The Doctor and Kat [5]

-6-

"Where are the people?" Kat bounced in a circle, impatiently looking around.
"The people are not here," the Doctor stated.
"Well why not?" Kat ceased her jumping abruptly, falling on her bum.
"They might be dead-actually that's quite likely-but they may just be eating brownies."
"Why would they be dead?" She looked up, eyebrows furrowed.
"Beats me."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked.
"We should steal some of those brownies?"
"We should locate the thing that killed them and do the thing you do with the sonic and magic and-"
Kat paused, her hand going to her throat.
"And do the zappy thing!" the Doctor exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"My necklace is gone."
"What necklace?"
"My sonic!"
"No clue."
"And you didn't take it?"
"Nope."
"Lila, have you seen-" Kat looked around. Lila wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Did she come out of the T.A.R.D.I.S.?"
"Yes! She followed us out and was standing right there," Kat pointed at the exact spot Lila had been.
"Well then, I don't know what to tell you."
Kat jumped to her feet, panic setting in. "You go that way, look for her, don't get killed." Kat ran off in the opposite direction.
"Right! Walking! So much fun..."
****
Kat ran toward some hills completely made of weathered rock. There was a small trail winding between the formations which she followed. Kat took a few lefts, a right, stopped. Dead end. She bumped into the rock. Something poked into her skin.
"My necklace!" Kat pulled the chain out of her pocket, slipping it over her head. She continued to back up the narrow passage, taking a left this time. Eventually, the rock began to form overhead, blocking the light more and more as she went.
Kat felt her way around the walls, cringing when her hand landed in a sticky string.
"Spider webs..." she muttered, slightly confused how spiders could exist on another planet, which probably had a much worse environment.
She continued on, until she ran into something. Something alive. And big.
****
The Doctor made his way across the ground, staring up at the sky, or whatever it's classified as on this planet. He decided to look around a bit. Everything looked pretty normal at this point, except for the plants.
"What is that?" he said to himself, gravitating towards the tree to his left. He put a hand on what looked to be a branch, but found himself touching cold, hard stone. "Interesting..."
The Doctor walked back up to the clearing and walked in the same direction, this time more aware of his surroundings. As he walked, more trees and bushes appeared, all made of rock. He closed his eyes and put a hand on his head, continuing to walk. When he reopened them, darkness had swallowed the world.
The Doctor skimmed the terrain, noticing walls and a ceiling made of stone. Turning back, he could make out glimpses of the previous terrain.
"What is this?" he said, and tried to walk forward, but ran into a sticky substance that got caught in his hair.
"Dammit!" he yelled, taking a step back.
"See, the thing is, I think it's just webs. Lots and lots," an unfamiliar voice mumbled beside him.
He jumped just about half his height into the air.
"Sorry!" A boy, younge
1r1 than Kat but older than 15, stood beside him. He stuck his hand out. "I'm Will."
The Doctor dusted himself off and looked to the boy standing next to him. He composed himself and said, "Mphbpsjsnnnm."
The boy nodded quizzically. "Alrighty, what's your name?"
"I'm The Doctor. Who might you be?" he inquired, smiling and putting his hand out.
"Again, I'm Will. What are you doing out here anyway? It's dangerous."
"Well, I seemed to have lost someone and I've come to look for that person," he clarified in a painfully repetitive manner. "She's got blonde hair and blue eyes, I think." 
"Who exactly is this?"
"Her name is Lila."
"But how do you know her? Relations?"
"Oh, she's my daughter's girlfriend," he said bouncing on his feet a bit.
The boy furrowed his brows. "Okay..." he sighed. "Why are you here anyway? On the planet, I mean?" He began to walk forward. Brushing the webs out of the way. They walked in awkward silence for a long while.
Will stopped when they appeared out in the clearing where The Doctor had come from. Will looked at the T.A.R.D.I.S. in awe.
"What's that?"
"She's called the T.A.R.D.I.S." He smiled and walked over to her, patting the side.
The Imperial March sounded from The Doctor's pocket.
"Sorry, I have to take this." He answered the phone without a reply from Will.
"What do you want?"
"Lovely way to greet your daughter, isn't it?" Kat's voice sounded from the phone, grainy and hardly understandable. "I know where Lila is but can't get to her."
"And I'm supposed to help how?"
"Well, you see, I have ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE FIGHTING ALIENS, THANK YOU. Hence, why I'm trying my best not to get lost on my way back."
"Oh, right. Why do you assume I know anything? Stereotypes, am I right..."
"Dad, you aren't funny." Kat sighed. "Crap, I got-"
"I think I'm hilarious."
"It's ba-" the phone call ended.
The Doctor hung up and looked to Will. "Somebody messed up again so we'll be going now. Into the box!"
A little ding came from his phone. 'Do not leave. Do not move a muscle.'
"What's that?" the Doctor inquired.
Kat came running out of the rock formations, stopping in front of The Doctor. She waved a bloody hand at Will.
"What have you been up to?" the Doctor asked, staring at her hand in horror.
"Vlaskeiri. That's what. Do you know how absolutely terrifying they are?" She tried to wipe the blood off her hands on her jeans but simply got blood all over.
"Never heard of them."
"Well, they're really spider monster things that took over this planet. Ever noticed the plants are stone? Vlaskeiri. Did I mention they eat Time Lords for lunch?!"
He spun on his heel and turned to face Will. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" His voice was filled with disappointment, as if talking to a child.
"Who's that?" Kat asked, scrunching her nose at the boy.
"Who are you?" Will replied flirtatiously to Kat.
Kat looked horrified at The Doctor.
'What do you want me to do?' he mentally sent to Kat through a series of facial expressions that made him look like a dying seal.
"Nevermind that. I'm Kat, taken FYI. And way too old for you." Kat grimaced. "Anyway, Dad, my sonic does barely anything compared to yours so..." she trailed off, "Can I borrow it? Pleeeeeease?"
The Doctor said nothing, but gave her a "bitch whaat" face.
"Fine. I'll suffer. We need to get going before Lila gets destroyed by these spiders." Kat began to march to the rock formations.
"Okay, come on Will!" he exclaimed excitedly, skipping after Kat.
Kat turned around. "Why are you bringing him with?"
"He's a new friend that might kill us!  Why not?"
"And why might he kill us?" Kat inquired.
"I don't know."
She shook her head, starting to wind her way around the rock formations. The Doctor and Will followed. They took their time and eventually made it out to the back side of the maze-like space.
Kat stumbled out first, looking around.
"This way." Kat sprinted left.
"How do you remember all this?" the Doctor questioned, observing the scenery.
"I'm smart, if you haven't noticed."
"You're right, I hadn't."
"Jerk," Kat coughed, trying to suppress a smile.
"Are we almost there?" he whined.
She bolted right this time, disappearing behind a few stone trees. She stopped running and trailed inside a large, stone castle, purple dotting the walls and embellishments.
"We're here." Kat went to push open a door.
"Fun! Do we have cake?"
"No."
She pushed open the door, glancing inside at the web caked walls and wet floors.
"Well that's just depressing," he said, following her.
The door slammed shut behind the three, Kat flinching.
A spindly leg coiled around The Doctor's arm, then uncoiled and shrunk away. They walked toward another door, muffled voices coming from it.
A thicker spindly leg coiled around The Doctor's torso, interlocking with another. He couldn't move.
"Kat, I'm afraid I have a bit of an issue."
"What do you want?" She huffed, not looking back, inspecting the locked handle.
"There's a spider on me and I can't get it off."
"I'm sure you can handle a little spider," she mumbled, half paying attention.
"Kat, I'm afraid I cannot move."
"Wha-" she spun around. "Oh. Um..." Another spider had already taken Will's arms, and a third loomed over Kat, her not noticing.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Maybe stop letting yourself get trapped and help us both."
"What are you talking abo-" she screeched, the third trapping her. "Oh..."
"Very smart indeed..."
"Shut up!" she sighed
Lila entered the room, spotting them.
"Hi Lila! Do you mind releasing us from our bonds?" the Doctor requested, bowing his head in respect.
"Plot twist," 'lila' crumbled to sand, a spider creature man appearing.
"Wait, I have the gun-" Kat started.
"Do not use the gun!"
"But Spider!"
"I agree with her," Will butted in.
"Nobody asked you Will!" the Doctor yelled in annoyance.
The Doctor fell to the ground as the spider let go. The man approached him.
The Doctor jumped up and put out his hand. "I'm the Doctor, how about you, you zesty smesty little creature?"
It grabbed his hand, twisting it in a powerful grip.
"That's quite rude."
It continued  to twist his hand, it's eyes moving around quickly.
"Time Lord?" It inquired, it's voice scratchy and deep.
The Doctor wrenched his hand out of the thing's grip. It took him about thirty seconds and a few distraught expressions, but he managed. "No, I'm obviously a Vashta Nerada."
"Time Lord." It advanced. Kat and Will fell to the ground as the spiders disintegrated.
"A bit of a warning next time would be helpful..." He grabbed his screwdriver and aimed it at the Vlaskeiri, the blue light illuminating the room further.
Kat scrambled to her feet, disappearing behind a corner.
"Where are you going Kat?" the Doctor shouted, backing towards the corner himself.
She dragged Lila back beside them. "This one, texted her. You two idiots, go." She pointed at The Doctor and Will.
"What?" the Doctor questioned, pushing Will back.
"Go!" Kat exclaimed, flabbergasted how he could not understand.
"You're coming after?" The Doctor stared into the distance and whispered, "We shall not go..."
"Um... We'll meet you inside the T.A.R.D.I.S.... eventually..." Kat grabbed the sonic from The Doctor's hands and felt the gun tucked in her waistband.
"Okay..." With that, the Doctor disappeared after Will.
Kat stared at the creature, Lila by her side.
"Will he notice if I use a gun? Probably? Anyway," Kat punched the thing in the jaw and watched as it fell to the ground. She aimed the sonic at it, considering it.
"Gun or sonic...?"
The blue light fell against the room, Lila sneaking back as Kat followed. Kat fired the gun at the ceiling, running as it began to collapse.