"Viva Las Vegas!" The Doctor exclaimed, sunglasses on his head. The smile plastered on his face instantly fell when he was sprayed with water coming from multiple directs in what looked like the inside of a submarine. He flew from one side to another, the ground shaking violently. The Stone and Araya followed him as they stumbled, Clara gripped onto the side of the TARDIS, her evening dress getting completely drenched.

"Stranger on the bridge!" A man shouted at them.

"Who the hell are you?" Another man questioned. Araya looked around frantically out of confusion, why did her father say they were going to a nice pool in the 24th century Earth only to end up completely soaked inside a submarine?

"Not Vegas, then." Clara huffed moving a piece of her wet hair.

"No." The Doctor grinned. "No, this is much better."

"Doctor." The Stone shot him a look. "I thought we were going somewhere relaxing after what happened at Akhaten."

He winced slightly glancing at Araya who stared at the people running around. "A sinking submarine?" Clara frowned.

"A sinking Soviet submarine!" He corrected.

The water continued to leak in. "Four ten. Four twenty. Turbines still not responding!" The man at the controls shouted.

"Break out sidearms." One of the men ordered. "Restrain them!"

"They've got to." The captain cut in. The Doctor brought out his screwdriver and scanned the sub.

"Ah! Sideways momentum." He informed. "You've still got sideways momentum!"

"What?" The Captain blinked.

"Your propellers work independently of the main turbines." The Stone informed. "You can't stop her going down but you can manoeuvre the sub laterally. Do it!"

"Get these people off the bridge now!" A man shouted and grabbed the Doctor, trying to pull him away. The Stone's eyes widened and she picked up Araya, hugging her close just in case they got any ideas of separating them.

"Just listen to them, for god's sake!" Clara shouted

"Geographical anomaly to starboard." The Doctor shouted. "Probably an underwater ridge."

"How do you know this?"

"Look, we have just a chance to stop the descent if we settle on it. Do it!"

"Six hundred metres." The man on the controls said looking at his captain. "Sir, six ten!"

"Or this thing is going to implode."

"Lateral thrust to starboard, all propellers." The Captain decided

"Sir?"

"Now!" He shouted.

"You're going to let this madman give the orders?" One of them eyed the Doctor, completely ignoring the Time Lady.

"Lateral thrust!"

"Aye, sir! Six sixty, six eighty."

"Hold on Darling." The Stone whispered to Araya, hoping to at least calm her a little in the chaos. The Time Lady swore she was going to kill the Doctor after this if they didn't implode on impact.

The sub shook as it collided with the bedrock, the Stone gripped onto some nearby consoles as Araya squeezed her arms around her mother's neck, her legs wrapping around her torso as best as possible, desperately trying not crash to the floor, the Doctor pushed his wet hair back and placed his sunglasses back on. "Descent arrested at seven hundred metres."

"It seems we owe you our lives, whoever you are." The Captain said to them.

"I'll hold you to that." He nodded. "Might come in handy."

"Search them." The man behind the Captain ordered. "Yes, I know. She's a woman and there's a child. Now search them!"

The Stone practically growled when a man tried to take Araya away to search her. Even the Doctor shot the human a dangerous look, he backed off however actually scared of what the Time Lady might do. The Stone set Araya down beside her. with their backs against a metal beam. The Doctor was also shoved against it followed by Clara. "Empty your pockets, darling." The Time Lady asked in a soft voice. Surprising the man with how calm she was just after giving him a deathly glare. "Give everything in it to that man."

The Doctor groaned as two men started to search his pockets. It was going to take them quite a while to get through him and his wife. After emptying all of Araya's pockets the older Time Lady smiled at the man smugly before yelping as she was shoved against the beam behind her.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the man patting down his wife, a cold, angry look on his face, one that would probably make the Daleks roll back a little in fear.

Another man grabbed Araya's arm and the Stone struggled against the grip of the man holding her. "Let my daughter go!" She snapped.

"Are we going to be okay?" Clara asked, another man patting her down.

"Oh, yes." The Doctor nodded, his eyes still fixed on the man holding his wife, eyes darting over to the other holding his daughter.

The man's eyes met the dark glaring ones that belonged to the Time Lord resulting in him releasing the Time Tot in fear. The Doctor's eyes snapped back to the one patting his wife down next.

"Is that a lie?"

The Stone winced a little. "Araya cover your ears please." She asked the girl.

Araya complied and held her hands over her ears as best she could with the man holding her. The Doctor then continued. "Possibly. Very dangerous time, Clara. East and West standing on the brink of nuclear oblivion. Lots of itchy fingers on the button."

"Isn't it always like that?"

"Sort of, but there are flash points and this is one. Hair, shoulder pads, nukes. It's the Eighties. Everything's bigger." A man took out his sonic frowning at it. "I would like a receipt, please." He went to snatch it back but the Captain took it from the one who found it.

"What is this?"

"Hey!" The Stone shouted when one of the men searching for her found hers and the Doctor's silk cloth, her screwdriver just after it. "That's important! Give that back, right now!"

"What is it then?" The Captain raised a brow.

The sub shook again. The Stone grabbed Araya before she fell but Clara lost her footing and toppled over.

"Clara!" The Time Lords shouted.

"Doctor!"

"Clara!"

The wheezing of the TARDIS echoed and the Time Lord's eyes widened in horror. "No!" The Doctor shouted. "Please no, not now!"

×××

Clara drifted in and out of consciousness while the Doctor was shouted at by the Russian Captain. Araya whimpered behind her mother out of fear, clutching onto her leg for dear life as the Doctor was shoved into a wall.

"Captain, we didn't attack your ship out here." The Doctor reassured after wincing, his back colliding with part of the sub. "Now we need to get the pumps working to get her afloat."

"Yeah, we'll last till the rescue ship comes."

"If it comes." The Stone countered.

"Oh, the sinking is just a coincidence, is it? Who are you?"

"All right, Captain, all right." The Doctor raised his hands up as Clara slowly began to wake up and slowly stood. Araya beamed and tried to help the human making the Stone relax slightly seeing the girl was no longer shaking behind her. "You know what? Just this once, no dissembling, no psychic paper, no pretending to be an Earth Ambassador. Doctor, me, my wife." He nodded at the Time Lady. "The Stone and our daughter Araya." The little girl gave a small wave. "Accompanied by Clara, we're time travellers." He blinked seeing Clara had woken up. "Clara, you okay?"

"Think so." She rubbed her head.

"Time travellers?" The Captain gave them a wearily look.

"We arrived here out of thin air. You just saw it happen."

"I didn't." An older man with headphones around his neck spoke up.

"Your problem, mate, not mine."

"We were sinking." Clara frowned.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded.

"What happened?"

"We sank." Araya simply replied.

"No, what happened to the TARDIS, I mean." She looked at the Time Lords.

The Doctor waved his arm at her. "Never mind that. Listen. Captain, breath's precious down here. Let's not waste it, eh?"

"You're right. Maybe I can save a little oxygen by having you four-shot!"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed at the word four. The Stone placed a hand to the back of Araya's head in protection as the little girl clung to her once again.

"What does it matter how we arrived?" Clara cut in, knowing that both the Time Lords would most likely snap very soon. "The important thing is to get-" something breathed very loudly and Clara stared at it from behind the Doctor. "Out."

"Exactly!" The Doctor nodded not noticing what his companion was looking at. "Number one priority, not suffocating. Well number one priority is my daughter but suffocating is definitely number two on the list."

The captain noticed what Clara was looking at and let go of the Doctor, Araya looked out from behind her mother and stared at it as the Stone froze. "Eh? Ah." He smile. "Oh, thank you." He nodded with his back still facing what was behind him. "Finally seeing sense. Now, what sort of state is the sub in?"

"Doctor." Clara quietly tried to get his attention.

"What about the radio? Can we send a-"

"Sweetheart please be quiet." The Stone ordered him making him frown.

"Daddy," Araya swallowed hard as something hissed.

"What is that?" He frowned. "Could be gas."

"No Daddy." Araya slowly pointed up, past the Doctor.

The Doctor turned around and looked up at the creature in green armour. "Ah. It never rains but it pours." He murmured.

The older man took his headphones off and looked at it. "We were drilling for oil in the ice. I thought I'd found a mammoth."

Araya frowned. "It doesn't look anything like a mammoth, I've seen one." She briefly smiled.

"What is it, then?"

"It's an Ice Warrior." The Doctor answered. "A native of the planet Mars. And we go way back. Way back."

"A Martian? You can't be serious."

"I'm always serious." He answered and pouted when Araya giggled. "With days off." He shot her a look.

"Doctor," Clara warned.

"Just keeping it light, Clara." He reassured her. "They're scared."

"They're scared? I'm scared."

"You think your scared?" He shot her a look. "Think about my daughter for a moment."

"She doesn't look very scared." Clara said looking at the girl who was now standing next to her mother.

"That's because she doesn't know." He hissed.

"Know what?"

"What it's capable of." The Stone cut in, swallowing hard and taking her daughters hand.

One of the men standing beside the captain pointed his pistol at the Ice Warrior. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Please, please. Wait, just." He turned to the Ice Warrior and stood in front of him when he raised his weapon to shoot the man holding up his pistol. "There is no need for this. Just hear me out. You're confused, disorientated. Of course, you are. You've been lying dormant in the ice for, for, for how long?" The Doctor asked clicking his fingers and looking at the old man. "How long, Professor?"

"By my reckoning, five thousand years." He shrugged.

"Five thousand years?" The Doctor turned back. "That's a hell of a nap. Can't blame you if you've got out of the wrong side of bed. Look, nobody here wants to hurt you." The Stone pushed the man's gun down. "Please, just. Why don't you tell us your name?"

"What are you talking about?" The captain scoffed. "It has a name?"

"Of course, it has a name," he shot back, "and a rank. This is a soldier, and it deserves our respect."

"This is madness." He exclaimed. "That is a monster!"

"He only looks different." Araya tilted her head at the captain.

"Skaldak." The Ice Warrior suddenly replied making the Stone freeze, grasping Araya tightly.

"What did you say?" The Doctor whispered, not believing what he had heard.

"I am Grand Marshal Skaldak."

"Oh, no." The Doctor breathed out only to jump back when electricity danced over Skaldaks wet armour. The Ice Warrior roared before collapsing to the ground with a splash. The man who had held the gun up to Skaldak before stood behind the Ice Warrior's body holding a cattle prod. "You idiot!" He exclaimed. "You idiot! Grand Marshal Skaldak."

"You know him." Clara blinked at the Time Lords.

"Sovereign of the Tharsisian caste." The Stone said swallowing hard. "Vanquisher of the Phobos Heresy. The greatest hero the proud Martian race has ever produced."

"So what do we do now?"

"Lock him up." The Doctor spat.

×××

The Time Lords stood in the Captain's cabin with Clara. " The Ice Warriors have a different creed, Clara." The Doctor exclaimed. "A different code. By his own standards, Skaldak is a hero. It was said his enemies honoured him so much, they'd carve his name into their own flesh before they died."

"Oh, yeah. Very nice. He sounds lovely." She grimaced.

"An Ice Warrior? Explain."

"There isn't time." They shot back.

"Try me."

"Martian reptile know as the Ice Warrior." The Doctor explained. "When Mars turned cold they had to adapt. They're bio-mechanoid. Cyborgs. Built themselves survival armour so they could exist in the freezing cold of their home world, but a sudden increase in temperature and the armour goes haywire."

"Like with the cattle prod thing." Araya guessed.

The Doctor nodded. "Like with the cattle prod thing. Bit of a design flaw. To be honest, I've always wondered why they never sorted it."

"Oh look what you've done now." The Stone groaned. "We told you there was no time and yet you got him talking about them."

"Is he that dangerous?" Clara asked.

"He's that dangerous? I wouldn't even believe Araya was safe on the TARDIS on the same planet with him." He said looking down at the little girl who tightly hugged his side.

"Why are we listening to this nonsense, Captain?" The man named Stepashin looked at Captain Zhukov. "These people are clearly enemy agents."

"Huh?" Clara frowned.

"Spies, Captain."

Clara snorted. "Pretty bad spies, mate. I don't even speak Russian."

The Time Lords winced.

"What?" Stepashin frowned at her.

"I don't." She frowned looking at the Stone and whispering: "Am I speaking Russian? How come I'm speaking Russian?"

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Now? We have to do this now?"

"Are they speaking Russian?"

"Seriously? Now?" He sighed.

"It's the TARDIS translation matrix." The Stone said shooting her husband a look.

"In my opinion, Comrade Captain, this creature is a Western weapon," Stepashin said to Zhuvkov ignoring the Time Lords and Clara.

"Are they?" Clara quietly asked.

"Yes, they're Russians." Araya nodded.

"A weapon?"

"Survival suit. What is the alternative? The little green man from Mars?"

"Correction." The professor cut in, hearing over his headphones. "It's a big green man from Mars."

"I don't appreciate your levity, Professor."

The man rolled his eyes. "Why does that not surprise me? Maybe they're telling the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yes, a revolutionary concept, I know."

"It's essential that we inform Moscow of what we have found." Stepashin pressed on.

"The radio's out of action, in case you hadn't noticed, Stepashin."

"They have our last position. They will find us. When they do-"

"Yes?" Zhukov interrupted out of impatiens.

"Well, the Cold War won't stay cold for ever, Captain."

"For God's sake, Stepashin, you're like a stuck record." He groaned. "We have other priorities right now. I want you back on repairs immediately. We need to keep this ship alive. Dismissed."

"Sir?"

"Dismissed, Stepashin."

The man turned and stared at the Doctor for a moment. He shoved his way past the Time Lords and left.

The Doctor slowly shook his head and stepped up to Zhukov, lightly brushing off one of his shoulders he broke the silence. "All we needed to do was let Skaldak go and he'd have forgotten us. But you attacked him. You declared war. Harm one of us and you harm us all. That's the ancient Martian code." He turned to the older man and nodded at his headphones where small, quiet beeping noises were coming though like Morse code. "You hear that? Skaldak has sent out a distress call. He will bring down the fires of hell just for laying a glove on him."

"Unless you talk to it?"

"My wife and I are the only ones who can."

"No." He shook his head. "Out of the question. We're not losing you. I'll do it."

"What?"

"You can talk to it through me."

The Doctor chuckled. "Skaldak won't talk to you. You're an enemy soldier."

"And how would he know that?"

"A soldier knows another soldier." The Stone answered. "He'll smell it on you. Smell it on you a mile off."

"And he wouldn't smell it on you or the Doctor?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Just let me in there before it's too late. It can't be you or any of your men."

"Well, it can't be you."

"I'll do it," Araya proposed.

The Time Lord's heads instantly shot down to look at the Time Tot. "No." The Doctor crouched down. "You're not going anywhere near him, Araya. Not on my life."

"But-"

"Your father says no Araya-Rose." The Stone cut in. "This is very dangerous and we don't want to lose you; we know you want to help but please understand that we're trying to protect you."

"Hey." The Doctor gently forced her to look up after she tilted her head down, his thumb under her chin. "You're being very brave though."

She smiled slightly and Clara coughed gaining everyone's attention. "Ahem." She raised her hand. "Well, there really is only one choice, isn't there; I don't smell of anything," The Doctor smiled slightly. "To my knowledge." His eyes almost popped out of his head.

"You?" He choked. "No! No! No way. You're not going in there alone, Clara." He shook his head. "Absolutely not. No, no. Never."

"I'll-"

"No Rae." Both Time Lords cut her off.

"Okay." She mumbled.

×××

The small circular bulkhead door closed behind Clara, placing on the radio headset and picking up the inspection light Clara stepped away from the door.

She appeared on a screen in the Captain's cabin, where the Doctor, the Stone, Araya, Zhukov and Grisenko, the older man stood.

"With your permission?" The Doctor looked at Zhukov.

"Be my guest." He nodded, the Doctor hurried over, and the Stone leaned over his shoulder with Araya on her back, also wanting to watch the human in the Torpedo room.

"Ready, Clara?" The Stone asked.

"Yeah." She whispered.

"Okay."

"Greet him." The Doctor ordered.

"Grand Marshal Skaldak." She said aloud.

"The salute." He ordered next. "Do the salute like we showed you." She clenched her right fist and held it to her left shoulder.

"Okay?"

"Good." The Stone nodded. "You're doing really well Clara, now Just like we rehearsed." She went on. "Sovereign of the Tharsisian caste."

"Sovereign of the Tharsisian caste." Clara repeated, carefully listening as the Time Lords told her what to say. "By the moons, I honour the."

"Good." The Doctor breathed out, "It's okay, Clara. Go closer."

"Grand Marshal, I'm," she paused, correcting herself, "we're sorry about this. It isn't what you deserve." She squeaked and Araya tightened her arms around her mother when the power went out not only for Clara but the lights went out for them as well. It was a good job the young Time Lady wasn't in the Torpedo room. "Oh," Clara muttered. "Oh, great."

"Hey, it's okay, Clara." The Doctor reassured. "Keep going."

She placed down the inspection light and switched on a small torch instead. "You're a long way from home." The Doctor continued to speak and she repeated. "And five thousand years adrift in time. Please, let us help you. You are not our enemy."

"And yet I am in chains," Skaldak said his first words since Clara stepped foot in the Torpedo room.

"Doctor, Stone," Clara said not sure what to do next, "what do I say?"

"Yes, Doctor." Skaldak hissed. "Stone, what should she say?"

"I think he wants to speak to the organ grinder, not to the monkey," Grisenko informed.

"I heard that," Clara muttered and Araya giggled.

"You are restrained until we can trust each other, Skaldak." The Doctor said knowing that he could hear them. "You would do exactly the same in my position, and don't even think about using that sonic weapon. Not in the torpedo room."

"I was Fleet Commander of the Nix Tharsis." He explained. "My daughter stood by me. It was her first taste of action. We sang the songs of the Old Times. The Songs of the Red Snow." He paused his words emotionless. "Five thousand years. Now my daughter will be dust. Only dust."

"But you're wrong." The Stone shook her head. "Your people live on Skaldak. Scattered all across the universe. And Mars will rise again, we promise you."

"Just let us help you." The Doctor added.

"I require no help." He declined the offer. "There will be no help."

Clara stepped forward slowly. "Careful, Clara." The Doctor warned.

"I'm okay." She told him.

"No, listen, Clara, he's right don't get too close." The Stone added.

"I'm okay." She nodded and reached up. "Doctor, something's wrong."

"What?"

"Something's-" she murmured only to yelp when she touched the helmet which fell backwards showing nothing. "It's not there." She cried. It's gone!" The front of the armour split open showing it was empty.

"Gone?" He frowned. "Gone?" He looked at the Stone who was just as confused. "Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"It's got out."

"It is time I learned the measure of my enemies." Skaldak hissed and Clara looked around in fear. "And what this vessel is capable of."

"No, no, no." The Doctor shouted. "Skaldak!"

"Harm one of us and you harm us all. By the Moons, this I swear."

"Clara, get out of there." The Doctor shouted and went to run. "Get out!" He froze when a gun was pointed at his wife and daughter. They instantly held up their hands. "Now," he slowly said in a calm voice. "I've never seen one do this before. Actually, I've never seen one out of its armour before." Zhukov lowered his gun.

"Won't it be more vulnerable out of its shell?" Grisenko asked.

"No, it will be more dangerous." The Doctor sprinted out, the Stone following right behind him with Araya on her back, Zhukov and Grisenko with them.

"Clara?" The Doctor banged on the door with his fist. Clara?"

"Clara!" He managed to open the door and something suddenly sprinted past the group, far too fast for them to identify what it looked like. "Clara!" He gasped pulling her out.

She shook her head. "I'm okay. Ha, ha! I'm okay." The Stone and Araya hugged her after the Doctor. "I'm okay!" Where did he go? How did I do? Was I okay?"

"This wasn't a test, Clara." The Stone reminded.

She nodded understanding. "I know, but."

The Stone nodded. "You were great, yeah."

"Really?"

"Really." The three nodded.

"Doctor?" Grisenko look at the Time Lord. "The signal. It's stopped."

The Stone looked at the Doctor. "The three of us stay together Doctor, she's our daughter, I don't care what the Russians think is best, we stay together."

"She stays with us." He nodded not even wanting either of them to be anywhere near it. "Skaldak got no answer from his Martian brothers." He said aloud. "Now he's given up hope."

"Hope of what?" Zhukov asked.

"Being rescued." The Stone answered. "He thinks he's been abandoned. He's got nothing left to lose."

"But what can he do, stuck down here like the rest of us?" He asked. "How bad can it be?"

"This sub's stuffed with nuclear missiles, Zhukov." The Doctor said in a dark tone. "It's loaded with them. What do you think Skaldak's going to do when he finds that out?"

"How bad can it be?" The Doctor questioned. "How bad can it be? It couldn't be any worse."

The Stone gave him an annoyed look when a large amount of water suddenly began to pour into a new hole in the sub, a large rock on the floor. The hatch quickly closed stopping the water. "Okay." He winced, "Spoke to soon."

The Time Lords stood in the control room while Captain Zhukov gave a speech to his men. The Doctor and the Stone held Araya's hands, genuinely worried that Skaldak could come at any moment and take her. Managing to keep that from Araya the girl stayed relatively calm. "Comrades, you know our situation," Zhukov said standing in front of the few men left. "The reactor is drowned. We are totally reliant on battery power and our air is running out. Rescue is unlikely, but we still have a mission to fulfil. If the Doctor and the Stone are right, then we are all that stands between this creature and the destruction of the world. Control of one missile is all he needs. We are expendable, comrades. Our world is not. I know I can rely on every one of you to do his duty without fail. That is all."

The men dispersed leaving the Time Lords and Clara. "Even if a missile did get launched, that wouldn't be it, would it?" Clara asked as the Doctor sat on a chair and began messing with a screen on the sub.

"It?" They both asked.

"End of the world," Clara explained. "Game over. I mean, what if they fired one by accident? What would happen then?"

"I told you, Clara. Earth is like a storm waiting to break, right now. Both sides baring their teeth, talking up war. It would only take one tiny spark."

"Yeah, but the world didn't end in 1983, did it, or I wouldn't be here."

"History's in flux." Araya pipped up from where she was stood next to the Stone. "It can be changed."

"Exactly that." The Doctor smiled at his daughter's understanding. "It can be "Rewritten."

"How many of us are left?" The Stone asked Zhukov.

"Thirteen. And we can't find Stepashin."

"We split up and comb this sub." The Doctor said. "One team stays here to guard the bridge."

"That's it? That's the plan?"

"Well, it's either that or we stay here and wait for him to kill us." The Stone crossed her arms.

"Okay." He headed off to tell his men.

"Is it true you've never seen one outside of its shell suit?" Clara asked.

"Shell suit?" The Doctor repeated. "Clara, for an Ice Warrior to leave its armour is the gravest dishonour. Skaldak is desperate. He is deadly and we have got to find him."

"Will these help?" Grisenko held up the Time Lord's sonics.

"Ah!" The Doctor grinned grabbing them. "You saved them."

"No." He shook his head. "They were on the floor with this." He held up the cloth and the Stone brightly smiled and took it when handed to her, she honestly didn't care if it was on the floor, as long as it was back in hers and the Doctor's hands.

"Ah, ha!" The Doctor laughed. "Professor, I could kiss you."

"If you insist." He shrugged.

The Doctor chuckled and held up his hand. "Married sorry."

─── ｡ﾟ☆･*.☽ .* ☆ﾟ. ───

It's not one of my favourite episodes, I don't know if it's because they're in one place for the whole episode or what but it doesn't get it for me. There are some nice moments between Clara and the Time Lords though where we truly get to see what Clara is like.

I hope you're enjoying the book!