Waiting On A Rival

Chapter 10

The phone on the night stand next to my bed rang. I groaned and opened my eyes wearily. What could be going on at 3 am?

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

A reformed sounding lady asked, "Is Celeste there?"

"This is she."

Whispers were on the other line before she said, "The Doctor requests you to be here." I replied very politely what he should do with his request.

"He says it's very important."

I sighed, "Be there soon." Not bothering to change from my night clothes, I set my TARDIS to follow the phone signal.

Once we landed, I stuck my head out to see a corridor. "Celeste!" The Doctor cheered. Bow tie with Amy. Where's Rory? I glared as he stared at me.

"Go to hell," I sneered and stepped out of my TARDIS. Amy laughed silently at the Doctor's offended face.

Winston Churchill stood with them. "Ah, Winny! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He and I go way back.

"So you've changed your face again," he noted and pulled me in for a hug. Amy looked at me confused. Early days.

"Yeah, well," I agreed, "Had a bit of work done. And you're not getting my key." He scowled playfully and pulled away. I turned to Amy. "I'll explain later."

"Got it, got it, got it," Amy guessed, "Cabinet War Rooms, right?"

"Yep. Top secret heart of the War Office," the Doctor answered, "Right under London. Celeste, what are you wearing?" I was wearing a gray shirt and red shorts.

"I was sleeping when you called and you said important so I assumed it was 'come quickly no need for getting changed' important," I sighed. He scanned my body up and down, but I quickly stomped on his foot. Wincing, the Doctor shot a confused look towards me.

"You're late, by the way," Winny stated.

He echoed, "Late?"

"I rang you a month ago."

"Really? Sorry, sorry," the Doctor apologized, "It's a Type Forty Tardis, it's. I'm just running her in." I looked around before turning to them and asking, "Is there anything wrong? Because if there isn't, I am very busy."

Winny assured, "Yes, just come with me." In the lift, he continued, "We stand at a crossroads, Doctor, quite alone, with our backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands anything that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."

"Such as?"

The lift opened. "Follow me."
The roof was full of sandbags and sentries. "Doctor, Celeste, this is Professor Edwin Bracewell. Head of our Ironsides Project," he introduced the scientist in a white lab coat. The Doctor gave him a V for Victory salute and looked at me hopefully.

Amy noticed and pulled me aside. "What's going on with you two? What's going on with you? How did you change? The Doctor warned me about this, but how?"

"Uh, in your order, fight and regeneration," I listed, "I was dying so to save myself, I changed every cell in my body. I'm still me. As for the Doctor, past he told me that I don't care and I'm heartless." Amy smiled sadly and hugged me.

Still not a hugger.

Our moment was interrupted by a shockingly similar bolt of energy shoots the approaching Nazi planes. I gasped and whispered, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not again. How? I-I-I-"

"What was that?"

"That wasn't human. That was never human technology. That sounded like..." The Doctor trailed off and looked at me.