We Will Rise |2| The Ascension

Chapter Twenty Nine: Planet Of The Ood

A few days later, McKenzie was in the console room, flicking through news articles in JENSEN's VR world when she stopped dead in her tracks on her way to sit on the jump seat. She was stood like this, her face expressionless, when the Doctor entered. "Kez? Anyone in there?"

She blinked, turning to look at him, minimising the VR screen so she could see him. "What?"

The Doctor frowned. "You okay? Looked like you zoned out there."

"No, I'm fine," she said distractedly. "I just... saw something."

"What did you see?" he asked, concerned.

"JENSEN." She gestured to the TARDIS' monitor as it lit up with a newspaper article dated four months ago. The headline read '25 YEAR OLD MAN KILLED IN TARGETED ATTACK'. "That's Jimmy Stone. He was killed about two weeks after we left the Tower."

The Doctor blinked, unsure of how to react. "Right... Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," McKenzie told him, shaking her head. "I didn't realise you'd asked Nat and Clint to - to kill him." His eyes widened. "I'm not mad, I promise."

"How did you know it was them?" he asked, biting his lip.

She raised an eyebrow, then JENSEN put up a picture of the body he'd found. There was a bullet in his brain and an arrow in his heart. "Who else do we know that would both want to kill a guy - enough that they'd both give killing blows - and use arrows and guns? Plus, look at this." There was a note attached to the arrow, reading 'This was mercy'. "A - That's Clint's writing, and B - For them, it was a mercy. Nat could have properly gone to town on him with her skills."

"You're not mad?" the Doctor checked, just to be sure.

McKenzie grinned at him, taking the files down. "Of course not. The world's a better place without him. If anything, I'm grateful." She stretched up onto her tiptoes to kiss him. "There's only one thing I'm mad about."

He frowned. "What's that?"

"Three inch heels and I still have to stretch to kiss you," she replied, demonstrating. He grinned.

"Come on, then, lovebirds, where are we?" Donna questioned as she walked in, wearing a pretty purple shirt and a pair of jeans.

"I set the controls to random," McKenzie replied, wiggling her fingers at the ginger with a grin. "Mystery tour."

"Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide u-" The Doctor paused, seeing Donna's face. "Are you all right?"

"Terrified," she admitted. "I mean, history's one thing, but an alien planet?"

McKenzie raised an eyebrow slyly. "We could always take you home."

"Yeah, don't laugh at me," Donna sighed, rolling her eyes as the brunette giggled.

"We know what it's like," the Doctor assured her. "Everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder? I get that."

"Seriously?" Donna checked. "After all this time?"

The Doctor winked at his fiancée. "Always."

She made a face at him. "Those feels were entirely uncalled for," she began, "but thank you for the reference." She then turned to Donna. "Of course we still feel all that. Why'd you think we keep going?"

"Oh, all right, then, you and me both," Donna conceded. "This is barmy. I was born in Chiswick. I've only ever had package holidays. Now I'm here. This is so... I mean it's... I don't know, it's all sort of..." She made an excited noise. "I don't even know what the word is." She pushed the doors open and ran outside, only to stop in her tracks as she felt the iciness of the snowstorm outside. "Oh I've got the word. Freezing."