The Doctor on My Shoulder, Part Two by Daniel Roth.
Mason went to work immediately, tearing at the metal, until it slowly loosened and gave way just enough to fit the miniaturized Time Lord.
"Oh, well done!" the Doctor said. "Now! All I've got to do is sneak round inside, find the activation circuit and, well, deactivate it. Easy peasy."
The Doctor scurried into the opening. Mason, meanwhile, rushed over to the electric bars that held Ana just out of reach. "Ana!" he called out.
Ana, hesitantly, looked up, her face moist and her eyes puffy from crying. "Mason?" she called out, not believing it could possibly be him. "Mason!" She ran to him. "I can't believe it. How did we get here and, while we're at it, where is here?"
"You got shot with some kind of kind of transporting gun and the Doctor used it on us both so we could come after you," Mason explained quickly. "We're on some kind of spaceship but that could put us anywhere. Don't worry, though. The Doctor's working on a way to get you out and then we'll figure out a way to get home."
"You're awfully sure of yourself," Ana said, smiling in spite of herself.
"You'd be amazed how much confidence a Doctor on your shoulder can bring you," Mason replied when, suddenly, the energy bars powered down.
In an instant, Ana embraced Mason. He stood, frozen for a moment before he hugged her back. Who knew what the next moment might bring, but in this one, they were both there, safe, and together.
The moment passed very quickly as Ana's grip stiffened. "I think we're in trouble!" she said.
Mason pulled away from her slowly and turned around to find a host of robots standing in a row staring intently at them.
"Well, that ought to take care of that and..." The Doctor popped his head up from inside the panel to see a small robot army. "Oh! Right then. Mason, have you got Ana there with you?"
Mason nodded, gripping Ana's hand tight.
"You will let the princess go and step away!" the robots said in unison.
"What?!" Ana and the Doctor exclaimed in unison.
"What are you talking about?" Ana asked. "Are you talking about me because, yeah... not a princess."
"Step away!" the robots repeated.
"And leave her with you?" Mason challenged. "Not a chance. We're not going anywhere except home. Right, Doctor?"
The Doctor was silent. Then, after a long time, he said, "I remember it. I remember everything. These robots are sentinels charged with the task of protecting Princess Cilia of the Ulian Empire. They had to take her away on this ship two years ago when the Ulians went to war with the Quintani. Anonymous threats were being made on the princess's life daily so no one could know where she was escaping to. That's why they only used robot forces; to keep her safe but something went wrong. After the war ended, the Ulians couldn't make contact with the ship. It was just... gone. There was a distress signal that had gone out, the TARDIS picked it up and I, well, I said I'd help."
"And?" Mason said. "What happened?"
"Well, I found the ship," the Doctor answered. "Thing is, though... the princess wasn't on it, was she? I tried to sort out what had happened but, you, you great big, robot dummies, fat load of good you were. They attacked me and, next thing I knew, I was Mason's Christmas present."
"Step away!" the robots said a third time.
"Oh, or you'll what?" the Doctor yelled. "This isn't your princess and that means you've got no reason to keep us here. You want to find her, then you need my help. Mason, don't be afraid. You and Ana come over here and get me. Blimey, I'm tired of being small."
Mason and Ana moved slowly, watching the robots, their gleaming red eyes looking on menacingly. Mason plopped the Doctor back on his shoulder.
"Now then," the Doctor said. "You going to show us what's going on or what?"
For a moment the robots just stood there, unmoving, unflinching, and utterly terrifying. Then, as though they'd suddenly lost interest, they simultaneously walked off.
The Doctor nodded towards where the robots were headed so Mason and Ana followed. All the way at the opposite end of the ship they discovered a large portal, like a mechanical doorway to nowhere and next to it a large, wooden police box.
