The Doctor and Kat [5]

-8-

"Good morning, good morning!" Kat sang as she skipped into the control room the next morning.
"It's about time you got up," the Doctor said, smiling. "Where's Lila?"
"Lila? Why would I know?" Kat glanced at him suspiciously before starting to circle the controls.
"Because she's your girlfriend, obviously!"
"Um..." Kat trailed off, an odd look gracing her features. "Not a clue. Went to sleep. Woke up. Came here. Being interrogated."
"Well I just assumed you'd know seeing as she's your guest."
"Since when do we assume I'm good at being responsible? OOO! DON'T MOVE!" She sprinted down the hall.
The Doctor didn't feel like following her, but he moved his hand because she said don't move.
She sprinted back in with a smug grin on her face, Lila behind her, still half asleep.
"Well, there she is..."
Kat hugged Lila and pecked her cheek before running to the library, leaving the two alone for awhile.
"So... about those crabs..." the Doctor awkwardly leaned on the console.
Lila furrowed her eyebrows smiling slightly. "Great, great." The sound of "Mysterious Fathoms Below" began to flout from the library. The Doctor began to weirdly head bob to the beat, moving only his neck.
"Gonna go make sure Kat hasn't destroyed anything... Why don't you, uh, do something... productive?" She ran away, but soon came back, Kat chasing her. The Doctor laughed and stood back up. Kat tapped his forehead and yelled.
"Tag! You're it!"
"Oi!" the Doctor smiled and ran after Kat.
She went to leap over the railing and looked up. "Can ya still jump, old man?"
"Do not jump over that!"
"Why not?"
"You don't know what's down there! You don't know where she's been!"
Kat rolled her eyes climbed on top of the railing, standing atop it.
"Oh my gods," the Doctor rolled his eyes.
"What? I'm not jumping over it!"
"You better not..."
Kat began to walk on top of it, arms spread out to concentrate. "I give up on tag. I wanna tightrope walk." She continued, biting her tongue as she carefully walked along the rail.
"Why would you think that's a good idea?!"
"Because it's fun!" She cheered.
"Do not fall!"
"Why?"
"Because I don't want you to regenerate when it's completely unnecessary."
"Why not?" She laughed to herself about the unnecessary part.
"Don't waste the regeneration energy! Some people..."
"What do you mean waste? Is there only a limited amount?"
"Depends on the Time Lord."
"That's good to know, anywa-" Kat's foot slipped and she fell onto the floor. "Ow!"
"Oh my gods Kat!"
"What?"
"Nevermind..."
Lila sat down beside Kat, setting a hand on her head. "Idiot."
"Finally something I can relate to!"
"Can we go get a puppy?" Kat asked quickly.
The Doctor stared at her for a moment. "No."
"What's wrong with a puppy though? Can we build a puppy?!"
"How do you build a puppy?"
"Metal things and bolts and screw drivers that aren't sonic."
"No."
"Daaaaddddd-"
"We are not getting a dog!"
Kat sighed and pushed herself off the ground, stumbling to the control panel.
"What does alcohol taste like?"
"You've never drank before?"
"No...?" She cocked her head to the side.
"Well, I don't ca- actually, don't leave this box."
"Why? What are you doing?"
"Nothing, I'm just afraid to see how you'll get if drunk."
"So you're just going to keep me in a box? Because you don't trust me drunk...?"
"Precisely."
"I'm sure this thing has alcohol somewhere anyway. Like infinity and such should have some sort of thing."
"The question is will you be able to find it?"
Kat pulled out a small glass bottle with wine. "I would stop underestimating me."
"Drink it, just don't get drunk. If you get drunk, I'm leaving you here."
"Where is here exactly?"
"I guess you'll find out."
Kat nodded, skipping to the railing. She starting tapping the neck of the bottle on the metal, causing it to crack. She broke off the cracked top and poured the small bit of wine on the floor. She then started playing with the sharp bottom piece of glass.
"How many times do we have to tell you not to touch sharp things?"
"You've never told me not to touch sharp things."
"How many times from now?"
Kat began to count on her fingers. Lila strode up and snatched the broken bottle from her hands.
"Thank you, Lila."
She handed him the broken remnants and Kat looked up. "Hey! I was being responsible."
"No, you were not."
Kat began to start the T.A.R.D.I.S. the whoosh noise clouded their ears as it stopped. "Better idea. London, 2005."
*************
"Ayyyeee, is now a good time to admit I don't know what I'm doing?" Kat asked, doing little pointy finger guns.
"I think we could've said that a while ago," The Doctor stated.
"Too late now!" Kat cringed as she looked around at the random London block they'd appeared on.
"Lovely! What do you suppose we do now?"
"You know the huge tall thing that ticks and then chimes and yeah?"
"Big Ben?"
Kat smiled a huge grin, nodding excitedly. "Yeah, that thing! I wanna stand on top of it."
"Done! Where do you think it is, then?"
She pointed at the large clock tower towering above them. "This kinda looks like a huge clock..."
"Oh. Right. I kind of forgot about that part..."
Lila stared up in awe at the thing. "How are we even getting up-up... up there?"
"The T.A.R.D.I.S. maybe."
The two girls nodded and ran back inside. Kat began to press buttons before The Doctor was even inside.
"Wait for me!" he yelled, scampering towards the door and rushing inside. The T.A.R.D.I.S. door slammed shut and it began to move. The three darted out the door once they got to the top. A bunny was sitting beside the top of the tower.
Kat's eyes widened and she ran to it, scooping it into her arms.
"Put the bunny down, Kat."
"But, this one is-"
"Stop bringing Kate into this!"
"I just want a bunny!"
"How did the bunny even get up here in the first place?" the Doctor asked in confusion.
"Magic, probably..." Kat said, stroking its head.
"Okay then."
She stood, the bunny still in her hands, and walked to The Doctor.
The Doctor walked to the railing, leaning against it. Lila ran to the edge. "It's a beautiful view!"
"Very."
"Here hold the bunny!" Kat dropped the bunny in The Doctor's arms and ran to the edge. The sun was high in the sky, beaming down on them happily. People were crowded around the sidewalk block.
Kat climbed over the side of the building, her legs dangling over the side.
"Stop being so reckless!"
"I'm not!" She yelled, grinning down at the tiny people below. Some stopped to stare up at them.
"I'm sure you'll be saying that when you plummet to your death."
"I'm not going to plummet to my death! I can regenerate!"
"Don't regenerate when you don't need to!"
"I'm fine!" Kat stood on the edge now, putting her hands on her hips to prove herself. A few shouts drifted up from the street.
"Kat! Get over here right this instant!"
"Just hold the bunny and shu-"
A man opened the door to the roof from the building, stepping into the light.
"Do I need to tell you again?"
"Pardon me," the man began, approaching the center of the roof. "Do you know whisper?"
The Doctor turned to him. "I'm trying to have a conversation. If you could leave, that would be great," he said in agitation.
The man, eyes unblinking, stated again:
"Do you know whisper?" His voice sounded strained and raspy.
"Who are you talking about? No, I don't know 'whisper'."
"Whisper. Whisper. Whisper." Each word was forced out with a great deal of spit and hate. "It's coming. Whisper."
Kat turned toward the man. "Dad, at least try to be nice."
"Well, he looks a bit more insane than nice."
"Family. Whisper will be pleased. Whisper." The man said, his lips twitching as they formed a pathetic smile. "The Doctor. Family. Whisper." He turned on his heel and marched to the door he had come from. "I'll tell him everything. Whisper." He disappeared.
"Some people..."
"What's Whisper?" Lila asked after a moment, watching Kat skip around the edge of the building.
"Do you think I bloody know after that?!" the Doctor quickly replied, half screaming at Lila.
"It's just a simple thing, really," Kat began as she stared down at the concrete below her. "It takes form in whatever being it wants. It does what it wants. Kills what it wants. Destroys the person's mind. Kinda cool. But it kinda-"
"Kat, I don't give a bloody damn what the hell it is!"
She looked at him, her mouth in a straight line, an emotionless expression. "But he's right there." Her hand slowly rose to point at the man who had returned, his eyes gone, replaced with orbs of glowing gray.
"I don't care. Just shut up. SHUT UP!"
"Look at him. He's waiting for you. He took everything he had to find you. Look at him."
"Am I moving? No."
"Is Kat alright?" Lila asked The Doctor.
"WILL EVERYONE JUST BE QUIET!"
"But that's what it wants. Whisper. Quiet." Kat replied.
"I'm going to shoot you."
"Guns. You don't like guns."
"I can make this exception."
A crisp inhale of breath. The silence fell for a long moment, thick and depressive.
"Whisper. Whisper. You look like you need the silence." The man said. Taking a few steps closer to The Doctor.
Kat's feet were dangerously close to the edge.
"Get back on the platform."
"But the man. He's waiting." Her voice was quieter now. Closer to a whisper perhaps.
"Honestly, Kat. I tore apart a bloody universe to save you that one time. Do you think this imbecile is going to do any harm in our dammed narrative?"
"I just believe he has some business to-" her sentence ended short as she tripped and fell against the concrete. The man laughed.
"Like I was saying, get over here. Anyway, I'm aware he may have business. We will take care of it. If all else fails, we sacrifice Lila."
"I can't." She shifted so that she was on her knees, feet dangling over the edge, but rest planted in the concrete.
"This is not a time for games."
"It's not a game." Kat stated.
"It's a trap. Whisper. Whisper." The man said, moving to stand in front of the Doctor. Lila shifted away toward the door.
"Lila, don't move," The Doctor said, not looking away from the man.
"We need help, though," she mumbled.
The Doctor took out his sonic and scanned the man. The readings stated, "w h i s p e r; Kaskifortiquefs; toxic wasteland." His face contorted into an analytical sort of expression. "I've never seen anything like it..." he mumbled, shoving the sonic back into his pocket and turning to Kat. "So, since you know so much about them, how do we live?"
"Speak. Drive it away. Don't whisper. Whisper. Don't believe. Kill it," she murmured.
The Doctor grinned. "Does this mean I get to SCREAM?" he asked, yelling at the top of his lungs.
"Don't. No. Don't draw attention. It feeds on attention and silence. Yelling draws attention. Don't let it near you."
"Dammit. Well, I think that chocolate fudge brownies are delicious, don't you Lila?"
Lila wasn't there. Kat looked dead inside.
"Whisper. Doctor, do you know of the likelihood of death?" The man asked.
"Oh, yes, very high. I'm okay with that, though, because you know what, I'll just regenerate and destroy you with me."
"Dad. It's closer. Whisper." Kat mumbled to him.
"Kat, how many times have you poked Fish with a stick?" the Doctor asked smoothly.
"My cat."
"Yep, sticks are fun, huh?"
She made no reply, but shifted to a sitting position. She faced the city with legs dangling over the street far below.
"Also, I think that Jake should totally try and be a witch. You call him Jake, right? Well The Master is kind of awesome and would make a great drag queen. I once envisioned him as Juliet from Romeo and Juliet when we were on Gallifrey."
"Gallifrey. Gallifrey. Whisper." Kat muttered.
"You know Gallifrey? Or do you prefer running with Caleb and Caden. I don't remember which one the idiot is. Quinn is cute, though."
The man took one more step, closing the space between the Doctor and him. He outstretched a hand around his wrist. "Whisper."
"Now that's just rude!" The Doctor wrenched his wrist out and smacked him. His hand phased through his face. "I learned that from River," he laughed hysterically. "A hologram, eh? Too scared to show up in person? Are you too bloody afraid of an unarmed spaceman?"
"Not a hologram. Just took the thing's body and turned him to mist. Took to this body instead," Kat whispered as she stood, still facing the city.
"Mist? Well, that's new..." He stuck his face right in the mist guy's face and stared at him for a moment before picking through his leg. Lila had reappeared.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to go," Kat moved to go off the edge.
"Well, if you must." The Doctor smiled and waved, turning to the mist guy again. "Do you have anything left to try, because I'm getting bored."
It evaporated as Kat stepped forward, falling over the edge. Kat's phone fell out of her pocket, beeping as it received a new text message that could not be deciphered. Kat's vision went blank and the sky turned purple for a millisecond, leaving no other sign of disturbance.