Author's Notes: Dun dun dun! This story was originally supposed to be short. But then I started thinking about all my favorite characters, and how I could possibly incorporate them into the story. Now I have an actual plot to the story! This marks the first action of the piece. I really hope you enjoy!
Reviews are my drug. More reviews=faster chapters. Thanks for reading!
Previously...
"Are you sure you got the coordinates right, old boy?" Her Doctor called back before the other two had time to go back inside. "You said five minutes after we left, right? Not five before?"
"No, I'm positive," Nine barked, the scowl back on his face. "I may have missed the mark by several months the first time I brought Rose home, but I've double checked the coordinates and brought us to exactly when we needed to be. Why would you ask such a thing?"
They looked back in front of them at the empty alley. "Because the TARDIS is not here."
"What?" the other two Doctors echoed. "What do you mean the TARDIS is not there?"
"Maybe you did get the coordinates wrong," Other Ten said as they jogged over to their side.
Nine looked uneasy as he peered down the empty alley. "Yeah, maybe..." He pushed a hand over his buzzed head, looking lost and confused.
They all tried to walk down the alley at the same time, resulting in bumping into each other. Rose followed after them as the three Doctors trailed down the alley to where the TARDIS had once stood.
There looked to be scorch marks on the brick wall behind where the police box had once stood. Maybe Rose was imagining it. If there was actually something there, one of the Doctors would have noticed it by now. One of the Tens certainly would have tried licking it.
"Shall we... get back to the TARDIS and check the data?" Other Ten suggested, a puzzled look on his face. The other two nodded in agreement, but it took Rose turning back first for any of them to move.
"I don't understand it. I double checked the coordinates. Suppose the old girl's thrown us off again? Is she maybe a bit jealous about there being another one of her around?" Nine asked the others as they entered the bigger-on-the-inside control room.
Rose flopped down on the captain's chair as they all crowded around the display screen to read the strange symbols.
"Wha's goin' on?" a sleepy voice behind her asked. She turned to see Other Rose standing in a tank top and shorts, fuzzy slippers on her feet and her hair still mussed up. Rose stifled the uncomfortable feeling growing in her and patted the chair next to her, welcoming her over.
"Seems the boys are havin' a bit of a hard time with the navigation."
"Wouldn't be the first time," she said, sitting down next to her.
Nine thumped his hand on the control panel. "I knew I was right! I double checked the coordinates. We are when and where we are supposed to be."
"Did you accidentally engage the cloaking device before we left? Set the TARDIS a few seconds out of sync with the rest of time?" suggested Other Ten.
"No! When Rose and I left, it was smoking like the lava pits of Fragdulus. We were just going to take a quick poke around and go back. I thought she'd be safe, like she always is."
Other Rose coughed softly, interrupting their debate. "Doctors? What's that blinky blue light over there on the console?"
Nine's mouth still hanging open mid-retort, they all turned to look at the two Roses before their eyes slid collectively to the blinking light mentioned on the other side of the console. A deep sense of confusion set in on all three faces.
"It means..." started Other Ten.
"We have—" cut in Ten.
"A message. But that's impossible!" finished Nine. "No one still alive has the ability to contact this ship."
"Nothin's impossible, Doctor," Rose chirped. "Isn't it you taught me that?"
He waved her off, scooting over to examine the offending light with his sonic screwdriver. Other Ten sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes before punching the button. Nine scowled angrily at him for interrupting his experiment, but both were cut off as a holographic projection flickered into view. A blonde man, shorter than the Doctors, hovered in front of them.
"No." Other Ten's face paled. Everyone looked between him and the hologram.
"Who is it?" Other Rose asked. She slid off the chair and padded to his side, wrapping her arms around him in concern.
Before he could answer, the hologram began speaking. "Doctor. You never cease to amaze me."
Rose watched as the other two Doctors fell still, watching the hologram with analytical expressions.
"Here I am, stuck in this... universe. Stuck. Just like I was at the end of the universe. All this time, I've been wondering what I was going to do. And like the little problem solver he is, the Doctor drops the answer in my lap."
A devilish smirk slid across the man's face. "Thank you for the TARDIS, Doctors. I know there are more than one of you here. The TARDIS you left behind picked up your signal. Really, she just had a blown gasket. I can't believe you left her behind for that." He tutted softly, patting the console.
"Don't bother trying to track me. I've scrambled the signal. You'll never find us. Until I want to be found, that is. Don't worry. We'll meet soon enough." The hologram clicked off. An eerie silence filled the room as all five people stood stock still.
Rose was the first to move, sliding off the captain's chair. "Doctor? Who was that?"
All three Doctors looked at her, stunned expressions on their faces. Nine swallowed hard, running a hand across his hair again. Other Ten's face was grim. "The Master. The Master has the TARDIS."