The Doctor ran hard, eventually working free of the thick smoke. Stopping for a moment to get his bearings, he turned right hurrying through the long corridors as Aeon's laughter echoed through the halls around him.
Hurrying as he was, barely pausing at intersections, The Doctor almost died when he turned a corner to find that the next hall was missing its floor.
As he flailed, grabbing the wall to keep from falling, Aeon's chuckles abruptly cut off, to be replaced a snide comment. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot about that. Here, let me get the floor for you."
The floor in the hall flickered back into place.
"You may proceed. I hope you are having fun!"
The echoes of Aeon's voice faded, to be replaced by his laughter in what The Doctor now realized was a loop.
More than a little annoyed at this point, The Doctor began to hurry down the hall, fidgeting with his sonic screwdriver.
After a moment he held it up, and silence returned as the speakers Aeon was using to broadcast his laugh were silenced.
The Doctor ran in silence, soon reaching the door to the primary power storage room.
Reaching the door, he was surprised to notice that the door stayed shut.
A burst from his sonic screwdriver, and the door was open.
The Doctor stepped forward into the darkened room.
He had just raised his screwdriver to turn on the lights when they activated by themselves. The Doctor stared around the revealed room in horror.
The massive golden cylinders that held the majority of the TARDIS' power reserves had been smashed. Jagged lines criss-crossed many of the cylinders, and some had even been ripped from the walls. The few that were undamaged had had their connections severed and fouled, rendering them thoroughly unable to be used.
There was a click.
As The Doctor spun to see nothing behind him, he heard a familiar chuckle.
"Too little, too late, Doctor. I've already left. What do you think, is this broken enough?"
The Doctor spun in slow circles, screwdriver at the ready, staying alert.
"Oh, so it's the silent treatment, is it? Don't bother with trying to shut me up again, by the way. I've got this system protected against your attacks now. Nicely done with the halls though. I must admit, I wasn't sure you could do that. Good to know."
"You're making a mistake here. You are not going to like it when I find you."
Aeon chuckled. "Doctor, I wasn't born yesterday. I have had nearly 4,000 years to practice not being found. You're not going to catch me. Now, to business. Without your primary power storage, your TARDIS is in trouble. Without your navigation systems, you'll be wandering blindly. Although, looking at these things, I don't know how you aren't already. On your mark, get set, GO!"
The Doctor turned to the door and took off running, Aeon's order ringing in his ears.
Behind him, the power storage room sat, a mess of wrecked machinery.
For several long seconds, as The Doctor's footsteps faded into the distance, the room was perfectly still.
Without warning the lights flickered, and the room was repaired, no signs that the damage had ever happened.
The doors open, and Aeon walked into the room, his black helmet turning as he surveyed the damage.
Behind his helmet, Aeon smiled.
"Interesting. This strategy does work. I wonder how long it will take him to realize what I'm doing?"
He shook his head. "Focus. Right."
Drawing his chakram, Aeon activated their heated edges function, hauled back, and threw.
Elsewhere in the TARDIS, The Doctor ran.
Behind him, keeping at a safe distance, the shimmer followed.