Hearts as One

The Magician's Apprentice

(Jared's POV)

Battlefield...

"Spread out! Get down!" The soldier yelled.

Straight in from the previous, three biplane buzz soldiers with quivers on their backs, but it fires laser bolts not bullets. One soldier aims an arrow at one as it flies off, then turns to see a young boy running in the opposite direction, into the smoke. A siren sounds, then another soldier runs up.

"What's wrong?" The soldier asked.

"Was that a child?" Kanzo asked.

The boy is breathless, but still running.

"Hey! You there, stop! Stop running!" Kanzo said, while the boy stops. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Just don't run."

"Kanzo?" The soldier asked.

"I'll catch up." Kanzo said.

"There are clam drones two miles away."

"I know. I'll be fine. Just go." Kanzo said, as the soldier runs back. "What are you doing out here, huh? Did you get lost?" The ground ripples. "Stay still. Stay absolutely still."

Kanzo gets out a small hand-held scanner.

"I'm just scanning the ground. I think we've got company. Do you know what hand mines are?" Kanzo asked, and the boy nods. "Well, in that case you know you've got to stand absolutely still. Right?" Another nod. "Have you ever seen a hand mine?" The boy nods. "Where?"

Kanzo follows the boy's gaze to his own foot, which has a hand from out of the ground clamped around his ankle.

"Okay. It's okay. Everything's going to be fine." Kanzo said, happily.

Whereupon Kanzo is suddenly pulled underground. Then more hands come out of the mud and turn around. They have eyes in their palms, and stop when they see the boy.

"Help me! Someone, please! Help me! Help me!" The boy cried.

A sonic screwdriver flies through the air and lands at his feet.

"It's okay." I said, grabbing the Doctor's hand. "There's no need to worry."

"Jared's right. Your chances of survival are about one in a thousand. So here's what you do. You forget the thousand, and you concentrate on the one. Pick it up. I said, pick it up!" The Doctor said, while the boy obeys. "We're straight ahead of you, about fifty feet. Can you see us?"

The smoke clears to reveal the TARDIS, the Doctor, and I.

"Yeah. Can you?" I asked, squeezing the Doctor's hand. "You got the screwdriver. That's good."

"The device in your hand is creating an acoustic corridor, so that we can talk. Do you understand?" The Doctor asked.

"Who are you?" The boy asked.

"Well, we were passing by. Looking for a bookshop. I wanted to stop by it to give some books to friends of mine." I said, smiling. "So, how do you think we're doing?"

"This isn't a bookshop." The boy said.

"No, this is a war. A very old one, going by the mix of technology. Which war is this? I get them all muddled up." The Doctor said.

"It's just the war."

"Where are we? What planet is this?" The Doctor asked.

"Yup. What planet? Is it Remnant? Is it Gamindustri?" I asked, letting go of the Doctor's hand. "I should really see Neptune and the others. It's been ages."