CHAPTER 6

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FACE TO FACE WITH MISSY AT LAST

As the Doctor returned back to her own universe in the TARDIS in the aftermath of the final battle with the Missy from the other universe and the woman named Nightshade, she stood at the console in silence. She still couldn't get over the fact that the Doctor and Rose Tyler of the other universe who she had gone to help had become lost in another unknown reality with no way back home. It really bothered her because it just rammed home the point that something terrible could happen to anyone at any time in this life of hers.

Yet again she was forced to see just how much danger that the others were in as long as they traveled with her.

"We're not going back home, Doctor, and that's final, "Maisie said from behind her.

"How did you know that was what I was thinking, Flapper Girl?" The Doctor asked in a voice that was totally devoid of emotion.

"It's pretty obvious from the worried look on your face. Plus you've been giving us guilty looks ever since we returned to the TARDIS," Journey answered.

"I'm that easy to read now, huh? I'll have to work on that because I definitely need to be Enigmatic Girl around all of the megalomaniacs and madmen that I run into. How else am I going to confuse them?" The Doctor said with a forced smile.

"You could just try talking to them. That ought to work," Maisie joked.

"YOUR SPEECH PATTERNS OFTEN CONFUSE ME AS DOES YOUR INCESSANT BABBLING," Rusty agreed.

"Really? Good. It's nice to know that I've still got it," The Doctor said in a flat voice.

"Stop worrying so much about us," Maisie said in an annoyed tone.

"Listen to her, Doctor. Rusty and I are trained soldiers after all so we can take care of ourselves, and we can also watch out for Maisie for you," Journey said confidently.

"Hey, no one needs to watch out for me. I can take care of myself just as well as the rest of you can," Maisie protested.

Journey smirked and Rusty emitted some sort of noise that the Doctor could have sworn was laughter at that while Maisie frowned. The Doctor couldn't help but smile at the expression on her friend's face. It was moments like this that made her love all three of them.

This just made her even more determined to protect them from what she knew was coming. She knew that her version of Missy was about to strike now that the counterpart that she had been working with in the other universe had been defeated. The Master had never been known for her self-restraint when it came to trying to kill her after all.

"Don't you worry about it, Maisie. I know you're much tougher than you look even if these two don't just yet," The Doctor reassured her as she put her arm around her and kissed her cheek.

"My, my! The two of you seem to be very close. You've moved on from me already haven't you, sweetie?" A voice that the Doctor never thought that she would hear again said.

"ALERT! ALERT! UNIDENTIFIED INTRUDER ONBOARD!" Rusty shouted as he aimed his gunstick at the Doctor's newest passenger while Journey aimed her gun at her.

The Doctor immediately placed herself in front of them as she said, "Stop! She's not dangerous."

"Really? The guards and staff at Stormcage might disagree with you about that, dear," River Song said with an amused grin.

"Well, she's not dangerous to us anyway," The Doctor quickly added.

"Doctor, who is she?" Maisie asked as she looked at River warily.

"I'm Professor River Song and I'm the Doctor's wife," River said with a huge smile at the shocked looks that she received as she said that.

She didn't fail to notice the questioning and slightly worried look that the Doctor briefly gave her.

"Wife? You have a wife? Why have you never mentioned her before?" Journey asked in confusion.

"There's a very good reason for that actually, Soldier Girl. I thought that she was . . ." The Doctor started to say and then she quickly stopped herself.

For all that she knew this might be some past version of River. She didn't need to blurt out her future in front of her by accident.

"What's the matter? Afraid of telling me some spoilers, dear? Now that's certainly ironic isn't it?" River said.

"River, when did you last see me? For that matter, how did you even know that this was me anyway? Why didn't you think that I was Clara?" The Doctor asked.

"I'd always know you anywhere no matter what body that you took, Doctor," River said evasively.

"River," The Doctor said in an insistent voice.

"Alright, I suppose it wouldn't do any harm if I told you. I already knew about this version of you after being told about her from the incarnation of you after this one," River said as she started to move closer to her.

"You've met the next me?" The Doctor asked in surprise.

"That's right. Don't even try to ask me for details about your appearance though. I won't tell you anything," River said.

"Can you at least answer one question for me? Just one?" The Doctor pleaded.

"No, you're still not ginger," River said already anticipating what she was going to ask.

"I'm never going to be ginger," The Doctor whined.

"Maybe that should be your new catchphrase," Maisie joked.

As the Doctor glared at her, River said, "You don't even have your catchphrase yet? This is really early days for this version of you isn't it?"

"I only just regenerated a few weeks ago, yeah," The Doctor confirmed.

River nodded as she suddenly became quiet. The Doctor saw her staring at her intently while she looked her up and down and instantly knew what she was thinking. It had finally hit her just how different that her current form was from the Doctor that she had known before.

River finally spoke moments later as she said, "I already knew all about who Clara really was to you and that you regenerated into her but to actually see it in person is quite different than being told about it. I'm afraid that you're a little too short for me in this body, dear. I suppose I'll get used to it though."

The Doctor found herself smiling at that response as she said, "Why am I not surprised that you're not a bit fazed by this incarnation, River?"

"That's because you know me so well, sweetie. Just in case you think that I can't surprise you anymore however . . ." River said with a wicked grin.

Then without warning she suddenly wrapped her arms around the Doctor and kissed her as the others watched in uncomfortable silence.

The Doctor smiled as she said, "I was expecting that actually. Like you already said, I know you so well, Professor Song. Now I would really appreciate it if you'd kindly answer the question that you so cleverly evaded before. When did you last see me?"

Suddenly River pulled out her gun and pointed it at the Doctor who looked at her in absolute shock as she said, "What are you doing? Haven't we already moved past this point in our relationship by now?"

River smiled with a huge grin as she said, "See? I can still surprise you after all."

"Is that what this is all about? Yes, you surprised me. You surprised me," The Doctor said nervously.

"LOWER YOUR WEAPON OR YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED," Rusty warned.

"I'd listen to him if I were you. Even if he doesn't get you I will," Journey said as she aimed her gun straight at River's head.

"Hold it, both of you! No one's shooting anyone, got it? River, what is going on? Talk to me before someone gets hurt," The Doctor said in a worried voice.

River's expression softened as she said, "You know me better than that. I'm not out to kill you or your friends. I'm trying to keep you from making a fatal mistake, Doctor. You were just about to set the coordinates to return back to UNIT HQ on Earth to ask for their help in looking for Missy weren't you?"

The Doctor's look of surprise was the only answer that she needed as she said, "I knew you were. That's why I hurried here as quickly as I could. I'm afraid that I can't allow you to go down there, Doctor. Missy's already there just waiting to ambush you at this very moment as soon as you arrive. She's taken over the entire base."

"How do you know this? Did the future me tell you? How many times have I told you that you can't go around altering the future just because you feel like it, Helmet Head?" The Doctor asked.

"Helmet Head? Is that a cheap comment about my hair, Doctor?" River said with an angry look on her face.

"Doctor, I think you just made the scary woman holding the huge gun on us angry. That's never a good idea," Maisie said.

"That's okay, Maisie, because I'm also a scary woman whose holding an equally huge gun on her. That along with Rusty makes us more than even," Journey said.

"How cute! The little soldier girl thinks that she and her pet Dalek can actually beat me. They should be so glad that they're your friends, Doctor, or they'd have already found out just how wrong that they are," River said with an amused smile on her face that was belied by the warning glare in her eyes.

"Don't let that stop you, Big Hair. Anytime that you think you can take me you go on right ahead," Journey said.

"Oi! Stop it right now! No one is shooting anyone! Got it? Is that clear?" The Doctor said as she looked at River while she asked that last question.

"Perfectly," River said with a mad grin.

"Everyone put your guns down right now," The Doctor ordered.

To her surprise, both River and Journey did so. The Doctor then began to smile smugly at how she had disarmed the situation.

"Oswald for the win," She said happily.

"Why are you saying that? You're not Clara Oswald, dear," River said with a frown.

"Maybe not completely but in some ways I still am. I'm kind of glad about that actually because I would never have wanted her to disappear altogether," The Doctor said.

"Trust me. She hasn't. It's scary how much you act like her sometimes," Maisie said.

"I know. Sometimes I'm half convinced that Clara's having us on and the real Doctor is in hiding somewhere secretly laughing at us," Journey agreed.

"I WOULDN'T BE A BIT SURPRISED BY THAT ACTUALLY. THE DOCTOR'S DECEPTIVENESS KNOWS NO BOUNDS," Rusty said.

"Thanks a lot, Russ. I really appreciate that," The Doctor said sarcastically.

"Personally I would have taken that as a compliment, sweetie," River said.

"I'm sure you would because right now you're being very deceptive. You still haven't told me how you know about Missy's plan and where you are on your timeline, River. I need to know that so that I don't accidentally alter my own past," The Doctor said.

"Would I do something like that, Doctor?" River asked still smiling.

"Yes, you so would if it meant saving me from dying," The Doctor said.

"You're probably right but not this time. To answer your second question, I was told about Missy's plan by an old friend of yours. He's the one who told me to warn you. It wasn't my plan. It was his if it makes you feel any better. As for your first question, I didn't somehow miraculously survive my death. That still hasn't happened for me yet but I have a feeling from the way that you stared at me when I called myself a Professor that I don't have much longer," River said in a completely unbothered voice.

"That's how you knew who Clara was when you saw her in that shared dream at Vastra's house. You met me just before you . . ." The Doctor said before trailing off sadly.

"I'm alright with it, Doctor. I really am," River said in a reassuring tone.

"So where is this old friend of mine that you were talking about? I'd like to see him whoever it is," The Doctor said as she quickly changed the subject since she was being reminded yet again of someone that she failed to save.

"I thought you might. That's why I gave him a Vortex Manipulator of his own. Let me signal him to come up," River said.

A moment later a Cyberman suddenly appeared in the middle of the Console Room next to River alarming the others especially Rusty.

"ALERT!" Rusty screeched as the Doctor held up her hand telling him to stop.

"Doctor, it's a Cyberman," Journey said as she looked at her like she had lost his mind.

"Yes, but it's not just any Cyberman. This one's special," The Doctor said.

Then she walked up to the silver giant with a warm smile on her face as she said, "Hello, Alastair."

"Doctor?" The Brigadier said in a flat lifeless mechanical voice that nonetheless seemed to convey complete surprise somehow.

"That's right, Alastair. I became a woman when I regenerated this time. I guess I must have never told you that I can do that, huh?" The Doctor said grinning mischievously.

"Definitely not. Then again I suppose that nothing that you do should really surprise me, Doctor. You're literally capable of anything it seems," The Brigadier said.

"I always thought that it was part of my charm. It's good to see you, Alastair," The Doctor said happily.

Maisie and Journey looked at each other with amusement. It was easy to tell that the Brigadier was a very good friend of the Doctor's because they had never seen her as happy as she was now before. She was practically giddy.

"It's good to see you again too, Doctor, which is a real surprise since the Cybermen did their best to take my emotions away. As you can see, they didn't quite finish the job though," The Brigadier said in what the Doctor knew would have been a proud tone in his original voice.

"You always were too stubborn for you own good, Alastair," The Doctor said with a chuckle.

"Very amusing, Doctor, but this is serious business. The Master has completely taken over UNIT HQ and is more than ready to spring a trap on you there. She has several of the soldiers there hypnotized and completely under her control. They're all eagerly waiting to shoot you down as soon as you step out of the TARDIS. Luckily Kate managed to contact me and warn me, and then I tried contacting some of your friends for help. I was only able to reach Miss Song but luckily she seems to have done the job of finding you quite admirably," The Brigadier said.

"It wasn't so hard, Brigadier. I was trained from childhood to track down and find the Doctor anywhere and everywhere that he might possibly go in time and space. Of course that wasn't to save him," River said with a smile.

The Brigadier's body language definitely looked surprised now as he said, "You married someone who was sent to kill you, Doctor?"

"Well, it seemed like the thing to do at the time, Alastair," The Doctor said with a mad grin.

"The more I learn about the Doctor the more I question why I stay with her sometimes," Maisie said with a look of disbelief.

"It's because she's the most amazing person that you've ever met, and she takes you on the greatest adventures that you could possibly imagine. At least that's one of my reasons anyway," Journey said.

"It's one of mine too," Maisie admitted with a chuckle.

"SO WHAT IS OUR PLAN OF ATTACK, DOCTOR? HOW DO WE HANDLE THIS AMBUSH BY THE ENEMY TIME LADY?" Rusty asked.

"Why we give her exactly what she wants of course, Russ. We walk right on in," The Doctor said in a nonchalant voice.

"What? He just told you that it's a trap though, Doctor," Journey said in disbelief.

"I know. So what better way to disarm the trap then to make her think that she's caught me in it," The Doctor said.

"I'm not following you, Doctor," Maisie said.

"I have to admit that for once I'm not either," River said in confusion.

"Ah, so now I'm surprising you, eh, Helmet Head? You'll see. I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve that even you don't know about yet," The Doctor said.

"Such as?" River asked.

"You'll see, Professor Song. You'll see," The Doctor said.

Then she frowned causing Journey to say, "What is it, Doctor? Is your plan not going to work after all?"

"No, it's not that. I just realized that I'm about to head into yet another fight with no catchphrase. I really need to think of one of those pronto. Maybe I could just use one of Clara's until I come up with one of my own. How does 'Oh, my stars!' sound?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes, it's fine, dear. Now let's go ahead with this plan of yours," River said impatiently.

"Alright, but don't get too freaked out by what's about to happen," The Doctor said as she started to glow with energy.

"What the?!" Maisie said after the glow faded.

"I'll second that," Journey said as she looked on in amazement.

"Brilliant. Totally and completely brilliant," River said in an impressed tone.

Moments later, the TARDIS landed inside of UNIT HQ and a woman who the soldiers instantly recognized as the Doctor came out of it. They all pointed their guns at her simultaneously which caused her to immediately freeze in her tracks.

"Was it something that I said?" She asked with a nervous smile.

"No, Doctor. It was something that I said actually," Missy said with an evil laugh as she entered the room.

"Well? What now?" Journey asked as the others watched this on the monitor in the Console Room.

"Now we get Missy to brag to who she thinks is the Doctor about what she's going to do next. She just can't resist bragging to me about how she's going to kill me once she thinks that she has me," The Doctor said.

"Then what?" Maisie asked.

"To be honest, I'm still working on that part," The Doctor admitted.

"You never really change no matter what face that you wear, do you?" The Brigadier said.

"Why mess with perfection, Alastair?" The Doctor said with a giggle.

Next: What is going on here? How can there be two Doctors? What is Missy going to do to who she thinks is the Doctor anyway and will the real Doctor ever come up with a plan to stop her? Plus the Doctor finally gets a catchphrase at long last!