Chapter 4:
Your Own Judgement
Both me and Kate stood in complete and utter silence for what seemed like hours. The only sound that could be heard was the slow, electronic sound of the TARDIS. After some obvious deep thought, Kate asked.
"Doctor, are you sure that is what it says?"
"Its my own language! Of course I know what it says!" I snap at her, and instantly feel apologetic. Kate turns to walk towards the door. I run after her. I reach her and turn her so that she could see me, eye to eye.
"Kate, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. If I can apologise in any way, just tell me." I tell her, sounding as apologetic as I truly felt. She turned to face me.
"Just one thing." She says. A confused look comes across my face and the next thing I know, Kate is kissing me. The feeling was stupendous. Just to feel her lips against mine for a few moments of pure bliss. Then, I pull away.
"OK." I turn to the console of my ship and run up the ramp. Kate follows me.
"Doctor, what are you going to do?" Kate asked, almost in a daze. I walked around the TARDIS console, flicking switches, whilst I answer her question.
"Well, first, I'm going to have to completely scan the shell, find its time and origin, in both time, and space." after saying this, I walked towards the door, grabbing my coat as I do. As I do, Kate follows me in the same direction and we walked out of the TARDIS doors.
I raised my hands in front of the soldiers and scientists outside of the TARDIS, to get their attention, but they didn't pay no attention, merely continued in their own conversations. So, Kate grasped a hold of the gun from the strap at the side of her leg and fired 3 clean shots into the air. After this, all the people within the room turn to look at us. I turn to Kate, a little ringing in my ears.
"Yes, thanks Kate," I turn to face the soldiers and scientists once more, "now, as you are aware, this shell is extremely dangerous and could kill anyone who touches it. As soon as I know where this is from, I will try to do my very best to travel there, and try to learn how to dispose of this shell correctly." As I spoke, I could see every person in the room gazing at me and hanging to every word I speak with wonderment and awe.
"But, whilst I'm gone, I need each and every one of you here, in this room, whether scientist or soldier, to be the very best you can be. Just for today, I need each and every one of you to be the best of humanity and ensure that nothing happens to this shell, nothing at all." everyone just stood there for a moment, including Kate, but then I turned towards the shell and gave it a deep scan with my Sonic Screwdriver. Then, I placed it in my pocket, and turned towards the doors of my TARDIS, as I took a step towards them, so did Kate. I placed an arm in front of Kate, stopping her from entering the TARDIS. She gave me a frustrated face.
"What are you doing?" she asked, looking into my eyes.
"Kate, please, wherever the shell is from, its obviously a very dangerous place. I'm begging you, please stay here, where you are safe." I begged her, hoping that she would agree with me. However, as I had previously learned, my companions never listened to a word I say, so it was no surprise to me with what she said next.
"Doctor, you're the bravest man I have ever met, but even I can see that you don't want to make this journey alone. I don't think you really have a choice." then, for some reason, I just reached out and hugged, loving how independent she was. After about 10 seconds of hugging her, I pull away from her.
"Right, come on, we've got a planet to save.' with that, I opened the TARDIS door and both me and Kate entered my mighty machine.
Throwing my coat to one side, I ran up to a small section of my TARDIS console and placed my Sonic Screwdriver into a small slot next to the monitor. Kate ran up to my side, confused.
"Doctor, what are you doing?" I looked at her, then flicked two separate switches next to the monitor. Whilst doing this, I answered her question.
"Whilst we were outside, I gave the shell a deep scan with the Sonic Screwdriver, so I can locate the shells point of origin. In a few minutes, this monitor will 'bleep' and I will be able to read it and locate the shells point of departure." after taking in what I had said, Kate asked me one thing.
"Are you scared?"
"Of what?" I asked her.
"Of where this thing might have come from? I mean, if the shell is this bad, where its from must be much, much worse." just before I could answer her question, the monitor on the side of the TARDIS console 'bleeped' into life. I turned to look at and, understanding the language that was present on it, I almost fell over in disbelief.
"What does it say Doctor? Where is the shell from?" Kate asked, eager to know. Gathering up the actual strength to answer her question, I turn to look at her.
"This monitor is telling me that this shell is from my home planet Gallifrey, in the constellation of Castavorous, during the last days of the Time War. But that's impossible."
"How is it impossible?" Kate asked me. Almost full of tears, I answer her question.
"Because it burned. Because of me, the other me, the me I don't talk about." Kate gives a puzzled expression.
"What do you mean 'the other me'?" she asked.
"If I'm about to die, I can cheat death, - regenerate - a trick of my species, which means that I have had many faces, many lives. Most of them I admit to but there is one life, I have tried, very hard to forget." I say, answering her question.
"Why would you want to forget your own life?"
"Because, on the last day of the Last Great Time War... well, that was the day I did it. The day he did it. The day I killed everyone, Dalek and Time Lord alike. Because on that day, Kate," I grasp her by the shoulders, and look deep into her eyes, "on that day there was one man with more blood on his hands than anyone else, and that man, was me." after saying this, I let go of her shoulders and turn back to the monitor.
"But, to get there, I will have make such a sacrifice, due to it being time locked. Which means I'm not supposed to be allowed to go there.
Kate, yet again, gave another confused look.
"What type of sacrifice?" she asked. But, before I even think of answering her question, I run to a section on the console of the TARDIS, and pull a red lever and push a green and blue button. After I do this, a red button appeared from under the TARDIS console. About to press it, Kate runs up to me, but I push her away.
"Stand back!" I shout at her. Then, I press the red button. After I did this, the whole section of the console lifted up, which revealed a glowing, bright light. And, as I looked into the light, I could feel myself fainting. For a few, fear filled moments, all was black, all was dark. But, as a light appeared, I could see the shell in the centre of wherever I was. And, as I stepped closer and closer to it, the whole are lit up, and I could see people running, screaming, mothers clinging to their babies, and the shell itself was open, with flames bursting from it. This was when I realised, that I was on Earth, well, imagining I was anyway. I looked up to the sky, and could see a large, burnt orange, spherical silhouette getting closer to the planet. Before I could do anything, I could hear a voice that sounded female, calling my name. Everything started to go black and the voice got louder.
"Doctor! Doctor! Please wake up! Doctor!" as I started to come to, I noticed that the voice belonged to Kate and she was crying, with her head on my chest. I noticed that her hair was no longer in a bun and she had taken her beret off, so that her hair was hanging loose.
"Kate, its ok, I'm back." I said, reassuring her. As soon as she heard my voice, she stopped crying and hugged me.
"Oh, Doctor! You scared me! Never do that again." whilst hugging her, I promised that I would never let her have to see me go through that process again. After I built up some strength, and Kate's help, I managed to stand up and hold my self up with the outer edge of the TARDIS console. Kate, still by my side, asked me a question.
"What the hell did you just do?" clutching my sides a little, I turned to look at her.
"I had to use that light to give up 100 years of my life, so that she could use the energy from it to create a shield that she could use to be able to travel to Gallifrey." Kate nodded, and the monitors bleep told me that the shield was ready. Then, I walked round the console, flicking controls so to set the coordinates for the dreaded destination. When it came to pulling the final lever, about to pull, I paused. I look at Kate as she walks over to me.
"What's wrong?" she asked, hoping to help me.
"As soon as I pull this lever, I am able to travel to Gallifrey, during the Time War. It was such a disgusting time in my life, I don't think I can be the one who makes my ship have to travel there again." Kate, placing her hand on top of mine, slowly moved my hand closer towards the lever.
"Well, this time, you don't have to do it alone" she said, looking into my eyes.
"Thank you." after saying this, I pulled the lever, along with Kate.
Suddenly, me and Kate are thrown off our feet as the TARDIS shakes violently from side to side and the once turquoise colour emitting from column in the centre became a blood shot red.