The Girl Who Escaped Into Space and Time

“Here, you’ll probably need this.”

The Doctor was on his hands and knees, digging through a hatch below the TARDIS console floor, when he handed Sarah a coat. The material was stiff and decidedly waterproof, and Sarah folded it up and draped it neatly over one arm.

“Nulnerth is known for its unpredictable weather, so it’s best to be prepared.”

Outside, through the viewport on one wall of the time machine, everything looked perfectly fine. Regardless, Sarah heeded his advice; he was, after all, far more experienced in these things than she was. She waited while he ‘settled the console’s temporal stabilizers’, whatever that meant.

A loud, triumphant clap sounded behind Sarah and she almost jumped. “I'm finished!” announced the Doctor, an enthusiastic grin on his face. “Now, let's go see Nulnerth!” He grabbed an umbrella from the myriad of objects below the floor hatch, strode to the door, and offered his arm. At first, Sarah was hesitant, but she hooked her arm with the Doctor’s and they pushed the TARDIS door open together.

The beach before them stretched out as far as the eye could see, miles of pale sand and rolling waves. Clouds dotted the sky; small, wispy things, hovering lazily in place, and on the horizon of what seemed like an endless ocean, there was the faint outline of an island. Again, Sarah considered the rain coat under her arm, and was about to give the Doctor an odd look when he began to speak.

“Lovely, isn’t it? Unlike Earth, Nulnerth is eighty-six percent water, so most of the land masses are smaller islands, like the one we’re standing on now. It's actually a common planet for vacations, since the climate is almost always...er, well the way it is right now.”

Gentle waves rolled in and out of the sea, momentarily pooling around Sarah's boots before retreating back. “It's so much like the ocean on Earth,” she marveled. “If I didn't know, I'd say that's where we were. Are all oceans in space like this, all the same?”

"Oh no, no, not at all," said the Doctor with a wave of his hand. "For example, not all ocean water is clear or salty, and there are even some oceans that don't follow the rules of gravity! Just big shapes of water floating in the air. For some reason people don't visit those as much. Shame, they’re so much more interesting, too, but I’m not judging.”

Hands folded neatly behind his back, the Doctor strolled down the beach to take in the scenery. Sarah followed behind, boots softly shushing against the sand and scuffing against an unforeseen rock or two. The ground alternated between smooth sand and patches of pebbles, littered on occasion with shells of many shapes and sizes that glinted in the sunlight. She stooped to pick one up, examining the delicate curlicues that decorated its exterior, and couldn’t help but notice the way sunlight seemed to reflect through it somehow. At first glance, it was a simple, pearl-colored shell, but when Sarah held it to the sun, it became translucent as it filtered light through. It was like being underwater, and looking to the surface, how the sun shone through in wobbly beams into the depths. She stared fixedly at it, taken away by the surreal sight, the sounds of sea birds cawing in the distance.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the effect had vanished and Sarah found herself looking at a normal shell. She peered at it, trying to figure out what had happened, and the answer was imminent almost immediately. In seconds, the sun had all but disappeared, hidden behind towering gray clouds. A wind had picked up, howling in the distance over the sea but quickly growing in strength, whipping Sarah’s hair around her head. She dropped the shell in shock, thinking she had somehow triggered this change, but the Doctor knew otherwise, his line of sight fixed on the horizon. Despite him standing there, hair and coat blowing about him, there was a serious tone that outweighed his slightly whimsical dress sense and usually bright attitude.

“I didn’t do it, I swear,” Sarah blurted out. Of course she didn’t, there was no way her looking at a shell could have changed the weather; the statement was more of an impulse than anything. She stepped up to join him, trying to see what he saw.

“I know you didn’t,” the Doctor replied. An arm extended out to the barely-visible horizon, on which an odd green light cut through the density of the dark clouds. “That wasn’t there before.”

He was right, it definitely hadn’t been there before. It was one of those things you couldn’t not notice. “Do you think it has anything to do with the weather changing?” she asked.

“Absolutely.” The Doctor didn’t even hesitate when he spoke; he seemed positively certain. “It appeared the moment the clouds rolled in.”

“How are we going to get there?”

“Well, we could just take the TARDIS,” began the Doctor. “But I’m pretty sure I see a dock over there, maybe there’s a boat, and we could sail to the light?”

“Hm, the easy way or the adventurey way, whatever to do?”

“The adventurey way,” they both agreed.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to find a dock, a small, rickety sort of thing that had seen better days. Waves brushed past its worn posts, revealing a small few shells and barnacles clustered to its sides, and tied to the dock was a small sailboat, beached in the sand. At seeing it, the Doctor jogged ahead, and Sarah followed suit. The mast was a collapsible one, which the alien quickly righted, securing the post firmly into place and unfolding the sails. Sarah took to the dock, where she undid the rope knots and carried the loops of thick rope back to the boat.

“Do you have any experience with sailing?” the Doctor asked, taking the rope and stuffing it under one of the seats.

Sarah gave a shrug. “Not really, I know the very basics of how a sailboat works and that’s about it.”

“I see. Well, luckily for us, I’ve got a bit of sailing experience myself. Was on a pirate ship once, actually, maneuvered that for a bit while the captain was recovering from some leviathan poison. I’m no captain, but I think I’ve got this.”

“You what?”

“I’ll tell you about it some other time.”

“Agreed.”

They pushed the boat out into the water together, tumbled in at ankle-deep water, and used the oars to push themselves the rest of the way into the sea. The wind picked up as they ventured further, tugging at the sails and whistling over their heads, slowly but steadily increasing the closer they got to the island. Sarah could see it better now; the green light sat atop a lighthouse, near to which stood a few smaller buildings on an island with a bumpy shore. She couldn’t necessarily tell if there was a dock, but it was too far to tell, and any sensible person living on an island had to have a dock.

How long it took them to reach the island, Sarah was uncertain. Time was an odd thing, especially when you’re not exactly paying attention, it passes strangely and in unexpected ways. Moments were gauged by thrashing seafoam hitting the side of the boat, by each pull of the oars, by the loudest whistles of wind, and by the glimpses of odd creatures swimming by just below the surface.

It was just starting to rain when they drew near to the island. She donned the rain coat, buttoning it up and pulling the waterproof hood over her head.

“I told you so,” said the Doctor with a small laugh. “Here, we’re getting close. Want to help tie the boat up when we get to the shore?”

Sarah grinned, taking the great loops of thick rope from the floor of the boat. There was indeed a pier, she could see it now, vaguely, but it was there. The heavy winds made maneuvering the boat a bit more difficult but they made it regardless, Sarah throwing the rope through the rusted metal loop on the wooden pier and using it to pull them to the dock. Once there, they collapsed the sail once more, secured the boat in place, and began to trek up the rocky pathway.

The green light from the lighthouse bathed the entire island in an ominous, unsettling hue that was almost like something from a movie. Set like stairs into the hillside, the rocks were bumpy, irregular, and shiny with the rain that began to pour from the skies with an increased ferocity. The Doctor was getting effectively soaked, his typically-floppy hair wet and stuck to his forehead, as he fumbled into his coat pockets, searching for something. He withdrew the sonic screwdriver, momentarily examined it with confusion, and went back to replace it with the small, collapsible umbrella he’d brought, scrabbling to open it against the will of its apparently-stubborn mechanism. Of course, he succeeded, giving Sarah a sort of nod as if to communicate that he had the situation under control, which just added to the comical aspect of the whole thing. The Doctor leaned the umbrella out so that it covered both of them from the rain, which Sarah gladly stepped under, pulling down the hood of her raincoat, and up the stairs they went.

Above them, the massive shape of the lighthouse loomed, enormous and intimidating, dwarfing the smaller buildings that were attached to its side. They were single or double storey in height, simple and sturdy as coastal homes tended to be, the paint on their siding worn by the wind and splashes of salty seafoam. Windows were few, their glass thick and sturdy, and the rooms behind them either darkened or hidden behind curtains. In the ominous glow of the lighthouse, a door could be seen at the base of the great structure, and toward that door they headed.

Contrary to Sarah’s guessing, the door was unlocked. It creaked against the stone doorway when she opened it, her hand hesitant for a second. Inside was white-painted brick, lit by bulbs affixed to the wall in wiry metal cages that trailed up adjacent to the spiral staircase. The staircase itself was metal as well; clearly old but without a spot of rust to be seen, and when she took the first step, it did not creak. She climbed the stairs, the Doctor close behind, drops of water falling from their clothes and onto the metal steps. Looking up, the green light could be seen, wavering about as it rotated slowly in place. Neither travellers spoke a word as they ascended, walking in silence until they reached the threshold of the top floor.

Silhouetted against the rotating beam of light stood a figure, standing before one of the windows looking out to sea. They apparently did not hear the two visitors, turning only when Sarah stammered a shaky hello. How did someone even greet a complete stranger whose lighthouse they'd just let themselves into, with the sort of confidence like she owned the place? Maybe that was what someone else would do, but that wasn't Sarah. She wasn't like that.

The figure turned to the two intruders, green light illuminating a scaly figure with shiny fish eyes and the clothes like those of a pirate retired from the glory days. A set of fins sat on either side of her head where ears would normally be, drooped downwards and near resting on her shoulders, and the graying hair atop her scaled head was pulled into a messy sort of bun.

A few seconds’ worth of silence passed between the three of them, as if they couldn’t figure out who was to speak first, then Sarah uttered five words, sputtered out almost impulsively.

“Are you changing the weather?”

“A bit blunt and to the point,” commented the Doctor offhandedly. “But yes, exactly what she said. This lighthouse, that green light, how are you doing this?”

The scaled woman sighed, shoulders drooping. She was tired, visibly so, not just physically but emotionally as well.

“Sonar light,” she said. “The lighthouse, it doubles as a submarine beacon that reaches beneath the waves. It also changes the weather, yes, but that isn't the point.” She paused for a moment, took a breath, and spoke again. “I've been trying to signal my son for months after he disappeared, and now my wife has disappeared into the sea as well. I keep thinking, if I just continue to send out signals, maybe they'll send some back.”

Sarah didn't know what to say, worried that if she did say anything, it would be misinterpreted as rude, so she kept her mouth closed.

“It's all I can do now,” continued the woman. “They know the map of the seafloor, and I do not. It's enormous down there, you know. On the surface you see only waves, but under that is so much more than you could imagine.”

Sarah felt sympathy for the woman. She was doing all she could, which still wasn’t enough, and something about that struck a chord with her. She knew how that felt, trying your hardest and still failing. Human or not, it was still the same.

“We can help,” Sarah said.

“Are you sure?” asked the Doctor.

“Well of course, we came here to sightsee but this feels more important. Besides, there are more sights to see underwater.”

The Doctor took a step forth, offering an open hand. “Is there anything we can do to help?” he asked. “We just came here as tourists, you see, but if there’s anything, any way we can help you find your family, we'd be happy to.”

“That's right,” Sarah chimed in.

An expression of tired relief broke through the woman's face. “Are you certain? You said you were here for touring, I wouldn't want to burden your young friend with-”

“Really, it's ok.” With the TARDIS, they had all the time in the world to explore afterward. “Besides, you said there was a whole world down there? I'd like to see that.”

The scaled woman looked as if she was about to cry, but tears of joy, not sadness. “Thank you,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “Oh, my name, of course you should know that. It's common courtesy after all, what was I even thinking? I am Jolene.”

“I’m Sarah,” she beamed.

“And I'm the Doctor!”

“Wonderful. Well, I suppose we should be on our way now, if you don't mind. Don't worry about breathing, we have a submarine down in the cellar. A bit old, but safe and fully operational.” Jolene took a pause to pull a lever, a massive thing affixed to the main light. The green hue ceased to be, replaced by the dim light from behind the clearing storm clouds. “Come now.”

The trio descended the staircase, much faster than when it had been climbed, and turned through a side door hidden in the darkness. It was lit also by bare bulbs in their metal cages. This door led down more stairs, and in the dark depths, one could smell the moisture from the sea upon the old stone. Sarah’s hand kept level with the hand rail as she descended, the Doctor in front of her as the stairs were narrow. They reached a new chamber, most likely a basement, lit by the same light bulbs, only this time there was the sound of waves quietly splashing against an unrelenting surface.

The lights, while meager, did illuminate the room. It was spacious, like a sort of basement sea garage, where the farthermost wall was only partially there, with a visible drop into the sea below. Tied to the dock was an old-fashioned, almost steampunk-looking submarine, bobbing in place at the dockside. A ladder crawled up its side to the hatch at the top, next to which was a periscope. There were areas where the welding was visible; it was a sturdy-looking piece of machinery that appeared to be well-loved over the years.

“Ah yes, one of these models. I remember these.” He walked along its side, inspecting it in the dim light. “And in such good condition, too!”

Jolene was the first to climb onto the submarine, opening the hatch at the top and gesturing for Sarah and the Doctor to follow before disappearing inside. Sarah went afterward, the Doctor insisting that he went last, in case she slipped on the ladder or something. The rungs were cold but Sarah climbed steadily, lowering herself through the hatch into the darkness below. She could hear Jolene moving about, and while she was surrounded by almost total blackness, she didn’t necessarily worry much.

Somewhere ahead in the darkness she heard Jolene turn a key, which lit up the entirety of the submarine. Pipes of all shapes and sizes lined its narrow hall, leading away from the hatch above and out to the cockpit where their guide stood. Hearing the Doctor descending the ladder, Sarah quickly stepped aside. He skipped the last rung and landed upon the metal grated floor with a small thunk. At the sight of his surroundings, the Doctor’s eyes lit up with a childlike joy. He moved, as if by some force, to the myriad of dials and measuring instruments built into the wall of the submarine.

“Fascinating,” he whispered to himself, hands ghosting over a line of what looked like old-fashioned barometers. In a moment’s time, he ceased his marvelling to join the other two at the front of the vessel. “Truly a marvel, isn’t it, Sarah? You see these mechanisms here?” He pointed to some contraption lining the ceiling. “Those have been around since ninety-seven! Practically vintage technology, and still working!”

Jolene stood at the very front, one hand on an old fashioned sort of wheel, the type typically used to steer a sailboat, and the other on an apparatus like a large lever. The front of the submarine held an enormous curved window, out from which they could see the splashing of the sea in the calming storm. She looked over her shoulder at the two of them.

“Didn’t leave anything on the shore, did you?” asked Jolene. There was a happiness to her that could be seen as well as heard.

Sarah smiled, thinking of the time machine back on the beach. “Nothing we can’t get back to later,” she said, looking to the Doctor who stood just behind her. “Right, Doctor?”

“That’s right.”

“Well then, if we’re all set, there’s no time to lose.”

Jolene threw a switch next to the main steering wheel. The submarine around them shuddered once, briefly, and there was the smallest sensation of falling followed by an all-encompassing splash. Sarah wobbled a bit from the impact of the submarine hitting the water and held onto one of the pipes so she wouldn’t fall. Bubbles rose outside the massive window in front of them, and the line of the surface quickly disappeared as they dove below the water.