The Defender of Time

Thirty-Four

Alessia's feet pounded against the wet sand with little slaps. Clara was pulling her along, with Mayzie in the lead, and none of them dared to look back. The two Doctors, Rose, and the pair of Cybermen could be heard down the beach, closer to the house, but they had made a silent decision that everyone would make it to the TARDIS; it wasn't something that needed to be planned.

Mayzie reached the TARDIS first and pulled on her doors, which were locked tight. Clara and Alessia both reached for their keys, but it wasn't a second after Alessia finally felt the cool metal under her fingers that TARDIS began fading in front of their eyes.

"DOCTOR!" Screamed Clara, just as Alessia and Mayzie both yelled for their fathers.

The second trio was growing further behind, and Alessia turned to Mayzie for help. "Where's your dad's TARDIS?" She asked urgently. "We have to get out of here."

Mayzie shrugged innocently. "He keeps it hidden! So I don't fly away!"

"Oh, good. Yours is an idiot too." Clara took one girl under each arm and pulled them to her sides. "It'll be alright. It always turns out alright. I've got you."

There was a loud noise from behind them, suspiciously similar to the noise of the first two Cybermen landing, and Clara held them tighter.

"Freeze!" The new Cyberman barked. "Identify."

Clara whirled around, swiftly pushing the girls behind her. "Clara Oswald. Human. Twenty-seven. Mother of--" she clapped her hand over her mouth and sucked in a breath.

"The Truth Field is operative."

Alessia and Mayzie made eye contact for one, panicked moment, and reached out for each other's hands.

"They can't know!" Mayzie whispered hurriedly. "Dad said that nobody can ever know about me, or they'll... they'll harvest me! And you're the same way!"

There was a cold hand on Alessia's shoulder and she whirled around. August was standing there with pleading eyes. He was obviously thinking the same dark thought as Alessia. She wouldn't be able to blab any information from inside the constellation room. The safety of herself (and Mayzie, maybe, if she could figure out a split second way to save her too) was worth another week of unconsciousness.

No TARDIS, no way out. Truth Field, Cybermen, a mouthful of secrets...

She nodded almost imperceptibly, and August took a step forward. Alessia fell for a moment before landing neatly on her armchair. She looked up helplessly as she listened to the now distant sounds of the sea and the ensuing argument. It was up to August, now.

Mayzie looked madly at Alessia as the whites of her eyes adopted the blue glow which had shown up with August the last time, and it was just in time. One of the Cyberman's hands jumped from its arm and grasped Clara's wrists together behind her back. The Cyberman turned to August and Mayzie. "Identify."

August cleared Alessia's throat. "Imperator Caesar Divi Filipe Augustus. Human. Two-thousand-and-seventy." Alessia's eyes widened and he scoffed in disbelief. "I'm two-thousand-and-seventy? Wow. Don't you think I look good for my age?"

Clara almost looked impressed at Alessia's quick thinking, but Mayzie looked nothing short of baffled. The Cyberman remained motionless. "Truth Field inoperative. Explain!"

"I can assure you, tin-man, I am telling the truth. I named a month after myself, did you know that? If you're dying to know, I can tell you everything I've ever done."

"Alessia?" Asked Mayzie meekly.

August winked and held Alessia's hands out (with stabilization for the left) in front of her. "Where are we going? Field trip?"