All right, we left on a ‘cliff hanger’ (pffft

All right, we left on a ‘cliff hanger’ (pffft!) and now it’s the last chapter. I do believe I shall continue this series, just because I have some good ideas for it. If you don’t like it, kiss my arse and get over it.

- - -

It was so alien to see her without a tail, as the Doctor had gotten quite used to walking around people with tails. But there she lay, tailless and sobbing. Pip sat cowering in front of her possessed sister while the Doctor was held in place by two Turjak. Chari was grinning manically down at her petrified sister, a long dagger held at the ready.

“Chari,” Pip whimpered, tears trickling down her cheeks. “Please, I’m your sister.”

“Exactly,” Chari said wickedly. “You’re in the way of the plan. You have to be destroyed so everyone else can prosper on this planet.”

“But you’ll all die!” the Doctor yelled, fighting his captors. “Nitro-psymiosa is in your system, and it’s manipulating you. Chari, you need to fight it! Your sister needs you!”

He could see Chari wavering, her eyes changing from purple to golf and then back to purple. She was fighting the parasite for her sister, and now the Doctor knew what drove her.

“Pip doesn’t want you to be like this anymore,” he said, his eyes becoming soft. “She just wants her sister back, and she wants you to stop being controlled by the nitro-psymiosa.”

It was a mistake to say the last part, as the controlling fiend became angry. “No!” it yelled through Chari. “This cat needs me to become stronger, just like she wanted. And she hates having to look after her pathetic outcast sister! She wants her dead, and I’m giving her that luxury!”

“Liar!”

The Doctor looked at Pip, who had now risen to her feet. Tears of determination fell, and she had her hands clenched. She was staring at Chari, who was the perfect image of shock.

“Chari might hate looking after me, but he would never want me or anyone dead! You’re just trying to get everyone to lose hope so we’ll submit easier, but I won’t! I know my sister better than anyone, and you’re just a manipulative little life form, too weak to have a body of its own!”

Chari seemed to be unable to digest what pip had just yelled at her, but then her purple eyes turned angry and she growled, clenching her hands till her claws cut into her flesh.

“Take them to the dungeon!” she ordered, and two Turjak grabbed Pip. “Wait!” Chari yelled, and they stopped. She slinked up to her sister and smiled wickedly. “He’s going to leave you now that he’s seen what you really are,” she whispered in Pip’s ear, and the tailless cat froze. “Take them away.”

The pair were carried back to the dungeons, Pip hanging loose in her captors’ claws. The Doctor felt a great deal of remorse for her, and waned to comfort her but it was like his words were bouncing right off her. They were thrown into a low cage and locked in, and immediately Pip crawled into the corner furthest from the Doctor and huddled into a tight ball.

“Pip,” the Doctor said softly. “I-”

“It’s all right,” she cut in, her voice muffled by her knees. She had turned her side on him, and her head was facing away from him, her black hair cascading down her back in a tangle of knots. “Just go and find your blue box. I’ll be fine.”

The Doctor was baffled to say the least, and he opened his mouth to ask her why she was so cold now. “Pip, why would I leave?”

Pip sniffed and replied grimly, “That’s what everyone else does when they find out. They leave, saying I’ll bring a curse on them if they stay near.” She shifted against the cage bars and sighed softly. “Just go,” she said again, this time her voice breaking.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and unlocked the door. Pip pulled her legs in tighter and he heard her whimper softly. He crawled out and then turned around, leaning against the open doors. “Are you coming?” he asked, and smiled when her head snapped up. “Or would you rather rot in this place?”

Pip paused, as if uncertain how to act, but then she shot out of the cell and almost knocked him over with a barrel hug. The Doctor could feel her still shaking but she seemed a little better than before.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and he smiled.

“Come on,” the Doctor said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the dungeon door. “We need to find the TARDIS before this planet implodes.”

“How do we stop Chari?” asked Pip as they raced along the empty corridors. “She’s going to destroy the planet!”

The Doctor stopped and turned to face her, his eyes solemn. He hadn’t wanted to tell her the bad news but since she asked, and since it involved her family, he was obligated to. “I’m sorry,” he said, and Pip’s hope was extinguished almost immediately. “I’m so sorry but there’s nothing we can do. Chari ash to fight the parasite by herself.”

Pip nodded and dropped his hand, reaching up under her shirt. She withdrew a long thin strip of black material and gripped it tightly. “I’ll make her fight,” she said firmly. “This will help me.”

“How?”

“Never you mind,” she answered darkly. “Go find your blue box and then you get out of here.” She then raced away to find her sister.

The Doctor was torn between following her and finding the TARDIS, hopping from foot to foot for a few minutes. Reluctantly, he chose the latter and hurried off, wary of patrolling Turjak. He had no trouble finding his time machine, as it was stationed in a large marble auditorium, positioned right in the centre. He made his way over to it and opened the doors. He was about to close them when he heard someone scream. Out he came as fast as lightning, the doors hutting by themselves, and sprinted off in the direction the scream had come from.

He came to another larger hall and saw that two Turjak lay dead and one was dying. There was a bloodied dagger lying beside an injured creature, and it screeched in pain. Another scream had him racing for an ajar side door and he slammed through it. He emerged into a large cavern, stalactites hanging from the roof. He was standing on a carved out walkway, hanging above a few hundred feet of air and fire, and it didn’t look exactly stable. There were bumps and jutting out rocks everywhere, and one false step would see him falling to his death. Up ahead he could see Pip and Chari struggling against each other, and he took off down the rocky walkway.

He came to a stop a few feet behind the pair, and watched as Pip ducked under her sister’s flailing arms. She managed to climb onto Chari’s back and tied the material over her eyes, blinding her and forcing her to stop moving.

“Listen to me, Chari!” Pip yelled, pulling the knots tighter. “Hear my voice and do as I say! Fight the parasite and come back! You have to fight it and lead the clan to safety! Please, Chari!”

The older sister ceased struggling and remained still, her arms still up and clinging to the material. “Pip?” she asked, and the Doctor realised she was herself. Pip had done it! “Pip, what’s going on? The last thing I remember was us finding the plan, fighting and then this purple light. Then there was nothing but blackness. What happened?”

“You have a parasite in you,” explained Pip, keeping the material tight. “You were taken over and started acting so different. But this parasite, it came from the nitro-psymiosa, from the plan, and it’s making you destroy our home. It’s going to kill the clan, and expand its empire outwards. Chari, you must fight it!”

“How, though? I don’t even know where we are!” She paused and then spoke softly. “Why don’t you take off the blindfold? It’s me, so you have nothing to fear.”

Pip hesitated, and was about to but then she thought better of it and tightened it, making Chari gasp. “No,” Pip stated firmly. “The parasite will take over you again, and I’m not going to lose you to it again.”

“So I’m supposed to stay blindfolded for the rest of my life?” exclaimed Chari. She began fighting against Pip; clearly the parasite was taking over again. “I think not!”

But Pip wouldn’t let go; she stayed glued to her sister’s back, keeping the blindfold in place, and, Chari had to stop moving around in case she fell. The Doctor was amazed by Pip’s bravery and determination to see her sister set free of the parasite, and he admired the fact she was doing all in her power to do that. She must really love her, he thought, and smiled at the thought.

“Get off me!” Chari yelled, trying to grab Pip in any way.

“Not until you give me back my sister!” Pip screamed in her ear, and Chari screamed in pain. The whole cavern shook, and the light coming from below turned bright purple. There was a whole pool of nitro-psymiosa being filtered by the machine, and it was going to erupt soon if the Doctor didn’t do something. Pip fell from Chari’s back as another tremor shook the cavern, and the admiral whirled around, baring her fangs and claws.

“You’re going to die,” she hissed, spitting at Pip as the young cat rolled onto her feet. “I’m going to feed the rest of you into the nitro-psymiosa and then rise to victory.”

“Yeah, about that,” the Doctor said, speaking up. Pip had known he was there, because she’d smelt him, but Chari was startled by his presence. “How come you’re in control of the Turjak? I mean, they created you and everything but then you start giving orders. And I wanna know why.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at her. “Care to spill?”

Chari seemed put out by his question, but she obliged to tell him. “They aren’t smart enough,” she spat, her eyes glowing purple. “They need a higher intelligence to guide them, command them and keep them alive. If I hadn’t come along, they would have been wiped from the face of the universe millennia ago.”

“Yes, but how?”

“I adapted by studying the slaves,” responded Chari in a bored tone. “Then I’d devour them. In the early days, they were quite a fantastic group of specimen, full of life and fight. But these days they’re just scared and don’t even put up a fight when I take their children to become my food. All they did was cry and crumple, so they had to go.”

“Why do you need the nitro-psymiosa?” asked the Time Lord, running his hands frantically through his hair. “Why are you bent on destroying this planet?”

“Oh, I’m not going to destroy this planet, goodness no! Why would I do that, when it’s going to be turned into my new home? It just doesn’t make sense, does it?”

“But that’s unfair!” Pip yelled, flexing her fingers and preparing for a fight. “This is not your planet, and yet you want to take it and turn everything here evil! From what he’s told me, you lost your planet a long time ago! You had your chance at surviving, and you failed, so let us try!”

Chari just chortled, and then surged forward, scratching Pip’s stomach. If the younger sister hadn’t doubled over to avoid the blow, she would have died. She returned the strike and nicked Chari’s shoulder, making her hiss in anger. They sprang forward and clashed, each receiving blows from the other everywhere. The cavern was shaking violently now, and the Doctor was having trouble staying on his feet. He wondered how the sisters were staying upright, but then he remembered they were cats, or had cat blood running through their veins. Out of nowhere, an injured Turjak flew past the Doctor and tackled Pip over the edge of the walkway; she screamed and dug her nails into the rock. The Turjak kept falling and there was a faint splash as it landed far below in the boiling nitro-psymiosa.

“Now you die!” Chari screamed hysterically and stepped on Pip’s right hand.

“Chari!” the young human cat called pleadingly, and watched as Chari’s foot came up to squash her other hand. “Chari, I just want you to know that I am so grateful of you. All you’ve ever done is protect me from everything, and I love you.” She smiled. “I really do.”

Chari’s foot stopped a few millimetres from Pip’s hand, and just stood still. Her face was blank, and she seemed to be a statue. Taking the moment of chance, Pip hauled herself up onto solid ground and stood up panting. She looked at her stiff sister and frowned.

“What happened?” she asked the Doctor, who seemed just as puzzled.

“If I’m not mistaken,” he replied, walking closer and shining his sonic screwdriver in Chari’s eyes, “I’d say she’s fighting the parasite.” He grinned at Pip. “And winning. Look.” He pointed to her eyes as the curious cat walked over, and peered into her eyes. They were slowly turning back to gold, and she smiled at this. “She heard you, pip, and is doing all she can to fight it. Can’t you see her hands shaking?”

“I see it,” Pip whispered, awed. “She actually listened to me. That’s never happened before, at least not in the last few years.”

“That’s a good sign, Pip, that she’s listening to you. We need to get her to my ship so I can run a diagnostic on her and to create some sort of chemical to disable the nitro-psymiosa. I wonder if the compounds should be some of-”

“Doctor,” Pip interrupted. “Turjak are coming and we need to get out of here. Can you carry her?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, teasing her. “She looks a bit heavy.”

“She’d have hurt you if you said that and she heard.”

“Then it’s a good thing she is unable to hear me right now, or anything thing else.” He picked Chari up and slung her over his shoulder, her body going limp, and Pip led the way out of the cavern. Below, the nitro-psymiosa was growing uneasy and becoming impatient. It was fighting its way up to the brim of the pool and over it, spilling along a path and burning through the rock. It was building up by itself, and it would be ready to kill everything in a few hours. It was going to destroy the whole universe, even if it meant draining all the power it had accumulated.

- - -

Pip was watching the Doctor as he scurried around trying to find the right chemicals and ingredients for his disabling liquid. He was a bit frantic, muttering to himself and sometimes even yelling at a rack of chemicals. It was quite amusing to her, and she decided that watching him was more interesting than watching her sister’s inner fight. All she did was lie on the floor, unmoving and utterly oblivious to the world. She didn’t blink, and Pip had to close her eyes in case they dried out too much.

“I knew I had it somewhere,” the Doctor was shouting in frustration. “I had it in my hand and I put it down-”

“It’s in the rack in front of you,” Pip called out, pointing. “Third from the left.”

“Aha!” The Doctor pounced on the ingredient, a green slimy liquid, and then poured it into an almost full beaker. “Now I just have to heat it and we’re all done!” He turned to Pip, who was smiling slightly at his odd behaviour. “How did you know it was that one? I was carrying all those test tubes around; you couldn’t have known.”

“I can tell,” Pip said mysteriously.

“Oh, yeah?” asked the Doctor sceptically. “How?”

“I have a greater sense of smell than you, Doctor, and your disabling chemical didn’t smell right until you added that one. Its smell was right.”

“I must say,” the Doctor announced, sitting next to her, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a race of cats quite like yours. Who were your ancestors?”

“I don’t know,” Pip answered, embarrassed. “I never liked the past, so I always skipped classes. Chari would know.”

“Well, unfortunately, she’s a little caught up trying to eradicate a toxic parasite. She’ll be like that for another couple of minutes, just to let you know.”

“As long as she returns to normal, I’m willing to wait until I’m old.”

“Excuse my curiosity, but how old are you? You can’t be more than 30, right?”

“What, you think I’m a kitten?” Pip asked incredulously, clearly offended. “I’ll have you know I’m almost 197, so I’m nowhere near being a kitten! Do I look like a kitten to you?”

“No,” the Doctor replied seriously. “You look like a young woman with no connection to being a cat. And your age is phenomenal! 197, you’re catching up to me! Though, you still have a lot of catching up to do! I’m almost 974!”

“Be serious,” Pip said scoldingly. “You can’t be that old.”

“And why not? You’re 197, so why can’t I be 973?”

“Because you don’t look 973! You look more like 259, and even then it’s still a bit too old.”

“I really look that young?” the Doctor asked, touching his cheek to feel the skin. He could feel a slight layer of stubble coming through, and decided to shave when he had finished saving this planet.

“To me you do,” Pip replied, pulling up her legs and pressing them against her chest. “My father was almost 420 when he died, and he didn’t look a day older than 350.”

“What about your mother?” the Doctor asked.

“Well, she died giving birth to my little brother, but he died a few days later when my grandmother was holding him and had a heart attack and dropped him. Father was very distraught at that time, but he carried on and got us to where we are today.”

“Yes,” the Doctor said sarcastically. “Today, you’re battling your own sister who is currently possessed by a parasite that shouldn’t exist and who is controlling a large group of Turjak, who also should not exist.” He gave her a deadpanned look. “He led you into a fantastic era, Pip.”

“It wasn’t always like this, you know. Father used to tell stories about our ancestors time, when we were visited by masses of aliens and we were at peace with the Slavers. I told you before that we used to live in one great big city until it was destroyed by the Turjak.”

“That just doesn’t add up for me,” the Doctor said, and Pip looked at him thoughtfully.

“What? The fact that the Turjak landed here only a few centuries ago yet we were living with them?”

“Yes…how did you know?” he asked in exasperation.

“Well, the Slavers are different from the Turjak. The Slavers have a real name, the Milestropans, and they looked like the Turjak, with the height and all.”

“Pip, what are you saying?”

“The Turjak killed the Milestropans a few hundred years ago, and then pretended to be them. They turned the true Milestropans into a nightmare, all for the sake of keeping us hidden underground and under their control.”

The Doctor stared at her, his face glowing with pride. He thought she hadn’t figured it out, and he certainly didn’t think she had that much insight. “Well, I’ll be,” he said, smiling at her. “You’re brilliant!” he cried, startling her. “Dear little Pip, I don’t think I have ever met anyone with the brain capacity to figure out something that complicated without all the clues. And who says you’re dumb?”

“Who?” she asked, thinking he was asking her to guess.

“What who?” the Doctor asked, puzzled.

“Who says I’m dumb?” Pip asked.

“I don’t know,” he said in a small voice. “Nubell?”

“Why would he call me dumb? He doesn’t know anything about me; no one does. They don’t like knowing me or having me around so they never find anything out.” She looked a little sad, but the Doctor was determined to keep her spirits up.

“All right!” he cried, startling her again. He stood up and went to the TARDIS’ control panel, where he began flicking switches and turning levers. “Let’s go down to the ruins and find out some information!” He shut his jaw with a snap, and Pip laughed at his absurdity.

“You’re odd,” she said, resting her chin on her knees. “I was right in saying you smelled off.” Her gold eyes danced with mirth as the Doctor pouted and flipped ones last toggle before the TARDIS began to shake and hum with life. Pip was a little frightened, and the hair on her back and neck stood up on end. Her claws automatically came out and she gripped the chair material with them, tearing holes in them. The Doctor was holding onto a controller attached to the control panel, and he was grinning like a madman. When the TARDIS stopped, Pip was still riveted to her spot, her eyes wide and her teeth clenched firmly, visible by her dry lips.

The Doctor looked at her and began laughing, wandering over and standing in front of her. She stared ahead, the hair on her back and neck slowly lying down, and she sighed and relaxed.

“You okay?” he called to her, and she stared into his eyes. Nodding, she leapt off the chair and rushed to the door, throwing it open and rushing out. The Doctor had been utterly surprised when she’s shown little interest in his magnificent machine, but she’d been too busy caring for Chari. Although, once that was done, she’d had a little poke about, sniffing everything and running her hands over the walls and panels.

Presently, the Doctor followed Pip out and found her staring up at a large dilapidated wall. It seemed about ready to fall over, but she placed her hands on it and gave it a good shove. Nothing happened, and she smirked, patting the stonework.

“I’ve always liked this place,” she said, pressing her ear to the wall. “It’s always so nice and quite, and I can sit here without anyone turning up and abusing me.”

“They abuse you?” asked the Doctor, pulling out his stethoscope and pressing it to the wall beside her ear.

“In the usual ways,” she replied grimly. “Throwing things, calling me names, making fun of me. Things like that in general.”

“Sounds like a lot of fun.” He put his stethoscope away and then pulled out his sonic screwdriver, aiming it at the wall. Where the blue light touched it, the rock began to fizzle and hiss, and he quickly turned it off. “That is odd,” he remarked to himself. “This the second time this has happened on this planet, and I have no idea why.”

“It’s the rocks,” Pip said softly, running her fingers along the wall. “They don’t want you hurting them, so they send out a warning.”

“So that burning thing is the rocks warning me not to hurt them?” He gave her a dubious look but she was pressed against the stone again, smiling and patting it. “What are you doing?” he asked suspiciously and a little weirded out.

“It’s alive, just like anything else. When we all lived in harmony, it used to hum with life, but then the nitro-psymiosa burned away most of its life. Now it’s just a shell of its old existence, and it’s dying.”

“Can you help it?” the Doctor asked. He didn’t like seeing passive things die, not if he could prevent it.

“It’s okay,” she said, closing her eyes and smiling contently. “It isn’t scared of dying, just that it doesn’t want me to be lonely. It doesn’t want to leave for that reason. But when Chari is back to normal, and the nitro-psymiosa is destroyed, I won’t be lonely.” She laughed under her breath as if the ruins had just told a joke, and opened her eyes to look at a baffled Doctor. “Are you ready for this?” she asked, stepping to his side and watching the walls.

“What am I ready for?” he asked, watching them as well. He could feel the air tingling with life, and watched in amazement as a yellow light began emitting from the walls.

“There it goes,” Pip whispered, glowing under the yellow light. “The last life of the ruins and all their greatness. Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” the Doctor said faintly. Then a struck thought him, and he hit his forehead hard. “Oh, I was so blind!” he yelled. “This is very bad, Pip! He have to get the disabling chemical to heat up faster or else everyone will die!”

“Why? What is it?” Pip chased after him and stood at his side as he turned up the heat and the now orange liquid began to bubble.

“The life force of the ruins,” the Doctor explained as he began turning nozzles and flicking switches. “It’s going to cause a reaction in the nitro-psymiosa, and the toxin is going to expand so rapidly that it’ll swallow everything up unless we get this into it!”

“Will we make it in time?”

“Of course we will!” he shouted enthusiastically at her. “Where’s your hope, Pip? Hope in me!” He fired up the TARDIS and it took them back to the auditorium connected to the cavern. The planet was shaking and the ground was very unstable to walk on.

“Is it ready?” Pip yelled to him from the TARDIS’ interior. “It’s turned bright orange!”

“Excellent!” the Doctor cried, and rushed inside to get it. Chari was stirring on the floor, and Pip kneeled by her side, clutching her hand.

“I’ll be right back,” Pip said softly, and kissed her forehead. There was a strange lingering tingling feeling on her lips, but she ignored it and sprinted after the Doctor, who was preparing the chemical nearby. “What’s it called?” she asked, and he looked at her.

“What, this?” He held up the beaker and she nodded. “Nothing, really. Just a chemical made to destroy nitro-psymiosa. Why? Should it have a name?”

“It couldn’t hurt,” she replied with a shrug.

The Doctor thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. “I know!” he cried. “I’ll name it after you!”

“You will not,” she shot back, and he deflated visibly. “Just call it anti-matter or something. ‘Anti-psymiosa’?”

“It’ll have to do,” he said, smiling at her and then racing off to the cavern, Pip hot on his heels. They reached the cavern and had to stop due to the gathering of Turjak. They all seemed fairly peeved to see the pair, and Pip gasped. “Ah,” the Doctor said, stepping back slowly. “I was hoping you lot would be somewhere else.”

“Well, clearly they aren’t.” Upon hearing that voice, Pip whirled around and lost her footing. She stared up at her approaching sister, and felt like crying as she saw the cold and purple eyes glaring down at her. “You thought that little speech would stop me, did you?” the parasite asked, all patience gone. It now wanted blood, and it was going to start with Pip’s.

“But, you were winning!” Pip cried desperately. “Chari, you were winning!”

“For a second she was, but then you kissed her forehead and I returned.” Pip paled to a ghastly chalky white, and her throat went dry. “You see, your tail was the tastiest morsel I’ve ever had, and I tasted you again when you kissed her. It brought me back, so I thank you. Now,” it continued, moving Chari’s body forward and snatching the beaker from the Doctor. “This stuff is quite dangerous, but you’ll never get it to do its job. It’s going to be destroyed, along with you and that snivelling little kitten over there.” She stood in front of the eight Turjak and smiled wickedly. “Kill them,” she commanded, and the creatures rushed to obey.

Pip leapt to her feet, driven by some unknown power, and stood in front of the Doctor, her claws sparkling in the purple glow. Her fangs were quite impressive, sharp and ling enough to rip throats out, but the scariest thing about her was her eyes; they seemed to burn if you looked at them too long.

“How noble,” the parasite sneered. “But a pointless none-the-less.”

“To you, maybe, but I’ve learnt something.” Pip stood tall and proud, her eyes meeting her possessed sister’s firmly.

“Oh, finally!” quipped the parasite. “Took you long enough!”

“I learnt that no matter how bad things can get, there’s always hope. And there’s hope for you, too, Chari; you just need to see it for yourself.”

“Pip,” Chari whispered, her eyes gold.

“No!” she yelled, her eyes now purple again.

“Chari!” Pip yelled as the first Turjak reached her. Her hand moved faster than the Doctor could see, mainly because he was watching Chari, and the Turjak’s brown blood seeped from its sliced throat. Another fell a few seconds later as she again sliced its throat, and the Doctor was amazed by her precision at fighting. “Chari!” Pip yelled again. “Come back!”

“She’ll never come back, you pathetic little furball!” the parasite screamed at her, but Pip wouldn’t give up. Two more fell by her claws a few seconds later but she was fast losing energy, and adrenaline only got you so far. There were three left by the time Pip was on her knees, panting and generally weak.

“Chari,” she called meekly. “Don’t do it, for the clan’s sake.”

As a Turjak raised its clawed hand to strike, and as the Doctor launched forward to deflect the blow, Chari screamed in defiance and gripped the beaker tightly, her eyes once again golden.

“Stop!” she yelled at the Turjak, who obeyed. Pip sagged with relief and the Doctor caught her as she pitched sideways. She was still conscious, her eyes glued to Chari’s normal features, and she was smiling so happily. Chari looked down at her little sister and smiled, but her smile was rueful and saddened. “Pip,” she said, walking slowly forward, the beaker clutched in both hands, “I can’t win against it. It’s too deep in, and it’s slowly taking back control. I…” She gulped and tears formed in her eyes. “I’m going to sacrifice myself,” she said firmly, and Pip shot up to her feet. The cavern began to quake, and Chari smiled. “I upset the plan,” she murmured. “It doesn’t want to die, and neither do I, really. But I will for the clan, for the planet, and for you, Pip.”

“No!” Pip yelled and tried to launch forward but the Doctor held her arms.

“Doctor,” Chari said, and his eyes locked onto hers. “You know, don’t you? You know that I’ll never be able to fight the parasite, not now that’s its original form is so powerful.” She cried out in pain and gritted her teeth, her left eye slowly turning purple. “Look after Pip for me, please,” she said, and looked back at her sister. “I love you, Pip,” she said, and then leapt over the side of the walkway.

“No!” Pip screamed at the top of her lungs, and the Doctor had to redouble his efforts to keep her secure. There was nothing for a second, and then a big explosion knocked the pair off their feet. “Chari!” Pip sobbed, burying her face in her hands. “No, no, no, no, no!”

“Pip, we have to go!” The Doctor got to his feet and then dragged her to hers. “This whole mountain is going to erupt, and we need to leave.”

Already the nitro-psymiosa was beginning to fold in on itself and change colours, and the Doctor knew from experience that that was never a good sign. The mountain was rumbling, and the walkway was beginning to erode.

“Pip!” the Doctor yelled, grabbing her arm and dragging her along. They barged through the cavern door just as the walkway gave way completely, and hurried for the TARDIS, waiting patiently for them. He pushed Pip into a chair and began pushing levers and turning knobs and rearranging certain calculations. Then, he hit one particular button and the TARDIS shuddered into action, humming and whirring away. Pip was balled up on the chair, sobbing and shuddering, and the Doctor couldn’t do anything to help her. The TARDIS stopped moving and the Doctor put the handbrake on, his eyes remaining on Pip’s shaking form.

“Pip,” he said softly, and she looked at him, her eyes red raw.

“Why did you stop me?” she shrieked accusingly. “I could have saved her, but you didn’t let me! And now she’s dead! I hate you!” she screamed at him, and leapt off the chair towards him. He didn’t have enough time to dodge her first punch, which was more of a hard slap, but he caught her next blow. She tried to hit him with her other hand but he caught that one too, and held them firm.

“Let me go!” she shouted, struggling in his grip. From her previous exertion, she had little strength, and what she had left soon vanished. The Doctor pulled her into a hug and she bawled into the front of his suit. “She’s dead,” she whimpered, and sighed deeply, trying to calm herself.

“It’s all right to mourn the dead,” the Doctor said, as if reminding her. “You don’t have to be brave for me, Pip. I know what it’s like to lose everything dear, and I was depressed for a long time.”

“She was all I had,” Pip whispered. “She was the only kind one, and now there’s no one.”

“Don’t worry,” the Doctor said cheerfully. “Things always turn out for the best, especially when it’s the darkest of times.”

- - -

It had been a nightmare to tell the clan that their admiral was dead, and that she’d sacrificed herself for their sake. General Golt, who openly disliked Pip, accused her of murdering her own sister, and the cats all joined in, blaming her. Pip just stood where she was, still as a statue and blank. The Doctor stood beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder and when General Golt tried to grab her, the Time Lord punched him. Straight after though, he began shaking his fist and making hurt noises.

“I’m not one for violence,” he said as he nursed his red hand, “but this cat risked everything she had to defend you lot. And she lost her sister because of that. Chari was Pip’s most treasured gift, and she had to watch her die. Why would she murder her? There’s no sense to it! You owe her an apology!”

“I’ll never apologise to that abomination!” Golt roared, clutching his bruised cheek. “She is a disgrace to the cat clan, and must be shunned because of that!”

“She had her tail cut off, you dolt!” the Doctor yelled at him. “It’s not like she chose to be born without one, or to have to suddenly drop off! How you people be so blind to her goodness?”

“Her goodness, you say,” someone called from the crow. “She doesn’t even stay around to hear the nice things you say about her!”

The Doctor turned around and found no Pip anywhere. She had slipped away into her secret tunnels, her depression ruling over her actions.

“Pip!” the Doctor yelled and ran off to find her.

He searched everywhere, even in the waste area, but she was nowhere to be found. He had been searching for hours and he finally gave up and sat down outside a tiny cave. He sighed, running his hand through his already dishevelled hair, and closed his eyes.

“I know where she’ll be,” said the voice of an old woman. The Doctor opened his eyes and before him stood the old cat from the dungeons. She looked like she was struggling just to walk, but stubbornly refused to sit when offered. “She’ll have gone up to the surface to get some fresh air and a clear head. That’s what she used to do when her parents yelled at her, or someone teased her. You’ll find her up there.”

“Thank you!” the Doctor called as he raced off. He stopped only once to retrieve his favourite cloak, and soon he arrived at the surface. It was dawn, and the sky was amazingly clear, crimson in colour. Scanning the surrounding areas, the Doctor spotted his TARDIS and then a small figure sitting atop a large boulder next to it, staring up at the sky.

When he reached the boulder, Pip sniffed and looked down at him, her eyes full of life now. He smiled up at her and climbed up to sit next to her.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said, crossing his legs. “For hours! I nearly fell into a pile of-”

“I wanted to thank you,” Pip interrupted. “I wasn’t thinking clearly back at the palace, and if you hadn’t restrained me, I would have died.”

“It’s fine,” the Doctor said, smirking. They sat in silence for a few minutes until the Doctor asked, “What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” Pip replied, staring ahead at the bleak scenery. “Probably wither away here, alone and broken. General Golt will assume command of the clan, and they’ll be no place there in the caves.”

“Golt the Dolt,” the Doctor said, making her laugh. After a few minutes of silence, he said nervously, “You know, there’s always another choice. Do you…I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I was just wondering if maybe…you wanted to…come with me?”

Pip was silent a few minutes, pondering, and then she smiled. “Sure,” she said. “There’s nothing for me here, is there, so what’s the point in staying?”

“Really?” the Doctor asked. He had been so nervous she’s say no that he hadn’t really considered her saying yes. “Great! Excellent! Need time to pack?”

“No,” Pip said, getting to her feet and then helping him up. “Just get me off this rock, Doctor, and I’ll be a happy cat.”

- - -

Hey, hey! It’s fucking done! All right, that was the first ‘episode’ and the next chapter is the first part of the second. Probably the third ‘episode’ will be set on Earth, so be happy Earthlings! More drama for you to get your knickers knotted around.