Epilogue: a possible outcome
Authors Note: this is a companion to my short story/one shot/ whatever it is, "Prologue". (*A 'copu' is my word for computer.) They will both lead up to a story that's kinda a spinoff or AU, which will feature a LOT of older characters (from current Doctor Who, from "Rose"-"Deep breath"; I still need to finish classic). The mysterious character isn't really described in this because she's supposed to be, well, mysterious. These ideas came awhile ago so I apologize in advance if I may have similar OCs or ideas. I also apologize if my story is different from what you imagined and isn't too good. I'll probably write other Doctor Who fanfics (Mostly 11th DoctorXRiver Song; maybe some 10th Doctor and/or 10.5 in "Pete's World" with Rose) later. Anywho, here's more of my crappy writing, but, hey, life goes on, screw the world, and take a bow when everyone's booing.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: BBC owns all the Fantasticalness that is Doctor Who.
Also, reviews are most welcome.
Footsteps echoed, dying softly on the myriad of decaying literature. A dark figure wove surely through the shadow-dappled shelves, unafraid. A slim, dark metal object buzzed, emitting a soft orchid-purple light.
The miniscule predators of the dark left her alone. Why? They whispered among themselves, with a slight confusion. The swarm proceeded to answer itself.
She is like us.
But not us.
She smells of us and is among us.
But she also smells of prey creatures, and looks of one too.
Ah, but she is like us! And we can Never attack our own.
The same argument with itself, always ending the same way. So they let her be. It didn't hurt that she also brought road kill for the shadowy occupants.
She continued forward, more by sense than sight. She stopped a moment, leaning against a shelf full of large, yellow paged volumes. She opened the metal device by flicking her wrist, then proceeded to scan something on the side. A small, square device with bars like a cell phone charge was attached to the side. Still full, she thought.
She made her way to a circular room that had old, discarded books turning to dust, a mark of His long ago adventure. She spotted a room with glass walls, bearing an etching that read thus: THE GIFTSHOP.
Good, almost there. She smiled to herself.
Hurrying down halls and finally getting to the room she was searching for, she activated a large teleport. The circular panel of the ground dispersed, leaving a gaping opening with energy rising out of it. She gripped the metal device tighter, then went into the teleport.
Landing in a dark cul-de-sac, she quickly ran down the hall and through a secret door. A large room opened, full of electrical devices and computers. She went towards a copu* and saw that the face was awake.
She jumped back and involuntarily gave a little animalistic growl. She didn't really like the face. The girl was pleasant enough, but the nodule disturbed her somewhat.
CAL only smiled softly, unbothered by The Stranger's reaction. She merely blinked, the equivalent of a nod, and said in a slightly automated sounding voice, "go ahead, we've been waiting."
The Stranger nodded back, and went forward, plunging the device into the copu, and CAL closed her eyes, giving a content sigh. The Stranger sat back against a wall, crossing her arms. This was gonna take awhile.
CAL- in a virtualized human form- went running to a lovely woman with curly blond hair and ancient, warm eyes. "Come quickly Professor Song!" she shouted, grabbing the woman's hand and trying to drag her away.
Archaeologist Professor River Song laughed merrily, "I'm coming child! One moment!" looking over her shoulder she hailed one of her friends over, "Look after the other children for a bit, will you Evangelista!" River nodded her head, indicating towards two children- a boy named John and a girl named Melody- playing in some early autumn leaves. Her friend, a very pretty young lady named Miss Evangelista, nodded back happily. She loved the two children dearly.
River followed CAL, thinking she was going to show her some virtual creature or building from a book she recently read.
Instead, the sight that greeted her eyes made her stop dead.
A nice looking in a tweed jacket and ridiculous looking bowtie with brown hair and youthfully ancient green eyes, looked about in a sort of sleepy confusion. Other men were around him in the field, some fading slowly into existence. He swept his eyes quickly and intelligently across their faces, only recognizing eleven of them. His eyes wandered, till they met hers.
She stood there, exactly as he remembered her. It was the same beautiful and magnificent face he had loved, married, and cherished. His mind dimly registered the young girl he recognized behind her. But he only saw her.
Beautiful and deadly. Simple and intricate. Dead and Alive. Real, Unreal, Surreal. His, the love of his hearts. His wife.
He didn't even realize that he had begun running. Didn't remember wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. He only knew her. Here before him, with him, in this moment holding him close to her.
They held each other for and Eternity that was no time at all. Tears streamed down both their faces as the embraced and murmured each others names. He pulled back looking into her tear streaked face, then kissed her forehead and held her close again.
River closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of him here with her. Soon though she opened her eyes. The Doctor felt her stiffen. "Look," She whispered.
So he did.
There were many present on the field, most looking a bit disoriented, all a little confused. Some he knew, and many, many unknown to him. He realized that the Unknown must be future regenerations.
"But...," The Doctor began, brow scrunched in confusion, until it all came back like supernova bursting. Past regeneration memories strong, but hazy. Present regeneration memories hard and clear. Future regeneration memories like elusive dreams, faintly there but distorted.
"I...But I-I died," he said. " I'm dead."
"And so you are."
A tall man with black hair and sad, grey eyes filled with not centuries, but eons, of life, came forward. He sported a black trench coat, like, but unlike, a certain earlier regeneration.
"I-You- I mean, We, died. The Final Battle of Trenzelore." He smiled sadly. "I am sorry for my mistakes in the end, and hope I can forgive my whole self."
With that being said, the darker Doctor nodded once, the began walking away, fading as all the other regenerations-except one- did.
"How?" River's Doctor said in confusion, turning towards his beloved wife.
"You have been saved," CAL said quietly. Both virtual, yet real, beings turned towards her.
"You have been uploaded," the little girl, who was, in fact, hundreds of years old, began to explain.
"Everything you are or were has been uploaded. Every regeneration, every life, every moment. Like the Felmun Lux corporation team. Each one of your regenerations are on a slightly different...wavelength, you could say, in the core. Each can live and do as they please. Relax, create dream worlds to 'travel' in, relive their lives, even see each other if they wish."
"The Stranger ((for that is what CAL called the girl))," here she tilted her head to one side, "says to tell you that this is your reward. The universe is letting you rest."
"Who...?" The Doctor asked, looking from CAL to River.
"Who do you think, sweetie?"
The Doctor scrunched his eyes closed, digging into his future memory, seeing bits of his last, terrible battle. A familiar face, that of a complete stranger that he knew later on, resurfaced into his mind. "I-I sent her ahead, knowing I was going to die soon. But I sent her ahead, to the end of the battle, and she lived. She had argued, pleaded. Begged, even. But I still sent her, needing to save her. Then she must have saved me. But how? How is she alive? She was never even born!"
River, seeing his distressed and confused look, pulled him close. "I don't know sweetie. I just don't know. Let's be glad she is."
He suddenly pulled River even closer, "At least we're together. I have you back. That's what really matters."
She kissed him. "You, me, and some friends. Plus the library is protected by her. Forever."
CAL smiled, happy that another person was saved. Properly. She quietly slinked away so that the TimeLord and his wife could have a few uninterrupted moments. She was glad her real-world friend, The Stranger, could bring him here. She closed her virtual eyes, and opened them in the real world.
The Stranger was still leaning against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for the download to complete. She had been dozing when a noise indicated it was done. She sighed. Finally. Taking the sonic screwdriver, slim like the blue-tipped one, but with an opening mechanism like the green-tipped one with a darker gray metal and a purplish-fuchsia coloured tip, she prepared to leave.
Glancing at the face, she smiled. CAL smiled back and whispered in that semi-automated voice of hers, "Goodbye, friend." The Stranger said the same silently. Goodbye, friend.
Turning towards the empty halls, The Stranger walked comfortably through the swarms. The Last Companion- for that she was- left, via a TARDIS-enhanced Vortex Manipulator. A myriad of miniscule voices confusedly whispered goodbyes.