One Last Chance |6| The Ascension

Chapter Nineteen: Deep Breath

Jenny Flint had seen many incredible things in the duration of her marriage to her Silurian lover, but a dinosaur in the Thames was definitely one of the most unexpected. Her natural curiosity regarding the creature and how it had come to be in London was clearly shared by most of the city's inhabitants, for they were out in full force along the embankments of the river, pushing and shoving for the chance to see the great beast. This wasn't ideal, of course, but the peculiarity of the situation did rather lend itself to confused policemen freely handing over the case.

The confused policeman of this particular occasion was a man they had dealt with previously, one they had found to be rather slow but happy enough to let them take the lead. His name was Gregson. "Madame Vastra, thank God," he breathed, removing his hat respectfully. "I'll wager you've not seen anything like this before."

She threw back her veil, smiling nostalgically. "Well, not since I was a little girl."

"Big fella, isn't he?" Jenny remarked, nodding towards the dinosaur.

"Dinosaurs were mostly this size," Vastra informed her. "I do believe it's a she."

Jenny scoffed. "No, they weren't! I've seen fossils!"

Vastra blinked, incredulous. "I was there."

"Well, that's all well and good," Gregson said, "but what's this dinosaur fella doing in the Thames?"

"It must have time travelled," Vastra decided. "Jenny?"

Jenny raised her glove, which was augmented with a scanning device. "Time travelled?" Gregson echoed. Then he frowned as the dinosaur started hacking and coughing. "Is it choking?"

"There seems to be something lodged in its throat," Jenny reported.

"But how could it time travel?" Gregson asked.

"I don't know." Vastra smirked. "Perhaps it was something it ate."

Suddenly, the dinosaur coughed up a blue police box. They all moved closer to get a better view, and Gregson's eyes widened. "It's just laid an egg."

Vastra stared at him. "It dropped a blue box marked 'police' out of its mouth. Your grasp of biology troubles me."

"It's the TARDIS," Jenny recognised.

"It would seem so," Vastra agreed.

Jenny turned to Gregson and the rest of his officers. "We'll take care of this, Inspector."

Gregson blinked. "But what if that thing goes on the rampage?"

Vastra handed him a hemp sack. "Place these lanterns on the shoreline and bridges, encircling the creature at twenty-foot intervals."

"What will they do?"

"They will emit a signal that will incline it to remain within their circumference." Vastra headed down the steps into the river. "Jenny, Strax, with me."

"So it's them, then?" Jenny assumed. "The Doctor and the Angel."

Vastra tilted her head as they reached the river bank. "A giant dinosaur from the distant past has just vomited a blue box from outer space. This is not a day for jumping to conclusions." She gestured to the TARDIS. "Strax, if you wouldn't mind?"

Strax marched up to the door and knocked. "Hello? Exit the box, and surrender to the glory of the Sontaran Empire."

The door opened, and a tall, grey-haired man looked out, smoke billowing out around him. "Shh." He closed the door again.

"Er..." Strax hesitated. "Doctor?"

The Doctor looked out again. "I was being chased by a giant dinosaur, but I think I managed to give it the slip." His eyes landed on Strax, and narrowed. "Sleepy?"