Arcadia's Love (Book TWO)

That Sinking Feeling...

The Doctor:

"Viva Las Vegas!" I laughed, stepping out of the TARDIS with Clara and Sarah, both in pretty evening gowns. Except we weren't in Las Vegas, we were on a submarine, that was shuddering and jerking, and all three of us went flying across the compartment.

"Stranger on the bridge!" One of them yelled, and I sighed, making sure that both Sarah and Clara were alright. They were, but they were a little bit annoyed.

Sarah was the first to vocalise this. "Not Vegas, then."

I shook my head, wrapping my arm around her to keep her from falling over. "No. No, this is much better."

"A sinking submarine?" Clara asked, eyebrows raised, struggling to stay up herself as water pooled at out feet.

I just grinned. "A sinking Soviet submarine!"

"Break out side arms. Restrain them!" Someone shouted, as more things went wrong with the sub and I fumbled to get the sonic screwdriver out.

"Ah! Sideways momentum. You've still got sideways momentum!" I told them, which made them rather confused. Well, I was speaking their language. "Your propellers work independently of the main turbines. You can't stop her going down but you can manoeuvre the sub laterally. Do it!"

Someone else made a complaint. "Get these people off the bridge now!"

"Just listen to him, for god's sake!" Sarah and Clara shouted together, and I was rather proud of them for that.

The sonic buzzed a little and I understood what it said. "Geographical anomaly to starboard. Probably an underwater ridge."

"How do you know this?" I was asked, by who I assumed was the captain, how I knew this. How did I ever know anything? "Look, we have just a chance to stop the descent if we settle on it. Do it!" We were still sinking, and fast. "Or this thing is going to implode."

The Captain gave in. "Lateral thrust to starboard, all propellers. Now!"

"You're going to let this madman give the orders?" His second demanded, but they listened, and we hit down a few moments later. 

"Descent arrested at seven hundred metres."

He turned back to us and nodded a little. "It seems we owe you are lives, whoever you are."

"I'll hold you to that." I grinned, holding Sarah closer. I loved her so much, after everything with Melody... It just meant that I could trust her with everything. "Might come in handy."

"Search them." The second insisted, and I stepped in front of Sarah as the men stared at Clara and her, both in rather revealing outfits. "Yes, I know. There are women. Now search them!"

Clara leaned over conspiratorially. "Are we going to be okay?"

"Oh, yes."

My Lady sighed, resting her head on my back. "Is that a lie?"

She was too smart for her own good at times. "Possibly. Very dangerous time, Lady Sarah, Clara. East and West standing on the brink of nuclear oblivion." They started pulling at us, and pulled a lot of things out of my pockets, including Annette's old Barbie, and a ball of string. "Lots of itchy fingers on the button."

"Isn't it always like that?" They both asked me.

I shrugged. "Sort of, but there are flash points and this is one. Hair, shoulder pads, nukes. It's the Eighties. Everything's bigger. I would like a receipt, please." They'd taken the sonic, and Sarah's strip of tablets to stop her heart from giving out from over working.