form rippled. Then, to his shock, it began to transform into him. Once it stabilized, it looked back to the woman.

“Good,” she said, before looking at him again. “Now I will kill you.”

“No-!” he said when a blast of energy shot from the woman’s weapon and struck him in the chest. He cried in pain before slumping to the ground, dead.

The weapon retracting itself, she returned it to her pocket and looked to what appeared to be the man standing next to her.

“Time to get to work.”

Their footsteps echoed as they walked down the hallway of the school.

“You can’t keep showing up like this,” Clara said as they turned the corner.

“What do you mean?” the Doctor asked.

“I mean that it’s weird when you ‘pick me up’ from work, even though I came here on my bike,” she replied.

“That wouldn’t happen if you would just live on the TARDIS and let me drop you off,” he said. “Like a normal person.”

“Yeah, and that’s how I would lose my job.”

“What?”

“You know what I’m talking about,” she looked at him.

“I don’t.”

She rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say that your… aim is a bit off.”

“My aim?” he looked affronted.

“You can never get the time zone right. You’re always off by a few days, or a few weeks,” Clara said. “I’d never be on time.”

“The TARDIS takes me where I need to be, not where I want to go,” the Doctor replied.

“...And how would that help me get to work on time?”

He fell silent. “Alright.”

They reached the front doors of the school and walked out into the brisk day. Clara pulled her jacket closer around herself as a wind came blowing at them. They walked along the sidewalk for a while before they approached a tall wooden police box that rested against a fence. As they reached it, the Doctor pulled out a key and inserted it into the lock on the door. Pushing it open, he ushered the woman inside before entering himself.

Clara breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped in, taking off her coat. “Ah, that’s better,” she said. “It’s so much warmer in here.”

He shut the doors. “The TARDIS is powered by a star,” he crossed to the console.

“True,” she nodded.

The Doctor began hitting keys and turning knobs before putting his hand on a lever. Clara joined him.

“So where are we going?”

“I thought we’d take a trip to New Earth,” he replied. “It’s been a while since I checked in on them, and they’ve always had some kind of problem that I need to sort out.”

“New Earth?” she asked.

“In the year Five Billion, the Earth was destroyed when the Sun expanded. The Earth had been evacuated, of course, and they set up shop in a new solar system. They call it New Earth.”

“Sounds sad,” she said.

“It’s nature. A cycle.”

He was about to pull the lever when the console began to beep. They exchanged confused glances before they left the lever and walked around to the other side of the console. One button on one of the panels was blinking steadily to accompany the beeping. Exchanging another glance, they both looked at the key. Hesitantly, the Doctor pressed the button.

The beeping stopped and one of the console monitors switched from a display of the universe to two lines of text written in Gallifreyian. They both leaned in to inspect it closer.

“Strange,” the Doctor said.

“Shouldn’t it translate?” Clara asked.

“This is written in Old High Gallifreyian,” he shook his head. “It doesn’t translate.”

“What does it say?”

“’It’s time we got back in touch’.”

“Who could have sent this?”

“Only a Time Lord could have written this message,” he pulled the monitor with him as he traveled to another panel and began typing. “If I can trace its origin…”

Clara joined him as he continued typing. Suddenly there was another beep.

“Aha!” he smiled. Underneath the text, another line appeared. “Coordinates!”

“It’s still in Gallifreyian,” she said.

“Of course it’s still in Gallifreyian!” he replied. “It was embedded in the message.”

“Where do the coordinates lead?”

He typed it into the console. A moment later the monitor displayed a map. “Somewhere called Casarova.”

“Are we going to go there?” Clara asked.

“This might be a trap,” he said. “Whoever sent it obviously knows me.”

“But if it’s a Time Lord, maybe they know where Gallifrey is.”

He looked at her. There was something in his pale blue eyes that sent chills through her.

“I decide when we find Gallifrey,” he said darkly. “I decide. Understand?”

She nodded quickly, taking a step back. He watched her for a moment before returning to his work. She had never seen this side of him before. It was terrifying. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Ascending the stairs to the upper level, she sat down on top of the steps and watched the Doctor as he set the coordinates.

Finally, he put his hand on the lever and tugged it down. The ship shuddered as the panels above the console began to rotate and the rotor began to twirl. He glanced up at his companion before continuing to pilot the TARDIS into the vortex.

She looked up. The coiling rings of the time rotor began to flicker slightly. A smile crossed her face.

“Finally,” she said. “He comes.”

Pushing herself off the console, she crossed to one of the black-clothed figures standing at the edge of the console room. She inspected it before tapping the side of its helmet. Two red eyes flashed behind its visor before it turned to look at her.

“It’s showtime, my friend,” she grinned broadly.

The sound of the engines groaning and wheezing echoed through the large room as the TARDIS materialized in the middle of it. The groans faded away as the box became solid.

After a moment, the doors opened, and the Doctor and Clara stepped out.

“What is this place?” she asked, looking up at the massive ceiling.

“Some kind of palace,” he replied, pulling the Sonic Screwdriver from his coat and scanning the area.

“It’s a strange palace,” Clara ran her hand across the base of one of the metal pillars.

He scanned one of them. “The future is often strange,” the Doctor said. “But yes, this is a very construction.”

“How so?”

“This pillars,” he scanned more of the tall steel beams. “They’re not hollow or solid. They’re filled with electronics and various components. They serve a purpose.”

“What does a palace need computerized pillars for?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he shook his head, putting the screwdriver away.

Crossing to one of the walls of the large room, the Doctor ran his hand over it. He then spotted a control panel several feet from him. Walking over, he pressed one of the buttons, and there was a whirring noise before a section of the wall slide away to reveal a window.

The Doctor and Clara stepped up to the large window and looked out in awe. Before them was an infinite expanse of space. Distant stars burned brightly against the void. They saw brilliant nebula and stray planets floating before them.

“So,” Clara said breathlessly. “We’re not in a palace.”

“We’re on a spaceship!” the Doctor exclaimed. “This is the Casarova System! I should have known. We’re on spaceship traveling through the Casarova System!”

“That, you are,” a voice came from behind.

Turning around, they saw a well-dressed man standing before them. Strangely, he did not seem at all phased by them, but still looked at them curiously.

“Hello,” Clara replied awkwardly.

“You are here for the ball, correct?” he asked.

“’The ball’?” the Doctor repeated.

“In honor of Sir Jackson Richards, in recognition of his greatest business deal,” the man answered. “I am Carlson Howard,” he bowed.

“This Sir Richards sounds a bit full of himself,” the Doctor said.

Carlson shook his head, chuckling. “Oh, no, good sir! Sir Richards is a great man, and he deserves this honor!” He then raised an eyebrow. “You talk like you don’t know him. May I please see your invitation?”

The Doctor hesitated for a moment before reaching into his pocket and producing a black wallet. Flipping it open, he shoved it in Carlson’s face.

“Ah!” he exclaimed, reading the blank paper inside. “I see! Welcome Doctor and miss Oswald!”

“That’s ‘the Doctor’, to you,” he said, pocketing the psychic wallet again.

“Now, if you’ll join me, I’ll take you to the ballroom,” Carlson turned and walked away, beckoning them to follow. Glancing uncertainly at each other, they did.

They were led to a large set of wooden-looking double doors. Two men stood on either side, guns held at their sides. Carlson pressed a button on the side of the entrance, and the gigantic doors clicked before swinging open. Blinded by a sudden glare, the Doctor and Clara covered their eyes before seeing a massive ballroom beyond the threshold. Dozens of party-goers filled the room, chatting away with one another.

“Now that’s a party,” Clara said.

“No expense as been spared!” Carlson smiled.

The Doctor turned to him. “How many guests?”

“Forty-six,” he replied. “Although, with you two, it’s now forty-eight. The more the merrier, I suppose.”

“And have you noticed anything unusual? Anyone who looked peculiar?” the Time Lord asked.

“Well, there’s you two,” Carlson chuckled.

“Us?”

“Yes. If you forgive,” he said. “You two are very peculiar. A girl who looks like a school teacher and a man in a velvet coat. I haven’t seen anything velvet in years!”

Clara crossed her arms. “I am a school teacher.”

“That would explain the striped blue dress,” Carlson nodded.

“You could benefit from updating your wardrobe,” the Doctor said to her.

“I like what I wear!” she frowned.

“That’s part of the problem.”

She frowned before Carlson spoke again. “So, are you going to enter the party?”

“Let us… freshen up, first,” the Doctor said. “And by ‘we,’ I mean Clara.”

“Hey!” she said.

“Take as much time as you need,” Carlson bowed. “We’ll be celebrating all night.”

He then turned and walked into the party, leaving the two alone. They stood there for a moment before Clara crossed her arms and turned to him.

“Why are you always picking on what I wear?” she asked.

The Doctor shrugged. She groaned.

“Let’s just go get changed.”

Together, they walked back to the TARDIS. Behind them, as the doors closed again, a woman with pale blue eyes watched them with a smile.

“Alright,” Clara said, stepping out of the box in much more appropriate clothes. “Better?”

He shook his head. “Not really, but it’ll pass.”

Walking forward, the two crossed the large room and came to the large double doors. As they approached, one of the guards pressed the button and the entrance opened. Looking at each other, they nodded. Crossing the threshold, they joined the party.

“This definitely is fancy,” Clara remarked, taking a glass of champagne from a waiter.

“Obviously the work of some rich egomaniac,” the Doctor held his hands behind his back. “You’d better make sure your egomania doesn’t get this out of hand.”

“I don’t have egomania,” she replied.

“You’re human. Of course you have egomania.”

She scowled at him before he continued talking. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s split up. Ask around. See if we can figure out why we’re here.”

“We’re looking for a Time Lord, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t you sense them?”

He shook his head. “Not right now. I’m not sure why, but I can’t. They’re probably cloaking their scent.”

“I thought they wanted you to find them?” Clara took a sip of her drink.

“Apparently they want me to work for it,” he saod.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s find us a Time Lord, then. Good luck, Doctor.”

“Be careful,” he replied.

Turning, they departed in opposite directions. The Doctor walked through the party, dodging party-goers and waiters who attempted to give him an assortment of various kinds of finger foods and glasses of champagne. He knew that one of his previous incarnations would have loved this, but he was set in his goal. He had to find the Time Lord.

He took a shortcut through the dance floor, disrupting several performances as he did so. Finding an empty table, he stopped at it and observed the party like a hawk. Nothing around him seemed out of the ordinary. It appeared to just be a normal party.

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

Snapped out of his thoughts, he turned to see that a woman had joined him at the table. She was dressed in a very Victorian fashion, with her black croak jacket, long sweeping skirt, and orange necktie seeming very out of place for the setting. Her long hair was kept in an up-do.

The Doctor eyed her suspiciously. “What makes you say that?”

“Well,” she took a step closer. “You’re standing in the middle of a wild party all by yourself, watching everyone but doing nothing. Obviously you’re deep in thought.”

He was impressed, but he didn’t show it. “You’re quite the reader.”

“I’m a people person,” she grinned.

“Do you have name?” he asked. “Or can I just call you ‘people person lady’?”

“Oh, I do like that!” she said. “But, you can call me Missy.”

Missy took another step towards him. “And what do I call you?”

“The Doctor.”

“The Doctor?” she repeated. “Doctor who?”

He stared at her for a moment. “That question comes up a lot.”

“I imagine it does.”

“So,” it was his turn to take a step towards her. “What’s the real reason you came to talk to me?”

Missy smiled. “Something’s off about this party. Very fishy. I bet you’ve noticed it too. There’s a lot of security for a party like this. I mean, obviously you should have some security, but these guys are real military types. Pretty odd.”

He looked up. All along the edge of the large room stood several men dressed in tactical gear and all carried very deadly looking weapons.

“That is definitely odd,” he agreed.

“Do you want to have a look around?” she asked conspiratorially.

“I barely know you,” he replied.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” Missy said.

The Doctor looked at her for a moment. “Let’s go, but we’ll need a way to get past the guards.”

“Don’t worry about that,” she smiled. “I’ve got an app for that.”

She reached into her pocket and produced a small rectangular device with rounded edges. It was mechanical-looking, but had a black screen. Tapping it, it lit up with very buttons. She looked at the Doctor again before pressing one of the buttons.

Across the party, an ice sculpture of a humanoid figure suddenly exploded. Everyone immediately turned to look at it as guards swarmed towards it. In the chaos, Missy grabbed the Doctor’s hand and pulled him through the distracted crowd. They came to a set of wooden doors. The woman tried to activate the keypad, but was unsuccessful.

“What is this?” she growled, punching keys at random. The pad beeped its protest.

“Don’t worry,” the Doctor said, producing the Sonic Screwdriver. “I’ve got an app for that.”

Leveling the device at the keypad, he activated it. A soft buzzing filled their ears as green light splashed across the pad. It sparked suddenly before the wooden doors slid open with a mechanical hiss. Beyond the threshold was darkness.

“Quickly!” Missy grabbed the Doctor’s hand again and pulled him through the doorway. As soon as they passed, the door closed behind them.

They stood in darkness for a moment before the corridor was illuminated in a dim light. The two blinked as their eyes adjusted.

She turned to him. “That’s a useful app.”

“I could say the same about yours. Where’d you get it?”

“Built it,” she replied. “Where’d you get yours?”

“Time traveling police box.”

“Interesting.”

He looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze to the corridor. He began to walk forward, his footsteps echoing.

“Come on,” the Doctor said. “Let’s find out what’s going on here before those guards find us.”

She nodded before falling into step behind him. “Yes sir.”

The guards finished clearing up the remnants of the shattered sculpture. Clara watched as they hastily cleaned the mess as startled guests looked on. They were muttering about what happened, and how it could have happened.

“It’s okay,” one of the men said, turning to the crowd. “We’re sorry for this minor inconvenience. Please go back to enjoying the party.”

Hesitantly, the party-goers returned to their chattering. Clara looked around for the Doctor, but she couldn’t see him in the sea of people. Taking another sip from her drink, she decided to continue her mission.

Navigating the party, she walked around several people of obviously high society. Clara felt out of her element here. She was just a schoolteacher at Coal Hill from Blackpool. The only thing remotely special about her was that she traveled with the Doctor. She had been scattered across his time stream, but she was just an ordinary woman.

Continuing her sweep, she spotted a girl, who looked to be only sixteen, standing at a table all by herself. There was a look on her face that Clara knew very well: fear.

Striding forward, she approached the girl.

“Hi there,” she smiled, stopping at the table. The teen gave a small jump.

“Mind if I join you?” Clara asked.

She looked her over for a moment, before she nodded. Clara smiled again and set her glass on the table.

“Nice party, huh?” she began.

The girl shrugged.

“What’s your name?”

Hesitating, she answered. “Emily.”

“Hi Emily,” she smiled warmly. “I’m Clara.”

“What do you want?” she cut to the chase.

“What’s wrong with trying to get to know someone at a party?” she replied. “Isn’t that what a party is all about?”

Emily stared at her for a moment. “Yeah. But why are you talking to me? Isn’t there an adult you can talk to?”

“Alright,” Clara said. “You’ve got me. I wanted to talk to you because you seemed lonely.”

“I’m fine.”

“I know how you feel,” she leaned on her elbows. “When I was in school, I didn’t want to talk to anyone either. I was quite the introvert.”

“Obviously you grew out of it,” Emily looked around the room.

“Yeah, I did,” Clara continued. “And I’ve been able to talk to a lot of really extraordinary people because of it.”

“Good for you,” the girl said quickly.

“It isn’t good for anyone to be alone at a party,” she replied. “That takes all the fun out of it.”

“I didn’t want to come to this stupid party,” Emily crossed her arms. “My parents made me.”

Clara nodded. “Ah. I see. That sucks.”

“You probably love not having your parents bossing you around anymore.”

“Maybe a little, but a lot of the time I really miss living with my mum and dad,” she said. “My mom died about nine years ago now, and I would give anything to see her again.”

Emily looked down for a moment. “I’m sorry about your mum.”

“It’s okay,” Clara smiled, a tear in her eye. “I’ll see her again someday. I know that.”

Silence hung between them for a moment before Emily spoke again.

“Are you here alone?”

Wiping her eye, Clara shook her head. “No. I’m here with a friend. He got an invite and brought me along.”

“Where is he now?”

Her eyes scanned around the room, but she couldn’t see the Doctor. “I don’t know. He must be somewhere. Investigating, maybe.”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “Investigating what?”

Clara then realized her mistake. But, just as she was about to correct it, Emily continued speaking.

“Because I’ve got something for him to investigate.”

Their footsteps echoed down the long corridor. A soft humming was coming from the Sonic Screwdriver as the Doctor held it in front of him. Its light illuminated the dim hallway, shading them in a green glow. Neither of them spoke, but he continually kept sparing glances at Missy.

“I can feel you watching me,” she said.

“Sorry,” he quickly snapped his eyes back to the corridor in front of them.

Missy looked at him, a smile on her lips. “I never said I objected.”

“Do you always flirt this much, Missy?” the Doctor replied, keeping his eyes fixed ahead of him.

“Only when they’re someone worth flirting with,” the woman grinned.

His jaw dropped before he spoke again. “Stop it.”

“No.”

He increased his strides, moving slightly ahead of the woman. “I haven’t been flirted with this much since I first met Clara,” he muttered to himself.

She raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Clara?”

“A friend, I think. She travels with me. Tells me what to do. At least I think that’s what she does.”

“Sounds like this Clara is your boss,” Missy replied.

The Doctor shook his head. “No, it’s not that. She’s been there for me, and helped me through some pretty rough patches. I wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for her.”

“She sounds pretty special to you.”

“I guess.”

They continued on in silence for a moment before the Time Lord spoke again.

“So, Missy. What’s your story?”

“Oh, you know, the usual stuff,” she shrugged.

“And what’s the ‘usual stuff’?”

“Had a mum, had a dad. A couple of siblings, I think. It was a long time ago. Grew up on a farm.”

“You don’t seem that old,” he replied.

“Thank you. I try really hard.”

He looked quizzically at her. “Age isn’t something you can control. It’s something that creeps up on you.”

Missy chuckled. “That’s not what I’ve heard.”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, then,” he replied.

“Tell me what you’ve heard, then,” she said. “Because you’re obviously more than just an old guy who travels with a bossy young woman.”

“That would be a very, very long story,” the Doctor answered, continuing down the corridor.

“Considering that we’ve been walking for a while to…” she paused, “where are we going again?”

“The center of the ship. Something is wrong here. I noticed it as soon as I stepped foot here. The engines will tell us what it is.”

“And how long until we get to the engine room?” Missy inquired.

He looked at the Sonic Screwdriver. “A few minutes?”

“Then that’s enough time to at least tell me something of your amazingly complex history,” the woman begged.

The Doctor sighed. “Fine. I’m a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I’m the last of my people. I’m over two-thousand years old and I’ve traveled around in an old worn-out TARDIS for most of those centuries. At any given moment I am the only thing standing between the universe’s certain death and its continued existence.”

He looked at her. “In others words: I’m the Doctor.”

She clapped. “Bravo. Excellent story. Way to sum it all up.”

“You want more?”

“Well since we’ve got a few minutes left.”

“I’ve fought Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Autons, Siltheen, Weeping Angels, Sontarans, the Silence, Vasta Nerada, other Time Lords, and even Satan himself. I’ve been around a long time and I’ve crossed paths with an uncountable amount of enemies, and I’ve won, every time.”

“With all that travel, I imagine it gets lonely.”

“People have traveled with me, like Clara.”

“And what happened to them.”

He fell silent before answering. “Some of them left. Some of them got left behind. And some died.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s part of nature. A cycle,” he replied.

She was about to reply to him when they came to a large door. The Sonic Screwdriver began to blink, a soft beeping accompanying it. They both looked at the door.

“We’re here.”

There was a keypad mounted next to the barrier. Pointing the Sonic at it, the Doctor activated it. Flickering, the pad seemed to glitch before the door suddenly slid open. As soon as it did, they were blinded by a bright red light.

“What is that?” Missy said, her eyes adjusting to the sudden glare.

Stepping through the threshold, the Doctor came to a railing. He was completely covered in the light, his expression grim. The engine, which was a tall pillar that went from the floor to ceiling, and covered in thousands of wires and tubes, was pulsating a deep red. There was an unpleasant humming noise which filled their ears.

The Doctor pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver and scanned the engine. Looking at the readings, his eyes widened.

“This ship has been wired to explode!”

“Explode? By whom?” Missy gasped.

“I don’t know,” the Doctor said, moving over to a control panel. “But we have to stop it, otherwise everyone will die!”

He tried to access the controls, but they flashed red and showed that he was locked out. He pulled out the Sonic and tried to override the lockout. It still didn’t work. Furious, he began a combination of smashing keys and using the Sonic Screwdriver.

Missy watched him work when she heard something move behind her. Swinging around, she was met with six of the security guards aiming weapons at them. Reluctantly, she raised her hands.

“Uh, Doctor?” she said, looking over her shoulder.

“What?” he said, not looking up from his work.

“Stop working. Right now.”

“I can’t! Everyone will die!”

“You’re going to die if you don’t get away from those controls,” one of the men said.

Looking up, the Doctor saw the six armed men.

“Oh.”

Pocketing his device, he raised his hands also. The men moved towards them, their weapons still aimed to kill if they so desired. Three flanked them.

“What do you want?” the Doctor asked.

“You will come with us,” one of them replied.

He didn’t move. “What do you want with us?”

“You will come with us,” he repeated.

His eyes narrowed. “No. I won’t-.”

Before he could finish, he was struck in the back by a blast of blue energy. He stood for a moment before falling forward. He hit the ground, unconscious. Missy used the distraction to grab her strange device. She aimed it at one of the men, two circles of energy glowing on the back of it. They were too fast for her, however, and she was hit with a blast of energy also.

Both laid on the ground as the men surrounded them.

“Get them to the ballroom. The Doctor is secured.”

“What’s wrong?” Clara asked.

“This party,” Emily answered. “Something is very wrong here. Some of the people… they don’t really act like people, you know? I’m an introvert, so I get to just sit and watch them, and they are very bizarre.”

“How?”

“They’re almost robotic. There are a lot of people who act normally, but there are a lot who don’t, at all. Then there’s Carlson,” she stopped.

“The host?”

“Yeah. I’ve known him my whole life, but when I tried to talk to him, he acted like he didn’t even know me. He practically shooed me away.”

“Maybe he’s just under a lot of stress?” Clara suggested. “He’s managing a massive party on a ship.”

“No,” Emily shook her head. “He always has had time for me, even a little. This was something different. There’s also the increased security that he ordered. He never does that.”

“The universe is a dangerous place,” she said. “He might just want to protect everyone, including you.”

“They were called for just yesterday. He would never do anything last minute. He hates that. This is something else. I don’t know, but I have a bad feeling about this party,” Emily finished.

“Let me find the Doctor,” Clara stood up. “Something is wrong-.”

Her ears were suddenly filled with a sharp noise before there were yells around the room. Turning around, her eyes widened as she saw a woman standing over a man who was sprawled on the ground. There was a gun clutched in her hands, smoke billowing from the barrel.

“What-?”

There was another scream as a man shot another man several feet away. Everyone cried out in shock, watching dozens of men and women draw their own weapons and turn them on their fellow guests. Without hesitation, they opened fire, red blasts of energy shooting forward. The guards stationed around the wall drew their guns and also fired on the guests. Within seconds dozens had fallen to the ground, dead.

Energy flying past them and smoke filling the air, Clara grabbed Emily’s hand as the girl stood paralyzed by fear and pulled her after her.

“Come on!” Clara yelled above the roar of the weapons being discharged.

They ran as bolts of light shot towards them. The two bobbed and weaved between the tables and the corpses that littered the floor. As they ran, the blasts began to become more precise, coming only within a few inches of them.

“Here!” she spotted a table with a space to conceal them. “Under the table!”

Letting go of Emily’s hand, Clara dove to the ground and slid across the floor and to safety. Emily, just behind her, moved to follow when a blast of energy suddenly struck her in the back. She screamed in agony before falling to the floor, her eyes wide and staring emptily at Clara.

Clara, her own eyes wide, watched the girl’s corpse as it lay there. Her ears rung as she sat petrified. She had tried to protect her. Now Emily was dead.

A second later a hand grabbed Clara by the arm and, with unnatural strength, ripped her out from under the table and pulled her up, changing its grip to her neck. She felt a barrel being pressed against her back.

Looking around, she saw that everyone in the room was dead, except for the few dozen men and women who had killed them all.

“Who-,” she could barely get the words out. “Who are you?!”

They stayed silent. Angry, Clara tried struggling against her captor’s grip, but it was useless. She then tried to strike him in the shin with her foot, but his grip around her neck only got tighter, sending pain through her body.

“Stop resisting or you will be terminated,” the man said without emotion.

“Why should I listen to you?” she spat. “You killed everyone else!”

“This is all part of the plan.”

Clara raised her eyebrows. “What plan?”

At that moment a section of the wall slid open and several figures emerged, among them the Doctor and a strangely dressed woman. They were being escorted by more of the armed men. As they entered, they saw the dozens of bodies littering the floor, and the men and women standing above them with weapons in hand. The Doctor looked around with narrowed eyes.

“Doctor!” Clara called to the Time Lord.

“Silence!” the man holding her said, tightening his grip yet again, causing her to cry in pain.

“Let go of her!” the Doctor growled.

“You are in no position to demand anything,” one of the others said, still without emotion.

“Tell me what you want!” the Doctor stepped forward, teeth barred. “You do not what to test me!”

The man looked at him. “We will complete our mission.”

“Your mission?”

“To capture you.”

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Our master has ordered us to do so.”

“And who is your master?” he stepped closer again.

“You already know her. She is an old friend of yours.”

Stepping away, the Doctor then turned to Missy. “Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

“What?” her expression became confused.

He gave a cold laugh, his face grim. “Oh, don’t act like you don’t know. You’re obviously behind all of this.”

“I am not!” she protested, looking affronted.

“Well, then how are you still alive when everyone else is dead? It makes sense that Clara is still alive if they wanted me, but for you it makes no sense. You’re just some strange woman at the party, so you have to be involved.”

He stepped up to her, his eyes fierce. “What do you want?”

But, before she could answer, a new voice filled the room. “You’re half-right,” a woman said.

They looked around for the speaker, but could not see them. A moment later their attention was drawn to the massive wooden doors that served as the entrance to the room. As they parted, a woman entered the room, followed by Carlson and several men dressed in all black armor and gear.

The woman wore all black, covered by long black coat. There was something familiar about her as she approached them. Stopping in front of them, she took one hand out of her pocket and snapped her fingers. Around the room, all the men and women, including Carlson, shimmered before they were replaced by more of the armored soldiers.

“Hello, Doctor,” she smiled.

“Who are you?”

“Don’t you remember me?” she raised an eyebrow. “We grew up together. I thought you’d remember that.”

His eyes widened. “Rani.”

“Doctor,” the Time Lady nodded.

The Time Lord then turned to Missy, his eyes still wide. “Then who are you?”

“Missy,” she said. “Short for Mistress? I couldn’t keep calling myself the Master, now could I?”

He looked at her in shock.

“It’s so good to see you both again,” the Rani said, her smile growing even broader.

Characters

 * Twelfth Doctor
 * Clara Oswald
 * Missy
 * The Rani
 * Emily
 * Carlson Howard
 * Replicators
 * Several party members

Trivia

 * The return of the Rani has been planned for a very long time, even all the way back in 2012 during one of the earliest iterations of this series.
 * The Rani's return was also not initially announced when the villains for the rest of Series 1 were announced because Invader39 wanted her reappearance to be a surprise.
 * This episode has gone through several different versions.