Landing at a lighthouse during a rainstorm in the middle of nowhere was almost normal for the Doctor. With no TARDIS, no companions, only a Sonic screwdriver and Vortex Manipularor running on low battery life, he entered the lighthouse. What greeted him was a golden bust of an angry man and a red banner that reads: NO GODS OR KINGS ONLY MAN. Downstairs was a submersival, which he activated, leading him to an underwater city. It was Rapture circa 1958. At first glance it seemed like a nice place, except for all of the Objectivist propaganda. To the Doctor, Rapture was merely an obscure legend, forgotten by most of humanity. He started to see why, as the world he traveled from was Earth in 2018 after an invasion from the Combine, Dalek-Human hybrids from another dimension that occupied the planet for 4 years. Their invasion came at a time when the world was vulnerable from the days when warfare had become a well-oiled economic machine. Rapture seemed like the progenitor of what he considered to be bad ideas.
The art-deco architecture and style in advertisements plastered everywhere gave him a sense of unease, having seen so many civilizations collapse, it reminded him of Pompeii, being there just before all hell breaks loose. Sure, there weren't any overt signs, but his feeling of dread remained. Part of the reason for that is because he spotted Ayn Rand's philosophy everywhere he looked, all the propaganda of free-markets, industrialism, individual mandate above all else, it was blatantly an Objectivist civilization and doomed to failure. However, his vortex manipulator was too low on battery to immediately make a trip. So for the time being, the Doctor was stuck in what he knew was a powder keg. He would have to lay low.
But, before making a move, he stumbled upon a diner. It was mostly unoccupied, except by a lady with a cigarrette, fierce blue eyes, black hair, a white buttoned shirt with a distinct bird pendant, dark blue skirt, and pancakes for a meal. Intrigued, the Doctor asked: "May I? I'm new here so..." She replied, "Sure, I'm not waiting for anyone. You're the first one I've met here that's politely asked for something" A tad surpirsed, the Doctor replied, "Its baffling that any human would be rude to you. But, brainwash a population enough with Objectivist nonsense would explain it. By the way, what's your name?" "Elizabeth" With a light smile, he said, "Beautiful name, I think". Elizabeth said, "Thanks, you're really not from around here are you?" Knowing it to be true, he asked, "What gave it away?" She pointed out that, "Your eyes have a tendency to wander, like you're surveying the area, and you said that people follow Objectivism as if it was a foreign concept to you." Fascinated, the Doctor confirmed her observation, "Oh, you're pretty good" Elizabeth's eyes wandered as she said, "It's something I picked up a long time ago. Anyway, what brings you here?" He simply asked, "Would you believe me if I said I was from the future?" She simply said, "Sure, why not?" Confused by Elizabeth's surprising comfortability with his statement, he asked, "And that's not strange to you?" She said, "Not really." This was a strange scenario to the Doctor, normally he's used to feeling like an alien, not easily understood by those he meets, "And you don't think I'm some mad man?" Elizabeth made a quip, "There are plenty of people who are crazy here, you're not one of them." Relieved, he simply said, "Fair enough."
Curious, Elizabeth said, "Though I wouldn't mind some details." The Doctor explained, "I'm an alien mutant that got blasted with heavy radiation. And I have a busted up time machine that used to travel through space and time." Elizabeth jokingly stated, "It's a tad weird..." Surprised, he replied, "Wow, telling that story would've frightened most." She admitted, "My story is strange as well" "How so?", the Doctor asked. Subtly looking away, Elizabeth said, "I really don't want to talk about it right now." He simply replied, "I understand." Relieved by his genuine kindness, she stated, "I will say it involves mechanical giant birds, a city in the sky, and doors." The Doctor asked, "And why are you here?" "A friend of mine died and I'm here to avenge him. He helped me escape the city in the sky." was her response. Aware of what that could entail, the Doctor said, "You don't need to tell me the whole story. However, I would like to help."
Surprised, Elizabeth thought this person was a potential friend, however she considered the possible danger involved and said, "That's very sweet of you, but you don't have to." However, the Doctor's reply was, "I'd like to." Noting his previous comment that he was new to Rapture, she pointed out, "You don't have a place to stay, do you..." Having no TARDIS, he knew it to be true, "No, but that's not the point. Besides, I'm kind of used to it." Elizabeth offered him help by saying, "You shouldn't be. Oh, right, here's my radio frequency. Do you have a radio of your own?" Opening his wrist-mounted Vortex Manipulator, the Doctor said, "Yes, though I'd have to fiddle around with it." Elizabeth stands up, places her hand on his shoulder and said, "Also, please don't put yourself at risk." the Doctor promised to do so by saying, "Will do." They travel to Artemis Suites, a residential district in Rapture. While it was a towering home, it was rather quite. Most Rapture citizens spend a majority of their time at work, and vacationing wasn't a very common practice.
Remembering she didn't ask for her companion's name, she said, "Sorry, but I never asked you your name." The Doctor said, "I don't have one. I just call myself the Doctor." She said, "Huh, it's quite fitting, Doctor." Arriving at Elizabeth's apartment, the Doctor notices something. "Have you read any Sherlock Holmes novels?" Elizabeth replied, "Yeah, why?" He pointed out, "Your aparement number is 221B." Elizabeth, with a miscievous smile said, "I may have picked it for a reason." He responded by saying, "You do have the skills and intellect to be a fantastic detective." Elizabeth, having fun, replied, "Thank you, though there is another reason. The library I have in here." Amazed, the library was the size of 3 giant bookshelves, the Doctor said, "Please pinch me. Because I must be dreaming" Playing along, she pinched him, "You're not dreaming." "Wonderful, do you mind if I start diving into this enourmous pile of books?" the Doctor asked. Elizabeth's reply was, "Not at all, Doctor. I do have some questions though." While reading The Body in the Library, the Doctor said, "Sure, ask away." Elizabeth asked, "Since you're from the future, why are you here?" She sat down on a chair to hear his answer.
His answer was, "Ship hunting, there's supposed to be a ship near Greenland that houses some kind of device that can allow travel between dimensions. I'm here to make sure it doesn't end up in Combine hands. The Combine are a totalitarian species that managed to conquer Earth in 7 hours in 2014. A friend and I organized a military to counter them throughout the planet. 4 years later and we've gotten most of the developed world free from occupation but there's still more to do. And I ended up here to destroy the ship's contents." Elizabeth quipped, "You might have landed a few miles off target" Embarrased by his mishap, the Doctor said, "I know, the battery on this thing is low, and for some reason it causes me to land in the wrong spot." Elizabeth noted, "You mean that watch." "Yeah, I'm not very used to using it." the Doctor confirmed. She pointed out, "At least you landed safely." Looking up at the celing, he said, "True, some good came out of it. Like meeting you, finding this amazing library..." Elizabeth wanted to help, as it was a rare moment when she could offer her kindness freely in Rapture. She said, "If you want, you could sleep in the bed, I can use the couch." The Doctor, not wanting to be a burden replied, "That's okay, it's your bed. You've been more than kind." "You did offer to help me...", Elizabeth stated. The Doctor assured her by saying, "I'll be okay, thank you for the offer." Smiling, she said, "You're welcome." "You're probably the only sane person in Rapture.", the Doctor pointed out.
Elizabeth asked, "Why do you say that?" He explained, "Aside from us, there's nobody here, meaning most people here have been indoctrinated into believing ideology and industry is more important than their own humanity. And the fact that this is normal is even more scary. It's an extremist society, which being a time traveller, I know how extremists societies crumble." With an undertone of assurace, Elizabeth said, "I know, I wasn't planning on staying here forever." the Doctor asked,"Alright, who have you been looking for?" "He goes by Booker DeWitt, an investigator. His real name is Zachary Hale Comstock, and he's using a stolen identity." Elizabeth explained. The Doctor noticed, "I'm guessing the real Booker DeWitt was your friend." She confirmed it by saying, "Yes, yes he was." Knowing that he could help, the Doctor simply said, "I'll do what I can." Elizabeth said, "First, we might as well get some sleep." After that, she went to her room and sat next to the window with a cigarrette in hand. She initially thought that she was on her own on this hunt. But, having a companion created a complication in her mind. She wanted to keep him out of harm's way, meaning she would take the greater risk.
Several weeks pass, and the two eventually found Comstock, setting Elizabeth's plan in motion. The Doctor stayed in the shadows. The idea was to set up Comstock to be killed indirectly, ensuring that there would be no evidence against her. Both of them could walk away without having a police force chasing them. Quick and clean, a familiar strategy for him. As a good chunk of the war against the Combine was hunting down Officers and Commanders, then eliminating them stealthily. This was roughly the same concept, though if anything went wrong, he had a suppressed M1911 holstered. However, when Cohen shocked both her and Comstock, the Doctor then stole another bathysphere, quickly trying to track down where Elizabeth went. It was headed towardsthe remains of Fontaine's Department Store. Arriving in the store yielded only the sights of a place that has collapsed. Corpses and broken objects were so common it was jarring. The Doctor kept up with Elizabeth, non-lethally taking down any deranged guards in his way. Though some things did become clear. They were injecting themseves with a mutagen, refered to as Plasmids. Overdosing, which happened to be a common occurence, led to their mental decay.
Knowing that this was an extremely dangerous place for both Elizabeth and himself, he swiped a Shock Jockey, though not for its intended purpose. Salvaging parts from vending machines, bathyspheres,a protective glove, and a security turret, he constructed a prosthetic hand. The Doctor was going to use his left hand as a genetic precursor for a regeneration pladmid. Though he couldn't fully regenerate like his previous incarnations, he could heal quickly from wounds. Mixing his genetic sample with Shock Jockey would enhance its capabilities. To him, it was worth it to ensure Liz survived. His only priority in that moment was to help her. All that was left was to chop his left hand off. Injecting himself with an anesthetic from a medical kit he found, he then started the incision. Cutting through skin, muscle fiber, fat tissue, blood vessels, and nerves, the surgery was sharply agonizing. Then, reaching the bone, the Doctor grabbed a saw and quickly chopped off the bone.
After positioning the prosthetic against the bone, the Doctor injected himself with Shock Jockey, which elongated and connected the nerves to the prosthetic, allowing it to function like an organic hand. The operation took several hours, which meant that he needed to find Elizabeth quickly. Before heading out, he placed the hand in a jar and poured Shock Jockey on it, thoroughly mixed it, and as a result, yielded the regeneration plasmid. It only filled half of the jar, and the Doctor extracted it into an EVE Hypo needle. He then found Elizabeth in the toy department, unconcious yet talking. He injected her with the Regen Plasmid. Then splicers, led by Atlas, a man who's face is plastered throughout the store entered. The Doctor hid behind the door. And heard the sound of heating gas, which led him to the boiler room, it was set to its maximum temperature. But he could figure out what it meant, the Doctor heard the click of a revolver's hammer. He then went back to the toy department. Setting his radio to send transmission that only Elizabeth could recieve, he told Elizabeth to say she could get them back to Rapture. But she called him Booker. She mistook him for her friend. All the while the pieces were fitting into place. Elizabeth needed to draw Comstock out using a Little Sister, Comstock was her adoptive father from another dimension, and the boiler setting was her doing. And yet, knowing all of that, the Doctor wasn't horrified. Instead, he understood why she did it.
Though the exact details were still unknown. He then continued talking to Elizabeth via radio. But given that her recent trauma had caused her psyche to project Booker's voice unto the Doctor's tranmissions, all he could do was go along with it. As it was the only way he could help without causing any further distress. At times, he wanted to tell her the truth, but she wanted him to humour her. So, the status quo of their situation remained. That was until Atlas had her captured and interrogated after she used the Lutece particle to raise the prison. That was the moment when he knew he had to take extreme measures to ensure their survival. The suppressed M1911 he had holstered After Atlas' monstrous interrogations, the Doctor sneaked into the secret room Atlas kept in a bar. There he confirmed that Atlas was Fontaine. Soon after, Atlas came into the room.
The Doctor pinned him to the wall, using his prosthetic hand to hold unto Atlas' neck. He then said, "When this is over, she better be alive, or you'll find yourself a vegitable, crucified outside of Ryan's office. You understand? Pull up one finger for no, two for yes."Atlas pulled up 2 fingers, the Doctor chocked him out, rendering him unconcious. Sneaking into where Elizabeth was kept, he continued to monitor her condition, using the Vortex Manipulator to read her vitals. The Doctor injected her with the Regeneration plasmid. He only left when Atlas showed up. Elizabeth then searched for and eventually found the Ace in the Hole, and thus Atlas hit her twice with a wrench. Atlas and his entourage left, and passed by the running Doctor at Suchong's office.
Seeing him, the blood on the wrench, and his smug face, the Doctor turned and strangely said the following calmly. There was a hint of anger in his voice, enough to be noticable, "Atlas, we have a matter to discuss, tell your minions to disperse" Atlas simply told his minions, "Go, I'll see you lot." 5 minutes pass. The Doctor asked, "What did you do?" Atlas snarkly remarked, "I didn't follow your orders if that's what you're asking." "Tell me something, Fontaine. Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?" The Doctor asked calmly, with his prosthetic hand clenching and loosening. Atlas asked with confusion asked, "What...?" The Doctor then punched Atlas in the face, knocking him to the ground, then grabbed the wrench and threw it away. He then proceeded to crack several of his ribs. As a final act of intimidation, the Doctor then pinned Atlas to the wall and put his pistol in Atlas' mouth."This is it it, this is how it ends. Now, I will give you the last choice you will ever have. Raise 1 finger to become a crucified vegitable for Ryan to call a trophy. Raise 2 fingers to run with your dead pride." Atlas raised 2 fingers, was let go and quickly limped away.
The Doctor then walks to where Elizabeth was, hoping the plasmid worked. He found her sitting by the window. Petrified that it failed, he couldn't bring himself to check her heart rate."C'mon Liz, regenerate. Please regenerate. Liz? Regenerate!" Elizabeth opened one eye, while the Doctor was unaware of that fact and she yelled, "RAWR!" The Doctor was frightened and yet felt a sigh of great relief, he said, "Ahh! Geez! You're okay? How do I know I'm not hallucinating?" Noticing his prosthetic hand, she asked, "What happened to your left hand?" Also relieved that he was not insane, the Doctor said, "Definitely not a hallucination. Well, I chopped it off." Wondering why he eould do so, Elizabeth asked, "Why?" "I needed it to make a plasmid that allowed you to regenerate from your injuries. I was so scared it didn't work." The Doctor explained, while hugging her. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned for him. "Yeah, I am now. Plus I'm used to the prosthetic by now." Was the Doctor's reply. Elizabeth then had an epiphany,"Wait, you're the Booker in my radio." "How did you know?", the Doctor confirmed while asking for details. Elizabeth explained,"You said 'I think Booker would miss you'. Having time to think about it, it sounded a lot like something you would say." He said, "Yeah, it was me, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I thought it wouldn't help you." Aware that the Doctor was needlessly criticizing himself, she comforted him by saying, "Hey, it's okay. You did everything you could." "Thank you, are you feeling okay?" he asked. Elizabeth said, "My head is still intact, no headache or nausea. So, I think I'm alright."
The Doctor said with a sigh of relief, "Good, then let's get out of here.""Alright, where do we go?" she asked."First, we need to skip to 2018, outside of the city. Hang on, do you want to pick up your books?" he said. "No need, I'm sure there's a lot more outside of the city." she assured him. The Doctor then said, "Okay, I really hope this works." They warp to 2018 on the stairs of the lighthouse. The Doctor then signals for pick up. The Doctor takes a nap as Elizabeth waits. An hour later a helicopter appears playing The Egg and I by Yoko Kanno. It was unarmed, but was unusually fast. Elizabeth gently wakes him up as the chopper hovered near them. They boarded it and headed to the site.
On shore, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart greeted them. "Welcome back, Doctor! Where were you?" "I had a malfunction on my Vortex Manipulator, ended up in 1958 by Rapture." was his response. Kate then said,"I suppose you met your companion there?" "Partner, but yeah." the Doctor pointed out. Kate explained the scenario, "I'm sorry, but we have to move quickly. The Daleks have found the ship. Fortunately they won't be there until the night. We've set up an outpost in the town where the ship is. No problems there." "Okay, so how does this Resistance of yours work?", Elizabeth asked. "Outer Heaven is made up of an international special forces coalition designed as the contingency measure against imperialism. We answer to the UN, not to any individual nation." Elizabeth said, "Well, it definitely is a good way to prevent any nation making the same mistakes as the Roamns." "Exactly." he confirmed. They climb aboard the helicopter and arrive at the operations center in the town. Waiting for nightfall, the Doctor brings out a suitcase, where a scarf, sonic screwdriver and laser screwdriver reside. The scarf and sonic was for Elizabeth. The laser was for him. While handing Elizabeth the stuff, he said, "Here, these are for you. The sonic is a multi-function tool that can hack and scan practically anything, except it doesn't do wood. The laser, is for self-defense, its highly lethal. The scarf is, just a scarf" Elizabeth, talking about the scarf said, "I kind of like it. I also found this cloak. Since we're waiting for the night, I guess it helps to prepare." Glad she wasn't as worried as him, he said, "At least you're ready, I'm not exactly there yet." "Why?" she asked. "That leader they mentioned, well he and I have a history.", he was talking about Davros, the creator of the Daleks. However, he was killed by the Daleks and shouldn't be alive. Elizabeth assured him by saying, "Hey, it's going to be okay." "Thank you, if only I shared your enthusiasm.", he replied. Elizabeth pointed out, "You can, just its not constant, its not something that should be constant." "Fair enough.", the Doctor replied.
Nightfall occurs, Elizabeth and the Doctor sneak unto the ship. Recon agents quickly use EMP rounds to disable the patrolling Daleks. Within 5 minute the Daleks are all destroyed, left in a pile of parts at the bow of the ship. The Doctor and Elizabeth sneak to the cargo vault. It's left slightly open. He places an EMP device in Elizabeth's hand. "You probably won't need this, but just in case." Knowing what to do, Elizabeth said, "Okay, I'll keep guard, make sure those ridiculous machines don't get in. And Doctor?" he asked, "Yeah?" "Be careful." she said. "The laser should take out anything it hits..." the Doctor said in an attept to keep himself from worrying about what's behind the door. "I mean it, be careful." she said, making sure he listened. "Will do." was his reply.
The Doctor enters the cargo room and only Davros is present. Still covered in wrinckles and machinery to keep him alive. Though now there was less machinery attached to him, he looked exactly like the Davros from their first encounter on Skarro. It's as if time barely passed at all. The Doctor said, "I never thought in a million billion years you'd be the one pulling the strings." Davros, without turning said, "Doctor, you're right on time. Thank you for disposing of the guards." "You're supposed to be a cadaver in the Medusa Cascade." the Doctor said coldly. "Whatever do you mean, the Daleks merely disobeyed my command. I simply came to Earth for this." was Davros' reply. A large Lutece Device was in the room. The Doctor asked, "And the Combine? What exactly is that?" Davros stated, "A necessary advancement. Without a human mind, the Daleks are limited in their function. Combining the 2 species yielded better results than I could have imagined. Much easier to control and condition." "And I'm guessing the Daleks out there just found you and came to eliminate you for going rogue." the Doctor realized.
Davros confirmed by saying, "Correct, with this device I can prove that I should be supreme commander of the Daleks." "They killed you, I doubt they'll be so willing to submit." The Doctor quipped. "Why do you insist I'm dead when I am right in front of you? And what is this device? How does it work?" Davros asked, as if he were a child with a new toy. "Why would I tell you?" the Doctor found the question to be ridiculous. Davros spouted in anger, "As stubborn and short-sighted as usual, Doctor. Fine, if you will not tell me, then perhaps the human outside of the room will." The Doctor, while chuckling, asked, "Davros, have you ever wondered why the Dalek always lose to me?" "They lack my leadership, that's why." Davros stated with certainty."Hilariously enough, that's not the case. They experience defeat because you all flaunt your power with such stupidity and lunacy that I knew not to completely destroy them. They are targets you created for the universe to kick around." was the Doctor's explanation. Davros replied, "But, without a display of power, how would they survive? You care too much about the small and weak, that you put them in harm's way." the Doctor, seeing Elizabeth pointing the laser screwdriver at Davros from the corner of his eye, asked calmly, "Tell me something, have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?" Davros, confused at his question, asked, "What?" Elizabeth blasts Davros with the Laser Screwdriver. The Doctor said, "So much for being a survivor."
He then opens the door and lets Elizabeth in. She said, "I heard the whole conversation." "I know, then you know why I gave you the laser screwdriver." he said. Elizabeth said, "Yeah, I do." "Thank you." he said. Elizabeth hugged him, then said, "Now, what to do about this Lutece device? I'd say burn it." The Doctor said, "I'll get the thermite." They cover the entire room with thermite, burn the room in its entirity. They leave the ship, ensuring the Combine will never have their reinforcements. While walking out, the Doctor said, "Hey Liz..." "Yes?" she asked. He then asked, "Do you want to go to Paris?" "Absolutely!" She exclaimed with relief and Doctor said, "Granted, its not completely rebuilt..." Elizabeth quickly replied with, "I honestly don't mind, it'll be the real Paris." Smiling and flicking his nose with his index finger, the Doctor said, "Alright then, allons-y."