Thorn Bush (Doctor Who Story)

Chapter 24: War of the Sontarans

The Crimea war begins and Kathy finds herself near the battlefield helping the Mary Seacole at her British Hotel hospital. Mrs Seacole was very happy to let her join.

Kathy emerges onto the battlefield with Mary, walking along the desolate ground with the dead littered everywhere but a lack of enemy bodies. And that's the thing, Kathy's experience of the Crimean war has gone completely different to how she had imagined and known. Time seems to be almost distorted, changed, and she doesn't know why. If this is part of an episode, it's clearly aired after Kathy travelled to this universe. She hopes it's still Thirteen, at least a Doctor she knows.

It is then that Kathy hears what sounds like the TARDIS' Cloister Bell tolling and, while she knows that means bad news, she perks up and runs in that direction though it is difficult to do in her period-appropriate attire. She feels the familiar faint pull of the mental link she shares with the Doctor snap into place. Kathy then hears three voices which sound familiar.

"Yaz. Is Dan with you?" The Doctor is yelling.

"I'm here. I just blacked out." Dan calls. "Last thing I remember, we were on your TARDIS, that Flux thing was coming at us, and then... nothing."

Dan... a companion she's not so familiar with. For all she knows this could be after or before the Sea Devils fiasco.

"Me too. I think. I was on the ground over there. We must've been thrown out." Yaz adds.

"Must have been. Where are we?" The Doctor is scanning a body in a red military jacket as Kathy nears them.

"Maybe I can help?" Kathy calls to them. She receives two greeting smiles and one baffled one. Maybe before the Sea Devils.

"Kathy! Brilliant!" The Doctor exclaims, running over to her as best she can over the difficult terrain. "I'm assuming we're on earth?"

Kathy frowns. What happened? "Yes, didn't you know?"

"The TARDIS seems to have taken a hit with the Flux." Yaz replies breezily.

Before Kathy can ask what the hell she's going on about, Dan blurts, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Kathy." She introduces herself with a kind smile.

"A friend. A good friend." The Doctor adds.

"Looks like we're in the middle of a battlefield." Yaz observes.

"Hey!" Kathy jumps at the sound of Mary's voice yelling towards them. "Ms Davis, what are those people doing near that man's body?!" She cries as she approaches. Yaz, Dan and the Doctor jump away from the man. "They didn't steal anything did they?" Mary questions as she comes to stand next to Kathy.

"Uh, no I don't think so. I hadn't che—" She'd been a bit too excited at seeing the Doctor and the companions with them.

Mary ignores her and turns to the trio in front of them. "Well, come on then! Show me your hands. What did you take? Show me."

"Better do what she says." Kathy adds. She had learnt that very quickly when it comes to Mary Seacole.

The trio abruptly throw up their hands as Dan complains that they hadn't taken anything.

"I know what goes on out here. Vultures emptying the pockets of the dead." Mary accuses. She frowns, taking them in. "What...? Who are you? Where you from?"

While her hands are still in the air, the Doctor introduces them all, "I'm the Doctor. This is Yaz. This is Dan. Nice to meet you." She brings down her hands and Yaz and Dan do the same. "We were tracking for signs of life."

"Sure. Doctor is a man's term." Mary scoffs.

The Doctor shrugs. "It's fluid."

Kathy smiles slightly at those words.