The phone kept ringing, and the cover moved up higher over her head. Anyone who knew her knew better than to ring this early. Especially on a weekend. If this was her boyfriend, she was going to have to reconsider their entire relationship.
"Shuttup!" Clara shouted at her phone before rolling over, squeezing her eyes tighter shut as she tried to block it out.
"Sorry, it's me," Danni replied from next to her. She reached out from her own little pocket of cover and grabbed her mobile from the bedside table. Thankfully on the date a couple of nights previously she had remembered to grab her phone. She knew it wasn't the Doctor; he hadn't rung her yet and he wouldn't ring her in the morning.
"It's early," she answered the phone, disregarding the greeting and going straight for the point, "if you have this number then you should know better."
"I do apologise, Danielle, but some things don't wait for your lie in," the voice on the other side replied and Danni sat up in the bed, brows furrowed.
"Kate?" She asked, bewildered and Clara peeked out of her little cocoon to express her own surprise, "Why are you ringing me? The TARDIS should have put you straight through to the Doctor."
"I'm sure it would have if he were the one I was trying to call," the UNIT officer replied, "however, you will do just fine."
"Oh," Danni replied, still not quite sure if Kate really had meant to call her, "What can I do for you?"
"We have a bit of a situation. Nothing too serious, but we could do with an expert's opinion."
"Again, I must ask why you're not calling the Doctor," Danni said.
"Because we know you have a lot of knowledge on what we're dealing with." Kate replied, "If you would be so kind, a car should be appearing outside your apartment in about a minute."
"Give me five," Danni replied with a sigh, like she was resigning herself to help even though her hearts sped up with glee. It had been three weeks now since she'd done something remotely exciting – although that wasn't a fair judgement on her date – and suddenly she was being called into UNIT. She'd take it, "in fact, give me and Clara five."
"Of course. The car will be there in three."
Danni hung up and Clara shot her a look as she jumped out of bed, "What do you mean 'give me and Clara five'?" Clara asked.
"Oh, come on!" Danni groaned a bit like a teenager, "I can't go without a companion! I need you to be at my side, being sassy and telling me when I'm missing something painfully obvious!"
Clara did try and be annoyed at being asked to get up early, but the wonderful play up to her ego always did wonders. Instead, she acted put out, but climbed out of bed after Danni, "You're going to have to make this up to me."
"I'll bake you a cake," Danni replied and Clara's eyes widened slightly, "you'll love it."
"Er... sure," Clara accepted nervously. While it was true that Danni's cooking skills had improved, she still didn't completely trust that the cake would be anywhere near edible.
Danni's phone started ringing again and she sighed, picking it up off the bedside table again, "That was not three minutes," she grumbled.
~0~0~0~
The car journey was long; not just because Clara lived quite far away from the Tower of London, but even though it was the weekend the traffic was terrible. Both women had headed out with a cup of coffee in hand, and had barely said anything to each other for the entire trip. Not because they didn't want to speak to each other, it was rather the fact that they wanted to wake up properly before being confronted by UNIT and whatever they had to offer.
And Danni really didn't know what to expect. If it was something that was known to them, Kate would have surely mentioned it on the phone instead of asking for her opinion on something unknown. It can't have been too dangerous, otherwise they would have called the Doctor. Everyone knew that if you wanted your planet saving, it was the Doctor who was the best to call.
Maybe they'd not been able to get hold of him. That was also a possibility. Then, though, why did Kate not ask for her to ring him when she'd called?
They were quickly taken into the Tower, going downwards towards the dungeons until they were lead into one of the control rooms within the building. There were machines around the walls, a metal door set into the other wall and a bunch of people in while coats doing work. And, of course, the typical soldiers waiting around for something to happen.
Kate turned when the door opened and shot them a professional smile, "Danielle, Clara, I'm glad you could join us," she greeted as the two women walked over.
"Like you would have given us a choice," Danni commented in reply.
"Like you would have come if you didn't want to," Kate retorted and Danni grinned at her.
"Very good point," she agreed, "what do you want me for, Kate? You're much too good at your job to be looking for advice from me."
"Be that as it may, we could really use your help," Kate replied, not denying Danni's claims in the slightest, "let me show you."
She walked from the middle to the room to one wall, where a map was pinned to the wall with various pictures of people around it, each joined to a point on the map with pen.
"A wall map?" Clara commented, "shouldn't you have some sort of holographic display or something?"
Kate shot her an amused look, "Sometimes the old fashion ways do just fine," she replied, "all these people were either found dead, or were last seen, around this point," she pointed to where all the lines seemed to join up. "There is a refugee camp hidden down this alley from anyone who shouldn't know it was there."
"You mean humans, right?" Clara commented and Kate nodded.
"Most people just walk on by never knowing the plethora of alien life they're missing. It is thought that whatever killed them comes from the camp."
"And you want to go in and see if you can find it?" Danni asked.
"The camp has its own internal law and order system. If we went in, it would disrupt everything and as it stands, we'd rather keep the peace than disrupt it. Unfortunately, our person on the inside was not able to get us any useful information, and as it didn't take place in the camp, there's not much else they could do."
Danni grimaced, "Oh, are you going to make me look at a dead body?" She groaned, "You know I don't do well with that, Kate!"
"Yes, I remember," the officer replied, "don't worry, there wasn't enough left for you to take a look at. Whatever attacked those people turned them into quite the feast."
"Well, that's just not pleasant," Clara replied, her own nose wrinkled up in disgust, "so, what do you have?"
"For a while, we didn't have much. Forensics found that whatever it was worked alone, but apart from that we couldn't get any data we could use. Nothing else matched one attack to another. But, then, something happened. This way."
She took them over to one of the consoles by the large metal door, which had a screen on it, "Marcus Bulman was walking home one night from a rather large night out with his work colleagues when he heard screams from in an alley one street up from the refugee camp. He, being the good Samaritan, decided to take a look," she pressed a button and surveillance from what appeared to be a police station came on the screen. It was black and white, but there was a man who looked entirely too shaken up to be sat down talking across to a police officer.
"You… you see, I see her everywhere," he stuttered out, "she was my wife, I miss her every day and it's only been a year since she died. But that was my wife! She was my wife, and she was eating that man!" Kate reached out and pressed another button, pausing the video.
"The man he saved did survive, but he had another tale to tell. Apparently what lured him into the alley was not Mrs Bulman, but his dead daughter. She'd died five years previously from leukaemia at the age of seven."
Danni frowned, "Well, no matter how drunk you were, there's no way you'd mistake a seven-year-old for your wife."
"It gets better," Kate said, "what attacked Mr Wyman, our unfortunate victim, wasn't his daughter; it was his PE teacher, who had done some rather horrific things to him whilst at school."
"But you said…" Clara started and Kate nodded.
"What lured him into the alleyway was his daughter, but once trapped, it turned into his PE teacher. All but two of the dead or missing people have had close family members die within the last five years. We figure that the rest were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Danni was nodding in thought, her mind rushing over possibilities, but there was one thing that was still confusing her, "Okay, so you want me to catch it?"
Kate shook her head, "No, catching it was easy after that. We have a few officers who happened upon their jobs by losing their loved ones. It was just a case of getting them in the right place and trapping it."
"Let me guess," Clara drawled, motioning to the door they were stood by, "Exhibit A, right?"
"That'll be him," Kate confirmed. "What we need you to do, Danielle, is talk to it."
"Why don't you do that?" Danni asked, "I mean, you caught it, you don't need me."
"It doesn't just turn into the thing you want the most," Kate explained, "there's a psychic element to it. It makes you want whatever you want. It took twenty-three people to cage it, and after that no one can fight it anymore. It's been in basic isolation since we got it back here because whoever goes in tries to free it. We need to find out how to negate the effects so it can be trailed for the deaths of its victims, or sent back where it came from."
"Do you have video in there?" Danni asked and Kate pressed yet another button. The video switched to the stream from inside the room. Again, much like the police holding room, there wasn't much in there. It was grey, with a table in the middle with two chairs. One was empty, but the other had something in it. Both Clara and Danni squinted as they lent in closer, trying to focus on the creature being held in there.
"What is it?" Clara asked.
"Can you not see it?" Kate asked in reply and the young woman shook her head, "that's because no one can. Without a psychic link it cannot take a form. So all we get on the video feed is a blur to tell us it's still there."
"Is that it's true form, then?" She asked, "What it looks like when no one's around?"
"We don't know, we can't get close enough to ask," Kate replied before turning to Danni, "What do you think? Any idea what it could be?"
Danni shook her head slowly. Clara smiled slightly as she watched the blonde. Her brows were still furrowed, her eyes trained on the video feed. She was obviously thinking something, even if she didn't want to voice it yet, "I've read a lot of books," she declared suddenly, "I think I might… But I'm not sure, because I can't really remember. I need more information, something to jolt my memory," she smiled softly to herself, "I wonder if this is what the Doctor feels like when he almost has an idea."
She took her eyes off the screen, turning to Kate, "Are you sure you don't want me to ring him?"
"Absolutely sure," Kate replied, "why call him when I have you? I have complete faith that you will be able to figure it out."
Danni grinned, because she knew that Kate wouldn't have lied to be kind, "Oh, well, let's get in there!" She took a step forward to enter the room but Kate held her arm out to stop her.
"Not yet," she told her, "we can't have you go in alone, in case it does manage to overwhelm you. We're just waiting on your backup."
"Backup?" Danni repeated before turning to Clara, the grin never fading from her face, "Hear that? I have backup?"
"What am I, then?" Clara retorted and Danni patted her on the arm.
"I told you, you're my sassy friend who keeps me from getting distracted," she replied and Clara rolled her eyes. The way she said it sounded like a compliment, but she wasn't convinced.
The door opened behind them, "Ma'am, sorry the traffic was…" they all turned to see the two Osgoods enter the room, once again one reflecting the Doctor in her attire and the other reflecting Danni. The Danni-Osgood had been the one talking, but she trailed off at the sight of the Time Lord and her companion, "Oh my…"
Danni grinned, "Hello Osgood," she greeted the pair like their situation was completely normal, "I didn't know you were going to be here too."
"Yes, she has the best defence," Kate explained, "one will stay out here with us and give us feedback about what is happening within the cell. That way if something does go wrong, we know when to pull you out."
"Cool," Danni agreed, because that seemed like a good idea to her as well. She turned to Clara, "Look at that, I'm getting companions all over the spot today."
"Companion?" Danni-Osgood whispered.
~0~0~0~
"You'll be alright; you know?" Danni reassured the Osgood who was stood next to her. The door in the main room had led to a smaller vestibule-type room. It was, apparently, another layer of protection between the staff and whatever creature they happened to be holding on the other side, "I know being separated from yourself is hard, but she's only on the other side of the door."
Osgood shot her a smile, although that wasn't quite why she was nervous. She was never far away from her other self, that was true, but they were never truly apart so she wasn't too bothered about the short distance between them. Instead, she was worried about getting this wrong.
It had been an easy choice for her to go in with Danni. They both loved the Time Lords, their history and the good they'd done for the planet and the universe in general. From a very young age she'd been told stories about the Doctor, but it wasn't until she finally joined UNIT herself she'd began to experience his influence. But, it was when she first came into contact with this mysterious 'wife' of the Doctor that she'd become truly obsessed. A man with a time machine and a woman who was forced around time against her will was just too good a story to put down, really.
She'd been gutted to find out that she'd missed her when the Sontarans had tried to convert the planet. She hadn't been a high a rank then as she was now, though, so she'd not been allowed to go investigate the ATMOS factory. It had just made her more determined to get promoted.
When she had met Danielle's first body, it had turned out so much better than she expected. Three Doctors, Danielle and the companion who had ensured that they were always going to be there to save the universe. If that had been the only good thing to come out of it, she would have accepted it happily.
But it had become so much more than that. She'd found her other half, a part of herself that had become another whole and she wasn't sure how she'd survived being in one body for so long. They were their own individual Osgoods, and yet at the same time they had their own thoughts and feelings and she loved it beyond anything she had ever come across before. They were Petronella Osgood, and she found that because of the Doctor and Danni.
They'd both just grown to love the two Time Lords, and it came out in their mannerisms as well as the clothes they wore. They both took on a Time Lord each, using their two minds to focus on the separate people. When it came to deciding which Osgood would go into the room with Danni, it made sense that the one currently dressed in a blue skirt that was very reminiscent of her first body should go in with her.
And that was what was making her nervous. What if she wasn't very good at protecting her should she need to be? Danni was always so kind, she wanted to live up to her expectations, she wanted to prove that she could be a fully capable UNIT officer, because she could be. She knew she was, she was just a bit… starstruck.
Two beeps rang out in the room, signalling that the door had been unlocked, "Right, you can proceed," Kate's voice came over the intercom, "if you feel like you need to leave, head straight to through the door. We can lock in and you'll be cut off again."
"I'm sure we'll be fine," Danni replied, reaching for the door, "let's see what we're dealing with."
Osgood lead the way, because she knew what to expect. People had expected her to see the other version of herself, but that wasn't true at all, because she had herself. No, what she wanted was her grandmother. She had died a few years previously, just because she had been old and it had been her time. She had come from a family of geeks, but her grandmother had really encouraged her as a child and they'd just got along very well. So in the seat was her grandmother, all 87 years of her. She felt that first twinge of desperation to let the alien go.
Danni, on the other hand, saw exactly what she thought she would. The alien was strapped down to the chair around its ankles and its wrists, but the bindings went over the dark blue suit the alien was now wearing. It was no longer a blurred, unfocused being that sat there. The grey hair, the intense eyebrows, the piercing eyes.
"Ah, there you are Danielle," the Doctor purred, "I was wondering when you were coming to save me."
~0~0~0~
Clara paced slightly as they waited for the inner door to unlock. She wasn't very comfortable with letting Danni go in there on her own, even if a Osgood was in there with her. That Doctor part of her didn't want her to be in danger without being there to save her. It was ridiculous, but when no one knew exactly what the thing on the other side was, she couldn't help feeling it.
Then they were in, and both women stopped to stare at the blur that was on the screen. Clara tried to get closer to the screen, as if it would help focus the picture, "I wish we could see what they were seeing," she grumbled, annoyed.
"You haven't guessed already?" Kate asked.
Clara looked at her, "You know?"
"Of course, who else would she want?" Osgood replied for her boss. "When it comes down to it, they are both very predictable."
"It's the Doctor," she stated as her guess, "but she'll know it's not him, why bother changing into someone she knows isn't there?"
"It's more than physical, remember." Kate pointed out, "It will try and make her want this version of her husband as much as she wants the actual version. Our hope is that she'll be able to fight it better than the rest of us," she glanced at her assistant and one half of her friend, "how are they?"
"Fine," she replied, "it went straight for grandma, we know how to fight that off."
"Good, let us know if it gets too much and we'll remove them both."
Clara appreciated the little exchange. Not only did it reaffirm her confidence in Danni, but the promise that they would save her should something go wrong was rather reassuring.
Still, she pressed herself a little closer to the screen, keeping her own eye out in case something went terribly wrong.
~0~0~0~
Danni wasn't even the least bit surprised by the sight of her husband staring back at her. Even with their issues, there was no one else she would rather see in the chair in front of her. In fact, considering that they'd 'lost' part of their relationship in recent times, the transformation made sense of a multitude of levels.
It didn't mean she was happy about it, though. He was her husband, and the idea of someone pretending to be him made her hands clench at her sides as she tried to calm herself down. Instead of getting angry at it, though, she just smirked, "Of course, it was going to be you," she commented, "I'm not surprised. Actually, I was hoping you were going to be more surprising and show me someone else. It's a little disappointing. What's your name?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes in a perfect imitation of his current body, "Danielle, this is tiring," he snapped, "get them to let me go and we'll go home."
"Oh, will we?" She replied, "And where is home, exactly?"
"Our blue box," he replied, "this is preposterous. I thought you would be able to tell your husband apart from anyone else. Once again you have disappointed me."
Osgood winced slightly, her grandmother begging her to be let free was beginning to chip away at her self-control. However, they had all been prepared for this, and having Danni replying to a conversation she couldn't actually hear was helping pull her out of the situation. She didn't know how long she would be able to resist, but with all the outside influences, she knew she had a while.
Danni chuckled slightly, not just at the impressive impression of her husband, but at the fact that for a moment she felt the twinge of hurt she had felt each time he'd insulted her previously, "Oh, you are good, I'll give you that. But you're not my husband, what is your name?"
"I'm hurt, Danielle," he replied, "can't even recognise your own husband. Just let me go, we can figure it out together."
There was a flash, just for a moment, that made her want to do what he said. But she quickly shut it away, using her anger to squash it down, "No, that isn't going to work," she told him firmly, "I know you're not my husband, you're not going to make me want to help you. Tell me your name."
There was a pause, then the Doctor smirked, "They all want my eventually," he purred, "you want your husband, you won't resist me for too long. Look at me, Danielle, this is the body of the man you want, and oh, don't you want him."
"What did you say?" She asked, her face lighting up as an idea came to her out of nowhere. She had been aiming to just resist long enough to be able to get some information out of him, after all she'd had a few centuries of training from the Doctor and she knew that she'd be able to resist a psychic attack for quite a while before it overwhelmed her. But she didn't have to, did she?
The Doctor looked vaguely confused, "I'm sorry?"
"About my husband's body," she replied, "because, you're quite right, that is my husband's current body. But it's not the body I want. Let me see," she paused, looking up thoughtfully as she cycled through her memories of all his other bodies, "the body I currently want used to wear this long scarf, and had rather curly hair. Oh, and his voice, that is a voice that I really loved."
She could tell that the creature hadn't been expecting her complete change in focus from her husband's current body to his fourth one. Suddenly sat in front of her was a very confused looking Four, his eyes on his hands as he clenched and relaxed his new fingers.
"What did you…" He started with his new, deep voice and for a moment Danni allowed herself to appreciate it.
"Or, you know, what about the one that wore pinstripes. He had the best 'I'm clever' glasses, and he used to make me feel fantastic when we were together."
The Doctor changed again, this time to his Tenth self, "But then again, none of them had hair I loved to run my fingers through like Eleven. Oh, I do miss it." As the creature changed yet again, Danni couldn't help but grin. Not only at the sight of Eleven, because why wouldn't she, but at the fact that her theory was proving to be completely true. Each time he changed, she felt the need to save him completely disappear, like the connection was reset with each persona.
"What are you doing?" The creature demanded, his voice echoing a rather angry Eleven perfectly.
"Exactly what you want," she replied, "wanting my husband. You're not the only person who can change form, sweetie. My husband had thirteen bodies, I can go through them all if you like."
"No, don't," he quickly replied, "it's just a waste of energy and time."
"I'm also going to guess that you need the image to stay to be keep the connection, correct?" Danni continued, "which is why, when you change into what they fear, they don't want to help you anymore."
Eleven's lips turned up into a snarl, "They taste so much better when they're scared," he told her, "personal fear is such a wonderful seasoning."
Her eyes narrowed and she slammed her hands down on the table in front of her, "Tell me who you are," she demanded.
He shook his head, his quiff shaking in time, much like it always did. Danni felt the need to reach out and touch it, and the moment she realised she did, she cleared the image of him her mind, turning him into his Ninth self.
"Why should I?" He asked in a distinctly northern English accent, "Why should I tell you anything apart from how much I'm going to enjoy eating you?"
Danni glanced at Osgood. The girl didn't look like she was fairing too well, her eyes wide and wet with tears. She didn't have long before she would have to leave, and Danni really didn't like the idea of being stuck in the room on her own. But she refused to put her friend in any danger, or have her suffer needlessly.
"Because, at the moment, I control your freedom," she retorted to the creature, "do you want to say chained to that chair? Because, if you do, I will just leave you here."
He seemed to consider this for a moment, "You can get me out?" He asked slowly and she nodded.
"If you answer some of my questions, I can release your restraints. You're not getting out of here, you've been eating people."
"I can't help it, humans are just so delicious," he crooned, "all full of fat and feelings, how can you stand to be around yourselves without giving into that delicious temptation?"
"That's enough," Danni snarled, turning to Osgood, "you're going to have to leave, sweetie."
Osgood blinked, surprised at being addressed. She cleared the lump in her throat that her grandmother's begging had brought on, "I can't leave you in here on your own, Ma'am."
Danni shot her a look, "It's not ma'am," she reminded with only a hint of a warning in her voice, "I know you can't hear his side of the conversation, but if you stay, he's probably going to eat you."
"And I won't eat you?" The Ninth Doctor purred, "All humans, no matter what form, taste fantastic."
"Yes, but I'm not human," Danni retorted, which was only half a lie, "if you stay here, sweetie, it's not going to be safe."
"What I do is never safe," Osgood replied with only a slight waiver to her voice, "I still do it. So do you."
"Well, I can't argue with that," Danni murmured, "alright, you can stay." She turned to the creature, "I want to know what planet you're from. Tell me, and I'll get your arm restraints removed."
The creature seemed to ponder it, a thoughtful look on his face that somehow seemed to fit Nine perfectly. Danni assumed it was because she was being manipulated into feeling a familiarity with the body, but she didn't really mind. She knew she still had full control of herself, with only the slightest overwhelming urge to try and save him. It was actually quite nice seeing all of the Doctors once again, she'd never disregard the opportunity to see any of them, real or not. How long had it been since she'd seen Ten, after all?
She blinked slightly as he warped back into his Tenth self. The creature also seemed surprised at the sudden transformation, "You can't control it, can you?" Danni asked softly. The creature didn't reply, but Danni knew that just meant that she wasn't wrong in her assumption.
Then he grinned evilly, "Sit down and I'll tell you," he offered.
She frowned in confusion at the strange compromise, but with another glance at Osgood, she sat in the free chair across from him. Perhaps being on his level she could get him to open up more.
~0~0~0~
"Why is she sitting down?" Clara asked, turning to Osgood as if she held her answers, "that's stupid, isn't it? What if it breaks free?"
"It can't break free," Kate reassured her, "nothing can break free of those restraints. She's safe, the creature must have said something to her that we can't hear."
Clara growled in frustration, "How are we supposed to help if we can't even hear what its saying?"
"We can't, we have to work of cues from Danielle and Osgood," Kate replied, turning to her colleague, "Anything?"
"Apart from still being upset over Grandma, nothing," the other Osgood said, "but I know Danni won't be removed yet. She knows what she's doing, right?"
Clara grumbled, because yes her friend knew what she was doing, but it didn't mean she had to like what was happening. She watched Danni's brow furrow slightly, obviously listening to whatever the creature was saying to her that they couldn't here.
Then she sat back in her chair, "Kate, release the arm restraints." She called.
Kate leant closer to the intercom microphone, "I can't do that," she replied, "you're in too much danger."
"Release the arm restraints or this is over and you won't find out a thing," Danni countered, crossing her arms. Kate's hand clenched up, and her face reflected the frustration at the fact that Danni suddenly had the upper hand.
"Bloody Time Lords," she grumbled before fiddling with the controls, releasing the restraints.
~0~0~0~
"I came to this planet by chance," the creature told Danielle, "I was travelling with a few more of my kind when we came upon your little world. Nothing seemed very interesting to us, but there were a few little things to eat, so our original plan was to stock up for our journey and head on our way."
The creature paused for a moment, and Danni used it to try and work her questions in a way that wouldn't tell whoever was listening what they were talking about. Her bargain hinged on the fact that she could give the creature what it wanted, and to do that she needed the information that UNIT wanted, "Stock up?"
"Just a couple of humans," it explained like it was picking up hamburgers from a fast food restaurant, "something to snack on as we headed out of your galaxy and towards our destination – a small planet called Furgon," she watched its lips turn up in a disgusting smirk, "oh, I thought that we were going to eat like kings."
"And then?" She replied, once again a calculated question.
"And then I tried human. Nothing tasted like it. Wonderfully fatty, but also at the same time there was just something I couldn't place, an idiocy that made them all so delectable. Their fear was nothing like I ever had tasted before. I couldn't continue on to Furgon knowing I was leaving such a feast behind. So, I stayed. I found a little street that would take me in as I built a life for myself, and I waited."
"For what?"
"For the opportune moment," it said simply, "I thought myself clever enough to keep the eyes of Earth's police off my trail. Unfortunately, I was just so hungry, and I got cocky. And, well, here I am."
Danni nodded slowly, her stomach sick and her resolve hardening. She needed to get more information so that the creature in front of her could be dealt with properly. It wasn't so much that she objected to anything finding food, and some aliens ate humans in the same way humans ate animals, but it was the fact that it took pleasure out of the suffering that was angering her. Just because you had to kill to survive shouldn't mean you should go looking for the pain of others.
She continued to stare at him, wondering what to do for her next move. She didn't want to let him go, but leaving him restrained wasn't an option either. She could never bare to see her Theta chained up, she had to get him out…
She shook her head, realising that she'd spent too long already on one Doctor. A quick thought change and the man across from her looked exactly like the Doctor's first body. It looked incredibly too smug for her liking; it had realised she'd been falling underneath its spell.
She needed more information, though, so she sat back in her chair, "Kate, release the arm restraints." She called up to wherever the microphone was hiding.
The was a moment of no reply, then, "I can't do that," Kate said over the speakers, "you're in too much danger."
"Release the arm restraints or this is over and you won't find out a thing," Danni countered, crossing her arms. She knew how to hold her ground when she needed to, and she said nothing else until there was the unlocking sound that accompanied the restraints shooting back into the chair.
The creature flexed his old-looking figures, "That is much better," he murmured.
"Tell me where you're from."
It looked over at Danni, observing her for a moment before nodding, "I come from a little planet that you would have never heard of; Chimen."
"I've heard of that before…" She replied, mainly to herself, as she tried to think over all of the aliens she had encountered before.
"I doubt it," the alien scoffed and she shot it a look.
"You're not the only one who has been into space, sweetie. I'm part Time Lord."
The creature reared back slightly, a snarl reappearing on its face, "Maybe I won't eat you after all," it told her, "Time Lord was so crusty and old, never a proper meal."
She nodded, "Seems like a fair approximation of them," she agreed. "Is this what you do, then? Find unsuspecting planets and eat their inhabitants?"
"We're known across this quadrant. A myth that is told to children to make sure they don't go out at night. We're feared, and it's starting on this pathetic planet as well. We're going to replace your boogy men and your ghosts. You're all going to be terrified of us, we'll become the thing you fear in the shadows."
"Not if I have anything to do with it," Danni replied, "do not underestimate me. I know your home planet's name, now. We'll just send you back."
The creature let out a bark of laughter, "Even if you send me back, you'll just alert my people to your presence. You'll be swarmed within days. You'll all be killed."
"Then we'll just keep you here until you die," Danni offered with a shrug, "however long that will take. It could be very painful and long, or we can make it comfortable for you. You just have to give us some more information."
Osgood frowned, watching Danni lean her elbows onto the table, leaning closer to her grandmother, who reflected the position now she had her arms free. Her other self was becoming anxious as well, she could feel it, so she took a step closer to interrupt the seemingly one-sided conversation, "Ma- Danni, we should leave now," she advised firmly.
Danni shook her head, refusing to look away from the creature, "Everything is fine, sweetie," she promised, "but I'd rather you leave if you're feeling uncomfortable. I'll be fine."
This time Osgood seriously considered leaving. She knew she had to get out to break the connection that was screaming at her to unlock her grandmother from the chair. She could always come back in again, "Are you sure?"
"Do it, sweetie," Danni replied kindly, "I'll be fine. I've fought bigger and badder things than this." Osgood knew that to be true, so she headed to the door, requesting to be let out.
Danni didn't watch her go, but she did wait to hear the door lock again behind her before speaking again, "Tell me who you are."
"No," the creature replied, "I don't think I will. Tell them to unlock my legs, Danielle."
"Kate, unlock its legs." Danni repeated despite herself. Her voice sounded far away and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Part of her was screaming to contradict her last command, but she couldn't find the words. She just needed to free the Doctor.
"It was a big mistake, sending your friend out," the man cooed, triumphant, "strength in numbers, isn't that what they say?"
"Danni, are you sure?" Kate asked, sounding concerned, "I don't think that's wise."
"Do it, Kate," Danni replied firmly, not even able to shake her head to give a non-verbal cue.
"The thing is, everyone has heard of us," the creature replied, "but only as a warning of what has come before. We have many names, but our most common is the Shadow Men. 'The Shadow Men will come, my dear, if you should step out of the way. The Shadow Men will eat you, my dear, if you stay too long to play.'"
Danni tried to focus on another Doctor as the creature sang its little rhyme, but it was already too late. The legs unlocked and the creature was free, "Oh, and would you look at that, you've stayed too long to play." It tutted, "Whatever shall I do with you, Danielle?"
"You… you won't eat me until the second phase, right?" She challenged, willing herself to stand, "I have lived too long and feared too many things, what could you possibly do to scare me?"
"You would be surprised what people offer when they try not to," the creature replied, "and your fear is calling loud and clear to me."
His face warped and she gasped, blood running cold. He quickly transformed into something younger, someone younger and with evil brown eyes that still taunted her at night. The brown hair of a man who had held her against a wall again and again, who had driven her insane just to because he could.
"I think this would do just fine, don't you Danielle?" The Master purred, "I can feel your fear, my sweet, and you will taste delicious."
The Master's jaw dropped unnaturally low, his teeth large and pointy and ready to tear her limb from limb. It roared, and Danni screamed.