The TimeLord Who Changed

12

"Bryan, watch out! Flame warrior with loaded bow at 12 o' clock!" I shout. Bryan turns around and ducks as the Warrior shoots.

"You just had to come to Mercury holding a Popsicle! You just had to insult the people made of fire!" the Doctor yells as a Warrior starts to swing his knife toward him. He somersaults backwards and avoids the blade.

"Oi! You're the one who sent us here! We were supposed to be in Jamaica on vacation!" Bryan snaps.

I backflip out of the way of an on-coming machete. Another Fire Warrior tries to take a stab at me, but I kick him in the stomach. Immediately, the rubber on the soles of boots start to bubble and melt. "Damn it!" I take the boot off and throw it to the side.

A Warrior aims his arrow at the Doctor, but the Doctor points his sonic at the arrow, presses the trigger, and the screwdriver turns to ash. The Fire Warrior roars in anger.

Bryan screams, "Clara, watch out!"

Running on only adrenaline and instincts, I hit the floor and roll away as a huge mace hits the ground where I was standing. The Fire Warrior behind me swings his mace again. I scramble off the ground and dive forward.

Pain spreads through my body, and I can tell I have multiple scrapes. Sweat seeps into the cut. Of all the planets we could've accidentally landed on, we landed on the hottest. Just lovely.

I slowly stand up, but suddenly Bryan's there, pushing me back to the ground. He picks up a long machete that was lying on the ground. Bryan holds it out in front of him and deflects a dagger that would've probably killed me.

The Fire Warrior tries to bring the blade down on Bryan, but he parries. He bends down, and, seeing my injuries, holds me in his arms. He quickly runs back to the TARDIS with me. He finds my bedroom, and puts me in bed. "Okay, Clara, I'll be back. Don't go anywhere," he demands.

"It's not like I can! And while you're by the door, turn the thermostat to 25°C. It's freezing in here," I exclaim.

All of a sudden, Bryan's eyes widen. "Freezing!" he says. He bolts out of the room, leaving me cold and hurt.

I sigh, and swing myself off the bed. My limp quite obvious, I walk to the console room to find Bryan at the controls. "What are you doing?" I wonder.

"The only we've been able to breathe is because of the air shell around the TARDIS. But what if we use the air shell to defeat the Fire people?" he says.

I catch on. "You mean lowering the temperature of the air shell and freezing the Fire people?"

He winks at me. "Exactly. But we need to get the Doctor in here. Tell him to get to the TARDIS!" he commands.

I rush to the doors and open them. "Doctor!" I call. "Get your butt in here!" He looks at me quizzically while fighting off two Warriors. "Just come on!"

He ducks while two swords are swung at him and sprints toward the time machine. Only he doesn't make it. Because four yards from the TARDIS, a bomb is thrown at him.

"No!" I shriek. The bomb explodes, and a wave of heat and fire roll toward the doors. I close them before the fire gets inside.

"Clara, where's the Doctor?" Bryan inquires me.

"He...he was almost to the TARDIS. But then a bomb of fire exploded right on top of him," I explain, panicky and frantic. "We have to get out there!"

Bryan thinks. "Shit! Okay, you take the controls and see what's happening outside. I'll save the Doctor!" He dashes to the doors and whips them open.

The fire's gone, but the Doctor lies face-down on the burning ground un-moving. Bryan runs over to him. Fire Warriors start to advance, but Bryan stands up. "Hey! Don't come near this man. If you do, I will slit all of your throats!" he threatens. He picks the Doctor up from his armpits and drags him inside. He closes the doors before they have time to react.

When he sets the Doctor down, we see that he's covered in a million burns, with almost every hair on his body burned off and every article of clothing nearly gone. Bryan looks at me sadly. "Freeze them now. As soon as you do, stand back. He's most likely about to regenerate," he says. I nod, a single tear sliding down my face.

I turn a button and pull a lever. The screen shows the demise of the Ice Warriors. We both get back.

The Doctor starts to glow a fiery yellow. Lying on the cold hard ground, the glow intensifies. Bryan and I avert our eyes as a huge flash of light fills the room. When the light fades, we look at the Doctor...and he hasn't changed.

All his hair is back, but his clothes are still ripped. Other than that, he looks completely uninjured. Most importantly, most shockingly...his appearance is the same. He's still Thirteen.

"D--Doctor?" I stutter.

He stands up. "What? Why are you staring at me?"

"You didn't change. You regenerated...but you didn't change."

He smiles. "Well, why would I need to change? I like my face. It's a nice face. All I did was get rid of my burns. When I did that, I didn't need to change my face. It's all good!" he says. He looks at Bryan. "Bryan, what are you looking at?"

Bryan hesitates. "Er, Doctor...you're kinda half-naked. Most of your pants...and a lot of your boxers...are gone. You might wanna shower and put some new clothes on," Bryan suggests, still staring at the Doctor's crotch.

Not bothering to cover up his groin, the Doctor says, "Good idea!" He spins around and walks to his room.

Bryan and I exchange glances. I exclaim: "He might not have changed his face or body, but I think he's a little loopier."