Undercurrents (short story)

Summary
The Doctor mysteriously vanishes from the TARDIS, and Jamie and Zoe then hear a knocking on the outside as if someone is trying to get in. When they open the door, a young man named Vorac enters, claiming to be a Time Rider, one of a species that rides the winds of the time vortex; he was separated from the rest of his pack by a strong undercurrent, and collided with the TARDIS. Zoe takes Vorac at face value, but Jamie, suspicious of the newcomer -- and jealous of the attention that Zoe is paying him -- confronts him, demanding to know what he’s done with the Doctor.

In a fit of rage, Jamie attacks Vorac and apparently knocks him out. He is ashamed by what he has done, but when Vorac recovers, he explains that Jamie is not responsible for his condition; he is in fact being adversely affected by the strange environment of the TARDIS. To recover, he must return to his native element. Jamie, seeking to atone for his earlier actions, offers to help when Vorac explains that he fell through a rent in the Time Vortex. Jamie and Vorac rope themselves to the outside of the TARDIS while Zoe pilots the ship. As they wait, Jamie is flung away from the TARDIS by an energy storm, but Vorac pulls him back, showing no ill feelings for Jamie’s earlier attack. Zoe then pilots the TARDIS into the walls of the Vortex, tearing a small rift and enabling Vorac to pass through. The Doctor is then returned to the TARDIS, having been taken by the Time Riders in order to maintain a balance until their missing pack member had been returned to them.

Characters

 * Second Doctor
 * Jamie McCrimmon
 * Zoe Heriot

Continuity
to be added