The Mad Woman in the Attic
Attic, 2059…
On a dark and stormy night, a young man and a young girl open the creaky door to the attic of 13 Bannerman Road. A lightning flash reveals an old woman and an old man by the skylight.
"Hello?" Adam asked.
"Who's there?" Old Jared asked. "What do you two want?"
"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you." Pyrrha said.
"No? No. You just wanted to see if the stories were true. You wanted to meet the mad old duo of Bannerman Road. Well, come closer, then. Take a look." Old Rani said.
"What're your names?" Adam asked.
"My name is Rani. Rani Chandra." Old Rani said.
"And I'm Jared." Old Jared said. "Jared Shay. Well, what do you want?"
He switches on a table lamp.
"It's just…" Adam said. "Well, at school, there's all these rumours about this place. About the both of you."
"What are you then? Are you nosy?" Old Jared asked.
"Inquisitive?"
"We remember being that. What year is it?" Old Rani asked.
"What?" Pyrrha asked.
"When two people are alone together, you tend to forget things." Old Jared said. "You forget people, places. Me, I lost track of time completely. And so did she. I don't even know what year it is."
"It's 2059, Mister Shay." Adam said.
"Call me Jared. Mister Shay makes me sound like a teacher. So, what are your names?"
"I'm Adam."
"And I'm Pyrrha." Pyrrha said.
"Pyrrha, as in Pyrrha Nikos?" Old Jared asked.
"Yes. Is that a problem? Are you okay?"
"Now I'm hallucinating a dead girl."
"I live across the road." Adam said.
"Jared wanted your name, not your life story. So what do you want, Adam and Pyrrha?" Old Rani asked.
"We want to know who you are." Pyrrha said. "That's all."
"Pah." Old Rani said, and photographs tumble from a box she was opening. "No! No."
"It's okay. I've got it." Pyrrha said.
"They're all I've got."
"Who are they?"
"Well, they're gone." Old Jared said. "Our friends, Rani's parents. They're gone. All of them. This old attic is full of ghosts. For us. Ghosts of the people we used to love."
Old Jared is sitting down on the chair, not knowing what to do now.
"Our friend Luke used to live here. He was the same age as me. Well, sort of. And he lived here with his mum. Sarah Jane Smith was mysterious and moody and, oh, you did not want to get on the wrong side of her." Old Rani said.
"She was like me, when I was younger. People did not want to piss me off. Because then all hell breaks loose. But Sarah Jane, she was wonderful. And so were my friends from Remnant. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang. They were called Team RWBY. And there were others too, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. We saved the world so many times." Old Jared said, sadly.
"You had other friends too besides them of course. Like Hibiki, Miku, Chris, Tsubasa Shirabe, Kirika, Maria, and Elfnein. You also had a lot of Magical Girl friends. And some friends who are survivors from a virtual reality game. It was called Sword Art Online. You had more friends than that, of course."
"Right, they were amazing. I loved them all. I had a big family."
"They changed our lives, and we never told them how grateful we were. Back then, everything moved so fast, and you never think about how it might end. The things we did. The people we met."
"People? What kind of people?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well, back then, it wasn't like today." Old Jared said. "Everyone knew about them. They saw the Daleks, the Cybermen, and the Noise. But they didn't know everything about aliens and the universe. And what we faced with our friends."
Jared's memories...
"I swear it was dead." Tosh said, as Jared looked down at her.
"It's okay, Tosh." Jared said, happily. "I'm here. So, Owen's hungover, yeah?"
"Yeah. When are you? In your timeline with the Doctor?"
"Oh, I just started. But I can't wait to be with you again. You and the rest of the team."
"Maybe its best that you don't have Teams RWBY or JNPR with you when you see us. Especially since last time."
"What happened last time?" Nora asked intrigued.
"A food fight happened in the Hub. Torchwood was split in half that day. And someone used all of the meal in the lab to wreck it."
"Sorry!" Pyrrha said, sadly.
"Coma, shock, hibernation, anything. What does it look like?" The Doctor asked, and he heard metal clattering nearby. "It's still here." The Doctor gestures to a soldier outside the door to come in and kneel by Toshiko, Jared, Nora, and Pyrrha. Behind a filing cabinet is...a pig? "Hello." The pig runs out on its hind legs. It is wearing a spacesuit. "Don't shoot!"
"On the red corner, it's Team JNPR!" Jared said, standing in the middle with the Monado Shield art up. "And on the blue corner, it's Team RWBY! I want a nice clean fight between all of you. Ah, forget it. Just go nuts!"
"Ahahahaha!" Nora said, in a sing-song voice, while all of Team JNPR are standing atop a tower of tables stacked in a ramshackle manner. "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"
"Justice will be swift!" Ruby said, stomping her foot on a table and pointing at Team JNPR. "Justice will be painful!" She crushes a carton of milk in her hand. "It will be delicious!"
"Yeah!" Team RWBY said, raising their fists simultaneously.
"Off with their heads!" Nora said, jumping down from the top of her tower, and the food fight begins.
"Yang! Turkey!" Ruby said, looking at Yang.
"And there goes Yang getting the turkey, as a substitute for her Ember Celica." Jared said, when he watches Yang rolls over to the turkeys and sticks her fists inside them, proceeding to block and punch the melons as they speed toward her. "Blake goes in for the breadsticks to help Yang break the melons. Yang punches the turkeys at Jaune knocking him out."
"Sayaka, this is probably the easiest thing you've ever done." The Doctor said, running towards a control lever. "Hold this down."
"What are you planning?" Sayaka asked, when the TARDIS comes alongside the taxi.
"I'm going to convince Donna to jump into the TARDIS."
"He's being a complete idiot." Kyoko said, as she and Jared are holding both doors of the TARDIS open.
"Yup." Jared said, as Sayaka is holding down the lever. "He is."
Ruby is lowering her hood, smiling sadly downward, "Hey, mom."
"It's okay, Ruby." Jared said, walking towards Ruby, as he looked down at the inscription that reads:Summer Rose-Thus Kindly I Scatter. "Let it all out."
"Sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been...well, things have been, pretty busy. Oh, Dad's here, too! He's, uh, you know...Dad." Ruby said, shrugging her shoulders. "He's still teaching at Signal. But he told me that he's going to be on some mission soon. I think he misses adventuring with you." She looks forlornly. "I miss you too."
"You not remembering your mother that well, reminds me so much of my aunt. Who I miss dearly. Talk about our times at Beacon, Little Red."
"Oh yeah." Ruby said, pausing a moment to think. "Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! So that's cool. I think being on a team with Yang helps. Keep her in line...that was a joke. She's actually a really great fighter! You can tell she's learned a lot from Dad! Oh, so are Weiss and Blake. Oh! They're my teammates! Together, we form Team RWBY! And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion. Anyways, I made a bunch of new friends, and then I met some...let's just say, uh, odd teachers."
"Odd as in Port and Oobleck." Jared said, laughing a lot. "I'm one of Ruby's new friends by the way, I'm Jared."
"Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys, too! I guess it's like they say...like mother, like daughter! I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But uh, I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he's starting to sound like Uncle Qrow." Ruby said, as a bark alerts her to the ever-adorable Zwei and the sight of her father, Taiyang Xiao Long, in the trees behind her. "Oh! Looks like Dad's back! I gotta go! He's dropping me and Jared off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission. Wish me luck!"
"You're gonna be great out there." Jared said, as Ruby puts the hood back on and starts to walk away. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not gonna lose you, or Weiss, or Blake, or Yang. Or Team JNPR. I won't ever leave any of you. Because I don't want to see you guys upset. And it would break my heart."
"I know." Ruby said, turning to deliver one final message to her mother. "It was good to talk."
With that said, Ruby jogs back to her family and Jared as a group of crows fly into the sun to make a very familiar sight.
"This has been a long year." Nagisa said, as she looked down at Kyubey. "What will we do with the Incubator?"
"That thing has caused us all pain and suffering." Kyoko said, using her ring to transform into her magical girl look. "I say we end it here and now."
"Why can't we talk things through with it?" Jared asked, as he walked away for a moment.
"Do you know what each of us went through?" Sayaka asked.
"So what? Let's hear what it had to say."
"What's going on here is not what I had in mind." Kyubey said. "Each of you turned into witches one way or another. A food supply or an energy source."
"That does not give you a right to exist in this world." Jared said, grabbing a gun from Homura. "I've spent years avoiding you. And what you made these girls go through..."
"You want to end it here and now. But I'm not the one you want to kill."
"Yes, you are. Thanos won't come into play for like ten years."
"I can do this." Homura said, walking over to Jared and grabbing her gun back. "With everyone in red alert. I'll be locked up."
Abruptly, Ruby's and Jared's eyes narrow and there's a beat before they open, a dangerous look in them.
"Let's go." Ruby said, her head moves forward and she crouches. Her cloaks arches upward toward her body and Ruby transforms into a swirl of rose petals. The swirl propels itself forward through the air. As it reaches the first Beowolf, Ruby is seen in slow motion, petals behind her, swinging her scythe at the Grimm.
"Oh no you don't." Jared said, knocking the Grimm out, when he shot it down, and Ruby lands on her feet. "You do one, I'll handle the other."
"Right. And, thanks for the save." Ruby said, taking out one Grimm and Jared took out the other.
"Eight against two." Jared said, transforming his bow and arrow into a sword. "That's totally fair."
Moving into the circle of beowolves behind the two of them, Ruby and Jared slash at them, taking out a total of eight before running to attack the ninth.
"Um, why a bow and sword combo?" Ruby asked, when Jared took out the ninth Beowulf.
"Because I love to snipe and go in head on." Jared said, while two more Beowolves put themselves in front of him and Ruby. "I've changed ever since I started traveling with you."
"Oh, if that's what you want. I mean, it's a bit soon. I had so many places I had wanted to take you and Jared. The Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade, the Lightning Skies of Cotter Palluni's World, Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko. Thank you. Thank you, Donna Noble, it's been brilliant. You've, you've saved my life and Jared's in so many ways. You're..." The Doctor said, his eyes widening.
"And the penny drops." Jared said, laughing a lot. "It took him two minutes to realize what Donna meant."
"...you're just popping home for a visit, that's what you mean."
"Why did it take him that long?" Hibiki asked.
"I don't know." Jared said, finishing the cup of milk tea.
"How's Kirika and Shirabe?"
"I don't know."
"Ready when you are, sir." Jenkins said.
"What's more, you can give me a lift. Come on. Tsubasa and Maria are there, right? Broken moon of what?" Donna asked.
"But we have to try, if not for us, then for the people we've already..." Ruby said, writing before stopping and crossing out the last few words as she alters her statement. "Then for the people we haven't lost yet."
"Better, I still have loads of adventures to go on." Jared said, and Ruby finishes writing, the note is shown and two tears fall on the page. "With you, with Weiss, with Blake, and Yang. Ren, Nora, and Jaune too. I'm gonna miss Donna Noble a lot overtime, even if I felt like I spent too much time with you."
"I miss you so much. I miss Weiss and Blake too. But I think you'd all be proud to know that I made it to Mistral. All of us did, and we even ran into Uncle Qrow along the way." Ruby said, and she continued saying what she is writing aloud.
Qrow pushes himself over with one arm and grunts while propping up his head with the other hand. Ruby stops writing to check on him.
"Hey, aren't I normally the one saving you?" Qrow asked.
"You saving Ruby? That's my thing!" Jared said, laughing a lot. "I may have lost her in one timeline, in one parallel world. But I'm, I'm gonna save her more than you in this one!"
"Alright then. It's a competition to see who can save my niece more." Qrow said.
Christina is buckling on her harness, "Nothing yet."
"What is she doing?" Ruby asked, looking over at Christina.
"She's doing something incredibly stupid!" Jared said, tossing Ruby more chocolate chip cookies. "I know how much you love them."
"Jared..." Ruby said. "We've gone through four packs of Chips Ahoy already. Why can't I have some milk?"
"Because I left it back in Walnut's."
"You left it with Manaka? A bad chef?!"
"You'll need more than Bluster to beat me." Nanoha said, happily.
"Where would you find a one-legged dog? Where you left him." Rani said.
"Mister Spellman, it's time you faced your punishment." Fate said.
"Hey, what's this? Rani's nicking my material. And Nanoha and Fate are nicking Chuggaconroy's material." Clyde said.
"Stop this. Stop it now." Spellman said.
"From 2008 to present day." Jared said, walking towards Spellman. "This is why I watch Chuggaaconroy. He makes me laugh with all of his bad puns and jokes. I'm not scared. I forgot I had everyone here by my side."
"What's wrong, Mister Spellman? Does the sound of laughter upset you? Does it frighten you?" Sarah asked.
"You will fear me!" Spellman said, and for a moment Spellman is both the ring master and Odd Bob.
"He's getting weaker." Rani said.
"Two fish in a tank. One says to the other, do you know how to drive this?" Clyde asked.
"I guess that he's hot under to collar." Nanoha said.
"What's going on?" Clyde asked.
"You are convicted of multiple offences. Justice will be swift." Tybo said.
"Justice will be painful. It will be..." Jared said, getting a glare from Yui. "Not the time."
"No." Yui said, sadly.
Just as Tybo points his gun at Clyde, Rani, Kako, and Akira, the building shakes.
"It's the nanoforms, they're attacking the building. Run!" Clyde said.
"Go jo go!" Tybo said.
Haresh, Gita, Nanaka, and Akira arrive.
"Let's head back!" Nanaka said.
Attic, 2059...
"Don't monsters and aliens scare you?" Old Jared asked. "Not even a little bit?"
"Not even the one behind you now?" Old Rani asked.
Adam and Pyrrha look over their shoulders. Rani and Jared laugh.
"Yeah, funny. If the both of you had all these friends, if you guys had such great lives, how did you two end up like this?" Adam asked.
"It's because we made a mistake." Old Jared said. "And it was the biggest mistake ever."
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.
"When I was a girl, I wanted to be a journalist." Old Rani said.
"Meanwhile I wanted to be a hero, when I met Team RWBY. I always wanted to be a hero. Help people, save their lives." Old Jared.
"Every morning, I'd go on the internet looking for stories, things that might be worth investigating."
"I decided to help out Rani because I was bored. And I do mean bored. I was grounded and down to Earth."
"One morning, it was a Saturday, we found something with Jared that we thought could be…"
Attic..
In the here and now.
"Totally worth investigating." Rani said.
"It really is worth investigating." Jared said, sipping on some bubble tea. "Come on, I want to help people. Save some lives. Investigate a bit."
"We've been talking to Maria." Luke said.
"So? It's just Maria Jackson."
"Wait till you see what we've found. There were these strange lights around the BT Tower, and they're saying it was lightning." Rani said.
"Rani…" Sarah Jane said.
"We were thinking that might just be what they want us to think, because…"
"Rani!"
"Well, it could have been a spaceship. Come on, there could have been aliens up there. Like Noise. Or possibly something else. I want to beat it up." Jared said.
"Rani, Jared, it was lightning. Mister Smith checked it out this morning. It really was just lightning." Sarah Jane said.
"Oh. Right." Rani said.
"Maria's been helping the government hide aliens." Luke said.
"What?" Rani asked.
"Really?" Jared asked.
"Haven't you heard? She's the new Sarah Jane." Clyde said.
"Oh, last week, she met a race of aliens who look exactly like the Fimbles." Luke said.
"Oh, she was winding you up."
"Oh no, she wasn't. I've met the Zodin before. Stripy, and they're odd. No, you wouldn't laugh. You really wouldn't." Sarah Jane said.
"That's cool." Rani said.
"Let's go Rani, they don't want us here." Jared said, walking away with Rani. "I want to hang at your place."
Rani goes back home with Jared.
Attic, 2059…
"It really wasn't cool. Maria was this girl they knew before me and Jared who'd moved to America. And so that morning, it just felt like we weren't one of the gang. And we were annoyed with Sarah Jane because it was like she hadn't taken us seriously. Then I got an e-mail. They weren't the only ones with friends from before we met. Samuel Lloyd." Old Rani said.
"Was he your boyfriend?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, nothing like that. We were best friends back in Danemouth. That was where we lived before we moved to London. We stayed in touch for a while at least, then he went quiet. He'd stopped e-mailing, stopped texting. He'd just stopped. But that Saturday, out of the blue, he e-mailed me. He'd found something suspicious which he wanted me to investigate."
"I didn't want Rani to go alone to investigate something cool. I asked her if I could come. She said yes, because we were feeling the same thing at the time. Being left out or forgotten." Old Jared said. "I knew I was intruding, but what was I supposed to do?"
Danemouth railway station…
"Sam! Sam!" Rani said.
"Hi, Rani." Sam said.
"It's so good to see you. What happened? You disappeared off Facebook and everything."
"Who's this?" Sam asked, looking at Jared.
"I'm Jared. I'm one of Rani's friends. I thought three heads were better than two. I love investigating stuff. Like her." Jared said, smiling.
"Come on."
Seafront…
"So, why haven't you come to visit me yet? I told you, London's brilliant. I don't remember it being so dead here. Are you all right?" Rani asked.
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Sam asked.
"It's just. Why did you start ignoring me?"
"I didn't. It doesn't matter."
"It does matter, it matters to Rani." Jared said, looking between Rani and Sam. "Yes, I have no business interrupting. But I care about Rani, and you made her concerned about you."
"Jared's right, I do care about you, Sam. But we said. When I moved away, we said we'd stay friends. I missed you. You were my best mate." Rani said.
"I was busy, okay? Anyway, you had London and Sarah Jane Smith and the aliens. And you told me that Jared had Remnant and Teams RWBY and JNPR and Grimm."
"I told you that was a secret. You haven't told anyone, have you?" Rani asked.
"You told me you and Jared deal with that stuff, so deal with it." Sam said.
"Wow. Even the Pleasure Park's closed down." Rani said.
"This looked like a fun amusement park." Jared said, sipping on some bubble tea.
"It was."
"So, what happened? Why is it abandoned?"
"Over the past three months, four people have disappeared. They were homeless, so no-one cared. This kid came down one night and broke in. He said he saw a demon in the Haunted Mine." Sam said.
"A what?" Rani asked.
"A red demon. He said it was like fire, you know? Living fire." Sam said.
"I bet it was lit." Jared said, happily. "Sorry, slang from next decade."
"And what does lit mean?"
"Oh, was it cool?"
"I guess. Don't know, really." Sam said.
"What about you? Have you seen anything?" Rani asked.
"I haven't been in there. That's why I e-mailed you, Rani. I just didn't expect you to bring Jared. You and him do this kind of thing." Sam said.
"So, this kid saw something." Jared said. "And it has to do with the missing people."
Sam walks away.
"Sam!" Rani said, angrily.
"You two investigate the mystery. That's what you lot do, isn't it?" Sam asked.
Pleasure Park…
Rani climbs in over the wall with Jared, "Who needs a sonic lipstick?"
"Not us." Jared said, walking next to Rani. "I don't need a sonic screwdriver either. It's too much of a plot convenience anyway."
Rani records notes as she and Jared walks around, "This is Rani Chandra, with Jared Shay investigating the Danemouth Pleasure Park. It's deserted, empty, and if Sam says there's a demon here, we'll find it."
"Rani, did you hear that?" Jared asked.
Adam, Pyrrha, and their older selves are listening to the recordings.
"Yes, I did. There's something moving." Rani said.
"Hello? I can see you, you know." Harry said.
A white haired man in a blue cotton coat.
"Sorry. A kid threw my rucksack in here. Me and my friend had to climb over the fence." Rani said.
"Well, now you've got it, the both of you'd best be on your way." Harry said.
"I think I've twisted my ankle." Rani said.
"And I think I got a stomach ache. I drank too much soda on the way here." Jared said, rubbing his tummy.
"Oh. Well, you should er…" Harry said.
"Is there somewhere we could sit down? Please, it really hurts." Rani said.
Office…
"This is, er, my office." Harry said.
"Okay." Jared said, his hand on his stomach.
"What're your names?" Harry asked.
"Rani. Rani Chandra." Rani said.
"And I'm Jared. Jared Shay." Jared said.
"Well, Rani, Jared, I'm Harry Sowersby. Now, you really shouldn't be here, you know. It's not safe." Harry said.
"Well, you're here."
"Well, I'm the caretaker, I'm meant to be here. How's your ankle, Rani?" Harry asked.
"It still hurts." Rani said, and she sits at his desk.
"And Jared, how's your stomach?"
"I've lived through this hundreds of times. But I shouldn't have drunk and walked." Jared said, picking up a picture of a young man in front of a merry-go-round. "Is this you?"
"Er, yes. Look, do you both want me to call someone?" Harry asked, as Jared showed Rani the picture.
"You were so good looking. And really…" Rani said.
"Young. Yeah. I suppose I was, really. Yeah, that was just out there, you know. Oh, fifty years ago now. This land, this town, it's meant so much to so many children. But it's all gone now." Harry said.
"What happened?" Jared asked.
"The credit crunch. People can't afford to have fun any more."
"So now it's just you. Living here, feeling all nostalgic about how fun it is. Or was."
"Until they sell the land, that's right."
"Just you, here, alone. You know, it's just I heard there might be something else here. In the Haunted Mine?" Rani asked.
"No." Harry said.
"Sorry?"
"There's nothing here. I think the both of you should go."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"Just go. Don't look back. Please." Harry said.
"Playtime is beginning." Someone on the speaker said.
"What's that?" Jared asked. "What's that noise? What's happening?"
"Playtime is beginning."
"Yeah, right, it's just you here." Rani said.
"Playtime is beginning."
"No one is alone, really. Not ever." Jared said, grabbing Rani's hand. "Let's go, Rani."
Rani and Jared leave. The mirror on the cabinet goes dark, then a red female face appears.
"Playtime must begin." Ship said.
Pleasure Park…
"Okay…" Jared said, sadly.
Rani and Jared see four people leaving the Haunted Mine.
"Hello? Hi." Rani said.
"Hey!" Jared said, squeezing Rani's hand.
They walk straight past them. Rani records her observation with Jared as the people each get onto a different ride. They smile, and their eyes are red.
"Well, this is weird. Four people on the rides. How did they get in? And what's happened to their eyes?" Rani asked. "Jared, got any ideas?"
"No. It's like I'm trying to remember what happened. But I can't. There's this mental block. Maybe it's guilt. Or regret. I don't know." Jared said, when the rides start up. "Why are they smiling? It's the…"
Attic, 2059…
"The way they were just smiling…" Old Jared said.
"Well, then what?" Pyrrha asked.
"Sarah Jane Smith, of course." Old Rani said.
Attic...
Luke and Clyde are playing table football. They appear to have a league competition going from the blackboard behind them.
"Either of you heard from Rani and Jared?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Not since they came round earlier." Clyde said.
"Gita just phoned. Rani told her she was spending the day with us and Jared." Sarah Jane said.
"Why would she lie to her mum? And isn't that Aqours?" Luke asked, spotting Jared's necklace on a table. "Why did Jared leave it behind?"
"I don't know. Oh, I hope they weren't upset about earlier." Sarah Jane said.
"What are you on about?" Clyde asked.
"Well, I was maybe a bit dismissive about the lightning at the BT Tower." Sarah Jane said.
"They aren't answering their phones. And Jared, he has his phone connected to his Apple Watch. He should have felt it vibrate like crazy." Luke said.
"You think that's where they've gone?" Clyde asked.
"I told them we'd already looked into it. Rani lied to her mum. And Jared must have felt the same thing Rani felt. They're up to something." Sarah Jane said.
"Well, then I guess we'd better find out what. Oh no. I seem to have left a really important book at Rani's house. You're not going to ask what book?" Clyde asked.
"There isn't one. It's a trick to see if there's a clue over there." Luke said.
"Lukey-boy, you're learning."
Pleasure Park��
"Hello? Can you hear me?" Rani asked.
"Hey!" Jared said, squeezing Rani's hand. "Can't you hear us?"
"Playtime is over. Playtime is over. Playtime is over." Someone on the speaker said.
The rides stop.
Rani's phone rings, "Not now, Luke."
Jared's iPhone and Apple Watch rings, "Great Luke contacted Asuna. Now she's calling me."
"Playtime is over. Playtime is over." Someone on the speaker said.
Jared's phone and watch keep ringing, "Now he got in contact with Miku?"
Rani's phone started ringing again, "Jared, it's Ruby."
The people have stopped smiling.
Attic…
Clyde returns, out of breath, with a piece of paper, "Rani got an e-mail. From an old mate. Sam Lloyd. Danemouth. Missing people. So many stairs."
"Danemouth? Isn't that where Rani used to live?" Luke asked.
"I thought I could trust them." Sarah Jane said.
"Mum?"
"Rani's been telling this boy about everything we do. And Jared told everyone he knows about everything we do too. Mister Smith, I need you."
"What can I do for you, Sarah Jane?" Mr Smith asked.
"Sam Lloyd, 15. Living in a town called Danemouth. Can you find him?"
"Searching. Samuel Lloyd. Born 23rd June, 1994. Currently resides in the Saint Anthony's Children's Home."
"He's in care?"
"His parents died in 2001 in a car accident."
"Poor kid. Right, come on." Sarah Jane said.
"Where are we going?" Luke asked.
"Danemouth, of course."
Attic, 2059…
"They were so worried. About us." Old Jared said. "Especially me. I got reckless. Violent and destructive too."
"Why? The two of you weren't kids." Pyrrha said.
"Did you tell anyone where you were going tonight? So nobody knows where you are? We are the mad old duo of Bannerman Road. We could eat children, for all you know." Old Rani said.
"Mister Smith, I think I need you." Adam said.
"He stopped working years ago. He died."
"The same with Aqours. She died. And I felt the faith and hope I had with being a part of the Law of Cycles. The optimism with it too. It left me forever."
Old Rani turns on the old recording.
"They're definitely possessed by something. They've got red eyes and they're just sitting on the rides." Rani said, her voice coming out of the tape recorder.
Pleasure Park…
"Rani, it's alien. Really alien. There's an alien here somewhere. Finally!" Jared said, jumping up and down.
"Rani, your ankle seems to have got better quickly. And Jared, you got over your stomach ache." Harry said.
"Are you an alien? We've met them before. We're not scared of you." Rani said, as Jared is standing next to her.
"Oh, sweetheart, you wouldn't understand. The both of you should just go."
"You're keeping these people here as prisoners.��� Jared said. "I won't abide by it. They could be hurt."
"It's not like that. They're happy."
"Prepare for playtime." Someone on the speaker said.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked.
"They came from in there." Rani said.
"Rani, Jared, where are you going?"
"We're gonna find out what's in there." Jared said. "And you can't stop us. Let's go, Rani!"
Rani and Jared run into the Haunted Mine, followed by Harry.
"Playtime must begin." Someone on the speaker said.
The people on the rides smile again.
Haunted Mine…
"Rani, Jared, please, go home." Harry said.
"Not till we know what's going on here." Jared said.
"There's nothing going on. Everything's fine."
St Anthony's Childrens Home…
Sarah Jane, Clyde and Luke have driven down to Danemouth.
"I'll do the talking." Sarah Jane said.
Sam's room...
He is lying on his bed.
"Thanks, Mrs Chang. We shouldn't be long." Sarah Jane said.
Knock on the door.
"It's open. Clyde Langer, Luke Smith and Sarah Jane Smith." Sam said.
The three enter.
"All right, Sammy? How's things?" Clyde asked.
"My name is Sam." Sam said.
"Yeah. Er, Rani told us about you. Said you were good mates."
"We were."
"I know about your parents. It's not easy, is it?" Sarah Jane asked.
"I was just a kid. I'm fine." Sam said.
"My parents died when I was young. I know that it's never fine."
"I'll tell you where Rani and Jared are. You don't have to be nice to me. They're with her."
Attic, 2059…
"Who? Who was she?" Adam asked.
"A demon. More like the demon. More of one than Homura Akemi would become." Old Jared said.
Control Room…
Lots of CCTV monitors, and a few deckchairs stacked by the wall. And a person standing in the shadows.
"It's not what you think. She's not a bad girl." Harry said.
"Hi, I'm Jared. And this is Rani. Who is she?" Jared asked.
"She's my little girl. She's my Eve. She just wants to play." Harry said, locking Rani and Jared in.
"Harry? What's going on? Hello? Are you all right?" Rani asked.
The figure turns and speaks telepathically. It is the red-faced female from the mirror.
"Are you my new friends?" Eve asked, telepathically.
St Anthony's Childrens Home…
"A demon?" Luke asked.
"It must be an alien. We've got to get to the park and find Rani and Jared." Clyde said.
"Someone should stay here and talk to Sam. He knows more than he's telling." Sarah Jane said.
"I'll stay. I think I can get through to him." Luke said.
"Come on, Miss Smith. I still need you." Clyde said.
Control Room…
"My name's Rani. Rani Chandra." Rani said.
"And I'm Jared. Jared Shay." Jared said. "It's okay, the both of us met aliens before."
"I know." Eve said, telepathically.
"Right. So you can read our minds." Rani said.
"The both of you don't need to keep proving yourself."
"What?" Rani asked.
"Rani, you're worried that your parents are disappointed in you, especially your dad." Eve said, telepathically. "And Jared, you're worried that Weiss, Blake, and Yang will be furious at you, especially Weiss."
"So what, the ice queen gets mad at me for being hot headed, reckless, and ruthless." Jared said, crossing his arms. "But she knows I'm still kind and optimistic."
"The both of you hide it behind jokes and laughter, but it's there, deep down."
"That's only to hide how I really feel about things."
"Rani, you worry about a girl called Maria. Jared, you worry about a team of girls called Symphogear."
"They've got someone that optimistic and reckless on their team. Hibiki Tachibana. She almost died each and every time without Miku."
"Rani, you worry that Sarah Jane Smith doesn't think you're as good as her. And Jared, you worry that Team RWBY doesn't think you're as good as them."
"Okay, can you not read our minds?" Rani asked.
"The both of you shouldn't worry. I can see how they look at you. Just glimpses. They love you. They're proud of you. You should be happy." Eve said, telepathically.
"I am happy." Rani said, telepathically.
"I'm happy too. Sarah Jane helped put me back on track. Along with Clyde, Luke, and Rani. After what I did with Torchwood." Jared said, telepathically.
"You're amazing. For knowing us that well."
"You really are."
"I know." Eve said.
Seafront…
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Clyde asked.
"I knew I should have brought Luke. He moans less than you." Sarah Jane said.
"I run faster, though."
"Hey, I was holding back so you could keep up."
"Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Hey, Rani and Jared are going to be okay."
"Easy to say. And if they aren't, I brought you all into this."
"Like you had a choice." Clyde said.
"What?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Well, we chose you, you didn't choose us."
"No, I don't think so."
"You are getting old, you know. Your memory's going."
Sarah Jane pauses, then laughs, "Come on. Oh, you're not going to take an old lady's hand? I might fall if you don't."
"It's all right. I've got my mobile phone, so I can call the ambulance if your hip goes."
Control room…
"Zac Efron?" Eve asked.
"Okay, stop it now." Rani said.
"He is fit."
"Stop it."
"And Casey Lee Williams?" Eve asked.
"Please stop." Jared said, laughing a little.
"She does have a nice singing voice."
"Please, stop."
"Both of your minds are so full of such. Oh, there's so much in there. The things you're going to see, the things you've seen." Eve said.
"Us? You're from up there, you must have seen loads. I mean, what's your planet like?" Rani asked.
"I don't know."
"What is it?"
"There was a war, and it was a long time ago."
"You know about my life." Rani said.
"And you know about mine." Jared said. "What happened?"
"There were these two races, and they had a war. My people weren't involved, but because we could read the timelines, they attacked us. So many were exterminated. My parents put me in a ship and sent me out into space." Eve said.
"So, you became an evacuee. Like Superman." Jared said. "And you lost them to the Daleks, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to hear that."
"I was so young. I can see into both your minds. Rani, I can see what your mum and dad look like. And Jared, I can see what your mum and dad look like too. I can't remember my mum's face." Eve said.
Outside the Pleasure Park…
Sarah Jane sonicks the gate controls.
"I could have climbed over." Clyde said.
"My way's more stylish." Sarah Jane said.
Control room…
"So is Harry keeping you prisoner?" Jared asked.
"He says it's dangerous outside." Eve said.
"He sounds like my dad." Rani said.
"More like he sounds like social media and the news." Jared said. "They make it seem like it's dangerous. It depends on where you're going."
"Adults are boring. They should just let us play." Eve said.
"What about those people outside? The ones on the rides?" Rani asked.
"They're my friends."
"The hell did you do to them?" Jared asked.
"They were lonely. Sad. Now they're having fun."
Pleasure Park…
"Hello? Are you all right? Stupid question." Clyde said.
"Hello? Can you see me? Hello!" Sarah Jane said.
"Hello? My name's Harry. I'm the caretaker here. Can I help you?" Harry asked.
Sam's room…
"Why are you still here, Luke?" Sam asked.
"I want to get to know you. You're Rani's friend and so are we." Luke said.
"She's not my friend. Not any more."
"What do you mean?"
"You never had someone leave you? Someone you thought was your best friend for ever?"
"I had a friend called Maria. She moved to America."
"Yeah, but you've got your mum. And Clyde."
"Don't you have any other friends?"
"No." Sam said.
"But there are kids here. Kids you could be friends with. You don't have to be alone." Luke said.
"I'm not alone."
The red face is in his mirror.
Office...
"Why would anybody come here? I mean, we've shut down." Harry said.
"What about the zombies out there?" Clyde asked.
"They're just messing about."
"They didn't seem to be having much fun to me." Sarah Jane said.
"Look, I haven't seen the boy and girl. I mean, why would they come here anyway?" Harry asked.
"Rani and Jared are interested in the history of Danemouth."
"Yeah. Cos they're…" Clyde said, snorting.
Clyde extends thumb and forefinger, and puts his hand to his forehead.
"I don't even know what that is." Sarah Jane said.
"It's not like they'd find anything, anyway. You know what they're like. They're stupid." Clyde said.
"Oi. That's rather rude, young man." Harry said.
"You've never met them, mate. They're thick and stupid."
"That's a horrible thing to say about your friends."
"True, though."
"Well, I thought they seemed all…"
"Gotcha."
"They're safe. You've got to believe me."
Control Room…
"Eve, you have to let those people go, and then I can help you get home." Rani said.
"But you won't tell your mum about me." Eve said.
"What?"
"And Jared, I know you want to help me too. But you don't want to confront Weiss, Blake, and Yang sooner."
"It's because I felt like I wasn't ready to see them again. Not at that state."
"Rani, Jared, you find it so difficult."
"Find what difficult?" Jared asked.
"For Rani, it's GCSEs and Judoon. Your parents and Sarah Jane Smith. And for you, Jared, it's Lake Silencio and Trenzalore. Team RWBY and Symphogear."
"Sometimes it's hard, yeah. Trying to do it all. Having to keep this sort of thing secret." Rani said.
"It really is hard, but I managed to tell the people I trust about it." Jared said, smiling.
Eve looks deep into Rani's eyes and Jared's eyes at the same time and sucks out memories.
"What are you doing?" Jared asked.
"I told you, I'm sensitive to time. I can see both of your pasts. Rani, Jared, sometimes you feel left out or you felt like you're left behind."
"It was lightning. Mister Smith checked it out this morning." Sarah Jane said, through a memory.
"Maria's been helping aliens hide from the government. She's the new Sarah Jane." Luke said, through a memory.
"It's not like that. Not really." Rani said.
"It really isn't like that at all. I'm happy for my friends to find new things afterwards." Jared said, grabbing Rani's hand.
"It's okay, I can see how it could have made you feel. I can see how it would have hurt the both of you." Eve said.
"It was a one-off. We overreacted." Rani said.
"Sarah Jane, Luke, and Clyde, have been trying to contact you, Rani. And Team RNJR, Symphogear, and the SAO survivors have been trying to contact you, Jared, and I know Magical Girls will try to contact you too. But the both of you want to punish them. You need them, Rani, Jared. The two of you are lost without them." Eve said.
"I'm not. I don't need them." Rani said.
"And neither do I. I'm tired of all this. Of all these adventures. People are constantly worrying about me." Jared said.
Rani's phone rings, "I wish they'd just leave me alone."
"And I wish I lived a normal, happy life again. Away from all this." Jared said. "Away from all the danger. I want to settle down for once. Get some peace and quiet once in a while. While still having a conversation with someone I like. A place to come back to after having adventures."
Office…
"Where are they, Harry?" Sarah Jane asked.
"I can't say." Harry said.
"Fine. I'll just call the police."
The face appears in the mirror.
"Sarah Jane Smith." Ship said.
"What is that?" Clyde asked.
"Harry, bring her to me."
Harry takes Sarah Jane's arm. She gasps.
Sam's room…
"What is that?" Luke asked.
Sam grabs Luke's arm, making him gasp.
Office…
"Sarah Jane?" Clyde asked.
"I wish to know who Sarah Jane Smith is. And I wish to know who Luke Smith is." Ship said.
Control room…
"Do either of you want to see your future?" Eve asked.
"I don't think it's a good idea." Jared said.
"Why? What harm can it do?"
"But. It's wrong." Rani said.
"Is that what Sarah Jane and the Doctor tells you?"
"Let's do it." Rani said.
"Yeah, I don't care at this point. I know the future up to a certain extent." Jared said, happily.
"Are you sure you want to see? It'll make everything clearer." Eve said.
"Do it!" Rani said.
"I know I can change it if I wanted to." Jared said.
Ship/Eve's face appears in the mirror.
"See your future." Eve said.
"I can see it!" Rani said, happily.
"Me too." Jared said. "It's nice not knowing what will happen."
"My name is Rani. Rani Chandra." Old Rani said.
"And I'm Jared." Old Jared said. "Jared Shay. Well, what do you want?"
"Oh God, make it stop. Please! No! I can't become that!" Rani said, terrified.
"Holy shit! I can't become that!" Jared said, backing away in fear. "Anything but that!"
Rani and Jared are staring at their older selves in the mirror.
"We're so lost, alone together. The mad old duo of Bannerman Road!" Old Rani said, in the mirror.
Attic, 2059…
Adam is lighting candles.
"They read our timelines. Ship showed Luke his past." Old Jared said.
"All he needs now is a name. I like Luke." Sarah Jane said, through a memory.
"I like Luke." Luke said, through a memory.
"I'm going to miss you so much." Maria said, through a memory.
"And then his future. I saw all of that except the university part. Since that adventure didn't air on TV." Old Jared said.
Luke's graduation from university.
Office...
"The darkness." Ship said.
"What?" Clyde asked.
"The things she's seen."
"She showed Sarah Jane her whole life." Old Rani said.
"I'm Sarah Jane Smith." Young Sarah said, from the Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith.
"I'm a journalist. Sarah Jane Smith." Sarah Jane said, in the Time Warrior.
"Danger, Mistress." K9 said, in the Five Doctors.
"Don't forget me." Sarah Jane said, in the Hand of Fear.
"Don't you forget me." The 4th Doctor said, in the Hand of Fear.
Attic, 2059…
"And then her future, too." Old Rani said.
"She saw the TARDIS. On her wedding day." Old Jared said. "An event I never experienced with Rani. Something I would have loved to see."
Office...
The Tardis is materialising in the attic. The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part 2.
"He is returning, He is coming back." A voice said.
Sarah Jane snaps out of the trance.
"What happened? What did that thing do to her?" Clyde asked.
"Bring her back." Ship said.
"Oh, I don't think so." Clyde said.
"The darkness. I saw it in her mind. We need the darkness. It is our future." Eve said.
Control Room…
"Rani?" Eve asked. "Jared?"
"Why did you show me that?" Rani asked.
"And me. Why show me that?" Jared asked.
"Rani, I thought it would stop the confusion in your head about your mum, and GCSEs and boys and…" Eve said. "And Jared, I thought it would stop the confusion in your head about Team RWBY, and Symphogear and the Doctor and…"
"We're going to end up like that? Me as an old woman? And Jared as an old man?" Rani asked.
"That, that wasn't the future I imagined I would be living." Jared said, sadly. "Even after I pushed the Holy Quintet away during the 456 invasion."
"We could feel it. We were…"
Attic, 2059…
"So lonely." Old Rani said.
"We saw this. This future right here. Our future. The one neither of us want to happen. Rani and I, we told ourselves…" Old Jared said.
Control Room…
"We won't let that happen." Rani said.
Attic, 2059…
"Whatever we do, we won't become…" Old Rani said.
Control Room…
"...Like that." Rani said.
"Yeah. Rani, I don't want us to be alone together. Ever. I want to have adventures, save the day, save lives, help people with Team RWBY, Symphogear, and the Doctor." Jared said, grabbing Rani's hand. "Me settling down with you, alone. Not gonna happen."
Attic, 2059…
"But it happened." Old Rani said.
"How?" Pyrrha asked.
"Because of what we did." Old Jared said.
Control Room…
"Right. We're not staying here. You're not staying here." Rani said.
"Look at me, Rani. I can't go outside." Eve said.
"You can go outside. And you're gonna go outside. We'll find your spaceship, and you can go home." Jared said, happily.
Sam's room…
Ship has vanished from the mirror.
"What just happened?" Luke asked.
"Calling Mummy?" Sam asked.
"Don't you think that was a bit weird?"
"You're the weird one. You're not even human."
"I am."
"I saw you. You were made. Like Frankenstein."
"Actually, I'm more like the creature. Frankenstein was the name of the man who made the creature."
"Rani said you were clever."
"She said a few things about you as well." Luke said.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"She was really upset when you started ignoring her."
"Yeah, right. She was too busy to be upset. She kept going on about you and Clyde and Sarah Jane and Jared, and space and Magical Girls and Sontarans. I was stuck here by myself. I couldn't listen to it any more."
"Rani told you about what we do. I get Jared since his friends are trustworthy and we met them. But do you know how big that is? That's breaking every rule. You tricked her into coming here."
"I didn't trick her. I asked her to come. And Jared wanted to come too."
"Why? Because someone saw something in a theme park? You'd been ignoring her for months."
"I was scared."
"It was you, wasn't it? You went into the park. You met the demon." Luke said.
"She's not a demon. She's called Eve, she's my friend. She, she read my mind and because I knew about Rani meeting aliens, and I knew Jared had friends that can travel between dimensions because Rani told me and that, Eve knew." Sam said.
"So she wanted you to bring Rani and Jared here?"
"Eve won't hurt them."
"Do you know that for sure?"
Pleasure Park…
"What do you mean, you saw your future?" Clyde asked.
"I saw the Tardis in the attic." Sarah Jane said.
"Sarah Jane, look at me. Okay. That face in the mirror, it's dangerous, okay? Rani and Jared are here somewhere. We have to find them."
"You're right. Sorry, come on."
They hear laughter from the Haunted Mine.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Clyde asked.
"The park's been closed for months." Sarah Jane said.
"And Harry seems like an organised kind of guy."
"So why's the door to the Haunted Mine open?"
"Sometimes, I think we're too good."
"Yes. I just hope there are no nasty surprises inside."
"For a change."
Haunted Mine…
"So, where did your ship crash?" Jared asked.
"Harry said he found me on the beach." Eve said.
"And he says it's not safe outside?" Rani asked.
"I guess he meant people would think I'm weird."
"It had to be a Haunted Mine, didn't it?" Clyde asked.
"You're not scared, are you?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Me Clyde. Me not get scared."
"After everything we've seen?"
"Me get scared sometimes. You?"
"Me? Nah."
Until one of the puppets makes her jump.
"So humans like being scared?" Eve asked.
"Nope, maybe. It's kinda hard to explain, Eve." Jared said.
"The universe is full of nightmares and you make fake ones."
"Yeah, we're weird." Rani said.
"I'm literally scared of stuff that was fiction to me. Now they're real, and I'm even more scared." Jared said.
"What is it?" Eve asked.
"I don't know." Rani said.
"It could be anything. I hope it isn't a Weeping Angel." Jared said, smiling.
"Did you hear something?" Clyde asked.
Sarah Jane nods. The two pairs confront each other with a shout.
"I feel a bit stupid now." Rani said.
"Where've you two been? We've been trying to call you lot. You both could have been lying in a ditch. Yeah, it's good to see you though, mate." Clyde said.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Well, this is Eve. She doesn't want to take over the world like the Daleks or the Cybermen." Jared said, excitedly. "She's cool. She's sweet. She's Eve."
"Are you sure about that? Because there's a mirror out there that can read minds." Sarah Jane said.
"And not forgetting the red-eyed zombies." Clyde said.
"She only wanted to make them happy." Rani said.
"Oh, Rani, Jared, you haven't got a clue what we're dealing with." Sarah Jane said.
"No, cos we're just stupid kids who never gets anything right."
Sam's room...
Luke enters with two mugs of drink, "They didn't have cups…"
He sees the post-it Sam has left on his computer screen. It's not Eve who wanted Rani and Jared.
Haunted Mine / Sam's room…
"Rani! Jared!" Sarah Jane said, angrily.
"Sarah, you didn't take me seriously at all. And you didn't take Rani seriously either, why should we listen to you?" Jared asked.
Jared walked away with Rani, upset.
Sarah Jane's phone rings, "Luke?"
"It's Sam. He's disappeared. He told me about someone called Eve. And there was a face in his mirror. Mum, he showed me my future." Luke said.
"Are you okay?" Sarah Jane asked.
"I'm fine."
"Right, stay there. Check his computer, go through his e-mail. I'll call you later."
Pleasure Park..:
"Rani. Jared. That mirror, or whatever it was, it's powerful. It read my mind. And it read Luke's, too. It told us our future." Sarah Jane said.
"No one can really know the future. It's always in flux. Time can be rewritten. Anyone can make their future whatever they want it to be. We can always change it." Jared said, grabbing Rani's hand.
"Oh, it's beautiful. Oh, the wind, the air. Oh, Rani, Jared." Eve said.
"Eve." Rani said.
"I want to play." Eve said, zapping the rides into action. "Oh yes. Oh, this is wonderful."
���Eve, stop. Please!" Jared said, squeezing Rani's hand. "You have to stop this! No one wants it!"
"She's controlling the rides." Sarah Jane said.
"Eve. What's going on? What are you doing out here? It's not safe. I've told you." Harry said.
"You've got to let these people go."
"They're getting faster." Clyde said.
"Eve, listen to me." Harry said.
"You can't tell me what to do. Rani and Jared brought me outside." Eve said.
"Come on. The mirror." Sarah Jane said, running off with Clyde.
Office…
"Mirror? Can you hear me?" Sarah Jane asked.
"What is your wish?" Ship asked.
"We'd like to know what's going on."
"Eve. Eve is outside. She must stop. Playtime is over."
Pleasure Park…
"Eve, stop it. You can't control people like this." Rani said.
"Please, sweetheart, come inside. Please." Harry said.
"Right. Suit yourself." Rani said.
"You want to control people like that, fine." Jared said, annoyed.
Rani and Jared walk away.
"Rani? Jared?" Eve asked.
"Eve, why do this?" Jared asked.
"Yeah, why Eve? I thought we were friends." Rani said.
"We are." Eve said.
"No, you're being bossy. You want friends to do whatever you want them to. You're acting too much like one of my cousins and the ice queen." Jared said, walking away with Rani.
"Don't go. You two can't leave me." Eve said.
"Yup, we are."
"And we can." Rani said.
"Oh, no. Really, you can't." Eve said.
Rani and Jared are stopped in their tracks. Sam arrives at the Park.
Office…
"You must bring her to me. She's too young. She cannot control her powers." Ship said.
"Who are you?" Clyde asked.
"I am Ship."
"Eve's spaceship." Sarah Jane said.
"Yes. My primary function is to keep Eve safe."
"So why did you let Harry take her?"
"Harry keeps her safe. I needed to reboot after the crash. Playtime keeps her occupied." Ship said.
"And how are you now?" Sarah Jane asked.
"I am at eighty seven percent. She must stop playing. She will die."
Pleasure Park…
A strong wind is blowing from Eve, Rani, and Jared, keeping Harry and Sam back.
"Eve? What's going on? Rani, Jared, I'm sorry." Sam said.
Rani and Jared turn. They have red eyes and big smiles.
"Rani! Jared! What have you done to them?" Sam asked, looking at Eve.
"They were scared of the future. Scared of growing old and being left. Now they'll be young and happy forever." Eve said.
"She's trying to control too much. She hasn't yet been taught how to use her powers. She is a child trying to be an adult and it will burn her mind." Ship said, telepathically.
The wind stops. Eve doubles over.
"Eve. Please, sweetheart, please stop this. You're making yourself ill." Harry said.
"What's happening to me?" Eve asked.
"The power in you, it's too much for you to cope with."
"What have you done to Rani and Jared? Let them go!" Clyde said.
"No. I don't want to be lonely." Eve said.
"You won't be. You've got me." Sam said.
"Eve, you've got to let them go. My parents died, and so did Sam's, and Clyde's dad walked out on him. Life isn't easy, Eve, but none of it means you've got to be alone. You need friends. Real friends. Not people you're forcing to stay with you." Sarah Jane said.
"Harry, what should I do?" Eve asked.
"Stop this. Let them go. It'll be fine." Harry said.
"Playtime is over."
"Rani? Jared?" Clyde asked.
"I can't. I can't do it." Eve said.
"You have to." Sarah Jane said.
"I can't. I don't know how."
The energy in Eve's body hurts her.
Attic, 2059…
"What about Ship? Why couldn't she stop it?" Adam asked.
"Only if they took Eve to her. They took her back to the beach." Old Rani said.
Beach…
"Do you know where your ship is?" Sam asked.
"Eve, can you sense it?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Yeah, it's, it's here." Eve said.
"Have you found it?" Clyde asked.
"Wait. I can feel it. I can feel her."
Something shiny shakes sand off its surface.
"Whoa!" Clyde said.
"Stand back." Eve said.
"That's a spaceship?" Sam asked.
"Open." Eve said, while a hatch in the top opens. "Ship."
"Careful." Sarah Jane said.
Spaceship…
"Eve. You are home." Ship said.
"Ship." Eve said.
"I am glad you are safe, Eve."
"Please, Ship. My head hurts. I want this to stop. I want my friends to be free."
"Place your hands on the core. I will draw the energy from you."
Pleasure Park…
Rani, Jared and the other four return to normal.
"What happened? Where is everyone?" Rani asked.
"They've gone to the beach to find Eve's ship." Harry said.
"Of course they did. My Sarah Jane would do that. Come on you guys, let's go!" Jared said, excitedly.
"No." Harry said.
"Come." Jared said, looking at Harry. "Come with us. Please."
"Jared's right. Eve needs you." Rani said.
Harry hands his bundle of keys to the nearest man, "I've got to go. Help yourselves to anything."
Spaceship…
"The ship was boosting Eve's energy, and now, it's taking it back." Sarah Jane said.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." Eve said, hugging Sam.
"Ship?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Sarah Jane Smith. It is good to meet you." Ship said.
"Ship, Eve's not going to be safe here on Earth. Not everyone's like Harry and Sam."
"That's why I needed you. The darkness."
"What do you mean?"
"The darkness is our fuel. I saw it in your mind. Black, black. I think you call it a black hole."
"A black hole?" Sam asked.
"My engines use them for fuel." Ship said.
"A black hole! Oh, easy." Sarah Jane said, making a phone call. "Mister Smith, I need you."
"Yes, Sarah Jane?" Mr Smith asked, over the phone.
"Oh, well, actually, for once, it's not you I need. It's K9."
"Your robot dog."
"That's the one. Patch me through, Mister Smith."
"Boosting telephone signal. Connecting now."
"Greetings, Mistress." K9 said, over the phone.
"K9, can you hear me?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Affirmative, Mistress."
"K9, you're coming home. For good this time. Jared would love you, he loves dogs."
"Sarah Jane's got this metal dog, and he's trapped in this space void dimension thing, stopping Earth being sucked up by a black hole." Clyde said.
"That is rather improbable." Ship said.
"It's brilliant."
"K9, I'm in a spaceship under a beach on the south coast." Sarah Jane said.
"Yeah, improbable's the word." Sam said.
"The spaceship needs a black hole. You reckon you can help?"
"Affirmative, Mistress. Spaceship, can you read me? I am currently generating a shield around the black hole." K9 said, over the phone.
"If you send me your co-ordinates, I can absorb the energy." Ship said.
"Sending co-ordinates now."
"This is mad." Sam said.
"K9's coming home." Clyde said.
The spaceship rocks.
"My mission is completed." K9 said, over the phone.
Attic...
K9 materialises, "Greetings, Mister Smith."
"It's good to see you, K9. Will you be staying here now?" Mr Smith said.
"Affirmative." K9 said.
"Oh, good."
Spaceship…
"Black hole energy absorbed. Ship operating at maximum capacity. Eve. What is your wish?" Ship asked.
"I want to go into space and I want to see everything." Eve said.
"Oh, you better let us off first. Clyde's got exams coming up." Sarah Jane said.
"Of course. Eve, we should thank those who helped us." Eve said.
"Oh, my goodness. I'm in a spaceship." Harry said.
"Rani!" Sarah Jane said, happily. "Jared!"
"Hello, Sarah Jane." Jared said, looking at Sarah Jane. "I'm fine, we did it, yeah?"
"Yes, we did. You are gonna love K9. You haven't seen Zwei in a while."
"I'm free. I can go." Eve said.
"I'm happy for you." Harry said.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
"What for?" Rani asked.
"Why thank us?" Jared asked.
"For being my friends." Eve said.
"That is why we got Sam to bring you here, Rani, Jared. We knew from his mind you two were clever. He knew the both of you would be able to help Eve." Ship said.
"Me and Jared? Oh thanks." Rani said.
"Thanks for letting me come, Eve, Ship." Jared said, smiling. "I really appreciate it. It made me realize what I need in my life."
"I am so sorry. I was jealous. You were in London, it seemed like having such a cool time, and I was stuck here. And I missed you. I'm really sorry." Sam said, looking at Rani.
"I'm just glad you got to see all this." Rani said.
"And now we have to go." Ship said.
"Well, I should er…" Sam said.
"You could stay." Eve said.
"I could?"
"If you wanted to."
"I've nothing to go home to."
"I'd like you to come with us."
"We really could go anywhere? In space?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know what to say."
"For god's sake! Say yes!" Jared said, angrily.
"Say yes, you idiot." Rani said, annoyed.
"Yes." Sam said.
"Well, I should be going as well, but. Eve, I know I wasn't like your Dad or anything…" Harry said.
"Stay with me." Eve said.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Please."
"But I've had my life. I can't…" Harry said.
"It's never too late." Sarah Jane said, hugging Rani and Clyde.
"It really isn't. My best friend's uncle. He travels with us. Haven't talked to him in a while. He protects us from danger whenever he can." Jared said, thinking of Qrow.
"Really? Oh." Harry said.
"That is one mixed-up family. Do you think they're going to be okay?" Clyde asked.
"I think they're going to be fantastic. Come on." Sarah Jane said.
"Wait, please. Rani, Jared, you two helped Eve when I couldn't. Before we leave, I need to grant the both of you your wishes." Ship said.
"My what?" Rani asked.
"What wish?" Jared asked.
"Sarah Jane, Luke, and Clyde, have been trying to contact you, Rani. And Team RNJR, Symphogear, and the SAO survivors have been trying to contact you, Jared, and I know Magical Girls will try to contact you too. But the both of you want to punish them. You need them, Rani, Jared. The two of you are lost without them." Eve said, on screen.
"I wish they'd just leave me alone. Leave me alone. Leave me alone." Rani said, on screen.
"And I wish I lived a normal, happy life again. I want to settle down for once. Normal life. Settle down." Jared said, on screen.
"I was in a bad mood, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." Rani said, sadly.
"Same, I was stressed out and upset. I didn't mean it either, Sarah." Jared said, frowning. "I'm sorry too."
"No, it's okay." Sarah Jane said.
"I will grant the both of you your wishes." Ship said.
"Ship, no!" Eve said, angrily.
Clyde, Sarah Jane and Luke fade away. And across the Earth from 2009 to 2030, everyone else Jared knew, the Symphogear wielders, the SAO survivors, and Magical Girls disappeared. Along with that, Team RWBY, Team JNR, Qrow, and Penny disappeared.
"Ship! Where are they?" Rani asked.
"The hell have you done?!" Jared exclaimed.
"I have granted both of you your wishes." Ship said.
"Oh no, Ship, that's not what she meant." Eve said.
"You must leave now, Rani, Jared. Playtime is over."
Attic, 2059…
"Playtime is over." Ship said, from a memory.
"The spaceship left Earth. We were alone together. Sarah Jane, Clyde and Luke…" Old Rani said.
"Team RWBY, Team JNR, Qrow. Hibiki and her friends, the SAO survivors. And Magical Girls too. They're all gone, because of us. The both of us, we lost everything, everyone." Old Jared said.
"Rani, I'm not from across the road." Adam said.
"What?" Old Rani asked.
"My mum sent me." Adam said. "And Pyrrha…"
"Remember that anime you had me watch?" Pyrrha asked. "Clannad?"
"What about it?" Old Jared asked.
"I don't understand." Old Rani said. "Do you, Jared?"
"No clue."
Adam's eyes briefly turn red.
"Eve!" Old Rani said, happily.
"She's my mum." Adam said.
"But you look human. Sam. Sam's your dad."
"And Jared, I'm made out of life orbs." Pyrrha said.
"Life orbs?" Old Jared asked. "So, you stayed for a while."
"I came back. Adam, want to explain why?"
"Ship had been damaged. She got it wrong." Adam said.
"Oh, she got it so wrong." Old Rani said.
"She totally got it wrong. I hate being earthbound." Old Jared said.
"The two of you helped my mum all those years ago. Now we want to help you." Adam said.
"How? What can you do?" Old Rani asked.
"Rani, I can put things right. Return things to the way they should be for you." Adam said.
"And what can you do Pyrrha?" Old Jared asked.
"What do you truly want?" Pyrrha asked.
"Give me a minute or two to figure it out."
"But what about you? Adam?" Old Rani asked.
"I'll go back to Ship. You'll forget all of this. You'll forget me. So, what is your wish?" Adam asked.
"To put it right. Please. I wish Ship hadn't taken them from me." Old Rani said.
"I got my wish, Pyrrha. I want to keep having adventures. I want to save people, help others with my friends, my family. I don't want to lose them. Like how I lost you." Old Jared said. "I want to settle down someday. Just not now. I got too reckless, too overwhelmed. I want my life with how it used to be with excitement."
"How was Jaune when you last saw him?" Pyrrha asked.
"He was amazing. You unlocking his Aura. It will save lives someday. His Semblance, I think, I think it was Aura Amplification."
"Tell Jaune, I love him."
"I think he knows. Pyrrha Nikos, thank you."
"Do what I was doing. Uphold my legacy. Be a huntsman. Make sacrifices along the way too." Pyrrha said.
"I will. I'll protect everyone with my life. Even if it kills me."
"Both of your wishes are our command." Adam said.
"It's starting. Time is changing. Jared, you'll forget you saw me again. You being with the ones you love and having adventures with them make you truly happy. Don't forget that." Pyrrha said.
"Goodbye, Rani." Adam said.
"Jared. Good luck. And goodbye." Pyrrha said, sadly.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Old Rani said.
"I won't forget it ever. Thank you, Pyrrha Nikos. I really appreciate you coming out here for me." Old Jared said, smiling.
Adam, Pyrrha, Old Rani, and Old Jared fade from the timeline.
Spaceship…
"That was one mixed-up family. Do you think they're going to be okay?" Clyde asked.
"I think they're going to be fantastic. Come on." Sarah Jane said.
"Wait for me." Rani said.
"No, you mean us!" Jared said, running out of the ship behind Rani.
"Prepare for take off." Ship said.
Beach...
"It was quite big down there. Shouldn't we move back?" Clyde asked.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Jared said, when the sand starts to shake.
They run as the spaceship comes fully out of the ground and flies away.
"That is…" Clyde said.
"Amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. And I'm sorry for coming here with Jared. And I'm so sorry for telling Sam about what we do." Rani said.
"No, Rani. I'm sorry." Sarah Jane said.
"What for?"
"Maybe you were right to tell Sam. I've spent so many years alone, I still find it difficult to trust people. But, you know, they're not all out to get us, and sometimes I forget that. Sometimes visitors to this world just need a friend."
"Sarah, I'm sorry too." Jared said. "For involving everyone I know and love into your life. It must have been overwhelming for you."
"No, Jared. I'm sorry. You need a lot of people to keep you grounded like I need Luke, Clyde, and Rani to keep me grounded. Everyone you know can't be around you all the time. Since they all have lives too. So you try and find others. You need to see Team RNJR soon. You need to have more adventures with them. Save lives along the way in Remnant. Make that a promise, okay?"
"Okay. I will." Jared said, hugging Sarah Jane. "Thank you."
Jared lets go of Sarah Jane.
"Come on. Let's go." Sarah Jane said.
Attic…
"Mistress arrival detected." K9 said.
"K9, my man. How are you doing?" Clyde asked.
"I'm doing well, Master Clyde."
"Oh, welcome home, K9." Sarah Jane said.
"K9, it's nice to meet you." Jared said, looking down at K9 and petting him. "Who's a good boy, you are, yes you are!"
"You do love dogs, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. I need to see Zwei again someday. I miss my own dog too."
"Come on, everyone, group photo." Clyde said.
"I'll use mine. It's got a timer." Luke said.
"No, I'll use mine. Mine is more futuristic. And we can actually see where our eyes are looking." Jared said, taking out his iPhone X.
"Both of you are gadget boys. Jared, yours has a screen. Put it there." Clyde said.
"Nah, let me use a selfie stick." Jared said, taking out a selfie stick from inside his pocket, while placing his iPhone X there. "I can print it out later."
"Okay."
"You all right?" Sarah Jane asked, looking at Rani.
"Yeah. Eve showed me and Jared our futures but, I'm not going to worry about it." Rani said.
"Neither am I." Jared said, holding up the selfie stick as it's extended. "I've been thinking of the future way too much. It made me too stress ridden."
"Which is why we're gonna be thinking of the here and now, that's what matters."
"That's right." Sarah Jane said.
"Come on." Clyde said.
"Rani, we'll face the future together. And Jared, you'll be facing the future with Team RWBY. When you reunite with them. For now, you'll be doing it with us." Sarah Jane said.
"Yup. I'm cool with that." Jared said, holding the selfie stick.
"He is coming back." A voice said, as a memory.
And the 10th Doctor comes out of the Tardis in the future.
"Come on, Mum, Jared, in you get." Luke said.
Jared is holding out his selfie stick and he has the button for the timer set as he's getting ready to take the group selfie. He then stood in next to Luke, Clyde, and Rani.
"Yeah. All right." Sarah Jane said.
Sarah Jane joined for the selfie. Jared pressed the button and the timer is going down from 10 seconds.
"K9, say cheese." Rani said.
"He can't say cheese." Sarah Jane said.
"Yes he can."
"He totally can!" Jared said, holding the selfie stick.
"Cheese. Fermented curds." K9 said.
"Cheese." Clyde said.
"Cheese." Sarah Jane said.
Kirito and Asuna's home…
"So, how was your day?" Asuna asked, drinking a cup of tea.
"Oh, good." Jared said, sitting on the couch. "Where's the others?"
"They're taking down a raid. I wanted to see how you were doing."
"Things have been amazing. I don't want to give up adventures ever." Jared said, as Yui sat on his lap. "I don't want this life. The life I have with you guys to end, ever."
Jared is looking at the photo he just took of him and Sarah Jane's gang sitting in a frame.