The Rose & Crown

Chapter Fourteen

"Has it always been this cold in here?" Clara asked as the Doctor led her through the threshold of the TARDIS.

His brow raised at the question, concentrating all of his energy on delicately guiding her towards the seat as if she would shatter at any moment. "Ah, yes. I've been meaning to fix that," he lied. He helped to situate her on the cushioned chair, then headed through the door into her flat once again. "Make yourself at home. I'll only be a minute!" he called from outside.

She took the momentary time to herself to scan the familiar room for anything that might have been out of sorts since the last time she was on board. So many memories, this place, she thought as she reminisced every encounter both within the ship and wherever she had taken her. It had become a part of her heart, the missing piece to the puzzle that was her existence. She couldn't imagine what her life would've been like had the Doctor not shown up on the doorstep of the Maitland household that day. She wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for him. Her consciousness would have been lost inside the digital world for all of eternity without him there to pull her out of it. The woman she used to be was consumed by the never-ending desire to travel the world, filling the pages of her scrapbook with her extraordinary journey into self-discovery and exploration. He offered her the universe.

Upon her observations, she noticed the work table, normally reserved for engineering all of his oddly structured gadgets and inventions, had been repurposed as a drawing board for several dozen sketches and mathematical calculations. Her curiosity got the better of her and she stood to gain a better look at his project. Sifting through the pages, she encountered numerous models of planets and solar systems charted throughout the galaxy. Each location had been given a precise numerical equation and symbol beside it. "What have you been doing in here?" she called.

After a few moments, he re-entered through the door, holding a travel bag full of maternity clothes and the warmest throw blanket he could find. "I wasn't sure what you would need." He gestured to the articles in his hands. "I hope these will be sufficient." He placed the bag on the floor and began unfolding the blanket.

"What is all this?" she repeated, holding the drawings up to the light.

"Ah, I see you've discovered my battle plans," he answered, gracefully placing the blanket over her shoulders.

"Have you been scheming to start a war I don't know about?"

"We're already at war, and I intend to stay one step ahead of it." He moved to the table and spread the pages in front of him. "According to the charts lining the walls of Quynn's battle-room, these are the exact locations of her bases of operation."

"Did you seriously memorise all of this from just one glance?"

"Of course I did. What else did you expect me to do while she tangentially rambled on about herself, make tea?"

"What are you planning to do?"

"In order to gain an advantage over her forces, I'll need to disrupt the inner workings of her infrastructures. Even if it means I have to take them out one by one. The weaker her hold on the planets she controls, the easier it will be to bring her down."

"And this is what you needed my help with? To go into battle with you? Have you seen me lately?" She gestured to her appearance.

"No, no. Your job is much more important. And far less dangerous," he assured her.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pair of small audio devices, and held them in front of him. "Let me see if I've got this right," she began, hesitantly taking one from his open hand. "You want me to stay here on the TARDIS while you charge straight onto the battlefield, alone?"