"Thanks for the dress, by the way," McKenzie said later, nudging Wanda. Together with Clara, they were knelt in one of the submarine corridors, helping to repair some of the damage, both from Skaldak's attacks and the original sinking.
Wanda smiled. "That's okay. It suits you. And you needed cheering up, so..."
"Consider me cheered," McKenzie grinned. "It's a lot easier to feel good about things when my clothes aren't a constant reminder of how much I've changed."
"You haven't changed all that much," Clara assured her.
McKenzie raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Really?"
Clara nodded. "'Course. Saved the world, didn't you?"
"That was all you, Clara," McKenzie told her. "Appealing to his paternal nature, that was inspired."
"You saved my life," Wanda agreed. "Twice."
"Well..." Clara blushed, shrugging it off. "Just another day in the TARDIS, right? It's always like this, isn't it?"
McKenzie snorted. "Always and never. In over five thousand years, I have never once been able to predict what was going to happen next. And I love it. I mean, really awful, terrible things have happened. I've watched my heart break over and over, but for the most part... It's just so much fun."
"You're a little bit mad," Wanda told her matter-of-factly, smiling.
"That's kind of a prerequisite," McKenzie joked.
"Five thousand years?" Clara echoed. "Seriously?"
At that, McKenzie hesitated. "Yeah. It was... I went away to try and figure out how to reverse what Thanos had done. And I did. But I was travelling by vortex manipulator, kind of like a teleport bracelet. It had been stamped on by a fire giant, long story, but I thought it was working. Except, when it came down to it, when I needed to come home, it sparked out. Kept fritzing, sending me who knows where and who knows when. Honestly, it's a fluke I ever ended up back on Earth."
"It took you five thousand years to get home," Clara repeated, her eyes wide. "That's horrible."
"Yeah, well..." McKenzie shrugged. "I made it in the end. And we got everyone back, so... must've been worth it." She closed the panel they had been working on, locking it once more. "Okie dokie. Planet saved, submarine repaired? I reckon it's time for a cuppa." And together, the trio headed for the control room.
~~~
YOU ARE READING
One Last Chance |6| The Ascension
Science Fiction✅ approx. 215,000 words After the horrors of the war against Thanos, the Doctor and McKenzie are finally together again, albeit missing a limb. But that isn't the only thing they are bereft of. The death of their son cut them to the core and they wi...
