Text Key

'Telepathic communication'

"Gallifreyian"

-Doctor Who- chapter break

The TARDIS materialised on the snowy landscape of the Ood Sphere. As a light dusting of snow fell where Ood Sigma stood waiting a short distance away, watching as the Doctor stepped out wearing his typical brown pinstriped suit and coat, had a pink lei around his neck, sunglasses and a straw cowboy hat on his head. While keeping the door open for Ariana who stepped out, wearing her usual attire of ripped jeans, a top, leather jacket and black boots. She was lacking the party favours her mate had on, rolling her eyes at him but smiling at him none the less, wanting to do something at least to make him happy.

Ever since seeing Ood Sigma outside Adelaide's home, she took him on countless trips to planets and different times with the effort to cheer him up, show him he was still the magnificent and good man she had fell in love with on Gallifrey. It seemed to have done the trick, having finally accepted his mistake for what he had done on Mars, one he promised to never to never make again.

"Ah!" he spots Ood Sigma, "Now, sorry. There you are!" the Doctor walked over with a grin, grabbing Ari's hand as the now approached, "So, where were we? I was summoned, wasn't I? An Ood in the snow, calling to me?" he had been hearing it echoing in his mind nonstop since last seeing Sigma, so much that it echoed into Ariana's mind as well, "Well, we didn't just exactly come straight here. Had a bit of fun, you know..."

"Sorry I apologise for that," the Time Lady grinned sheepishly, "It was my bad really."

The Doctor gave his mates hand a thankful squeeze, grateful that she had done that. He just needed to escape, have a few more thrills, the adventures she had chosen had helped him heal, "We travelled about, did this and that. Got into trouble. You know me," he grinned again, "But it was brilliant," he looked back to Sigma, "We saw the Phosphorous Carousel of the Great Magellan Gestadt, saved a planet from the Red Carnivorous Maw, named a galaxy Alison..." he now laughed brightly, Got Jack drunk in Queen Elizabeth's court..."

"Oh, boy what a mistake that was," Ariana replied with grimace. Jack was in such a horrible slump when they met him...he had lost Ianto whilst saving the Earth from alien threat, Jack had obviously taken it pretty hard. Ari felt heartbroken for Jack, when he had called, Ariana for some reason insisted they went immediately to Torchwood and she hugged Jack letting the man cry into her shoulder as he mourned. It was the motherly instinct inside her that wanted to console him. Both the Time Lords offered him a trip, knowing that sometimes you needed to get out there, see the wonderful things of the Universe to keep your spirits up, and Jack thought it would be wise to have a drinking game that would do wonders...even if she threatened him not to...

"Good Queen Bess," the Doctor laughed, "And let me just tell you her nickname is no lon..." before he could finish Ariana sharply nudged him, "Anyway...what do you want?"

"You should not have delayed," Sigma stated in reply.

"The last time we was here you said my song would be ending soon," the Time Lord recalled, "And I'm in no hurry for that."

"You will come with me."

"Hold on. Better lock the TARDIS," he rummaged in his pocket for the key and took it out, pointed it at the TARDIS and presses it. The light on top flashed twice and gave a small beep exactly like a car lock chirped, "You see? Like a car. I...I locked it like a car."

Ariana rolled her eyes and turned to the Ood, "He thinks it funny that he pimped her up."

"It is funny," he countered, both looking back at him, unimpressed, "No? Just a little bit?"

Ariana gave his arm a pat, "Oh, it hysterical," she offered sarcastically, and then looped her arm through his and tugged him with her after Sigma who had turned and walked off.

"So how old are you now, Ood Sigma?" the Doctor asked only after a moment, trying to make conversation as they walked. But he gave no response. However, he didn't seem not that put off by his and Ari's attention drawn to the massive sculpture of towers in rock, it somehow reminded them of the towers on Gallifrey, but instead black and white. With figures of Ood walking around it.

"Wow, that's magnificent!" Ariana breathed, her eyes going wide.

The Doctor lightly elbowed Sigma, trying to get a response, "Oh, come on, that is splendid. You've achieved all this in how long?"

"One hundred years," he replied honestly.

Both the Time Lords stiffened, now concerned, the Doctor turned to him, "Then we've got a problem. Because all of this is way too fast. Not just the city, I mean your ability to call me. Reaching all the way back to the 21st century."

"Your species has accelerated way beyond normal," Ariana added.

"And the Mind of the Ood is troubled," Sigma replied with a nod.

"Why, what's happened?"

"Every night," Sigma turned to the pair, "Every night we have bad dreams."

The Doctor started to frown as Sigma turned away and led them into a structure, walking past Ood wearing different varieties of robes until they came older Ood that had large brains sitting before pots and tubs, formed in a circle in a darkened underground room.

"Returning, returning, returning," the elder Ood spoke in their minds, waving fumes of smoke and incense upwards, "It is slowly returning through the dark and the fire and the blood. Always returning, returning to this world. It is returning, and he is returning, and they are returning, but too late. Too late. Far too late. He has come."

"Sit with the Elder of the Ood and share the dreaming," Sigma motioned for them to join in. The Doctor took off his lei, hat and sunglasses setting them aside as both he and Ariana stepped forwards and across to the circle. They looked around at the Ood before they sat down beside each other in the empty space. The Doctor was feeling uncomfortable while Ariana was feeling a little anxious.

"So," the Doctor began, trying to cover his discomfort, "Right. Hello."

"You will join," all the Ood chanted, "You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join."

The Ood put their hind brains into their laps and linking hands, the Time Lord watched cautiously before glancing at his mate, who returned a shrug, before they too joined hands and take the ones offered to them. As soon as they had connected, Ariana gasped, seeing a flash of the Master and her brother laughing madly, who wore a face she hadn't seen before.

She pulled her hands away, breathing heavily, pressing her hand on her forehead as if trying to force the very image from her mind.

"He comes to us," the Elder Ood stated, "Every night. I think all the peoples of the Universe dream of him now."

"That man is dead," the Doctor seriously informed, his arm wrapping around as he comforts her from the pain of seeing her brother after such a long time.

"There is yet more. Join us."

The Ood went back to linking hands, holding them out once again to the Doctor and Ariana. Ariana shakes her head, tears filling her eyes, "I can't," she whispered, looking at her mate in desperation, "I can't see it...not again..."

The Doctor reached out, cupped her face in his hands gazing deeply into her eyes, trying make her calm, he could feel the fear coming off her in waves and into him, "I'll be right here," he promises to her, stroking her cheek, "I swear, that I'll be right here with you..."

She searched through his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath, taking the Ood's hand along with him.

"Events are taking shape," the Elder began to speak, "So many years ago, and yet changing the now. There is a man..."

They see the Master laughing again.

"So scared..."

That's when they see Wilf, sitting at a table, hands pressed to his mouth as he stared at nothing, looking worried and scared.

"Wilfred!" the Time Lady gasped, "Is he all right?"

"What about Donna?" the Doctor now asked, "Is she safe?"

"You should not have delayed," the Elder repeated, "For the lines of convergence are being drawn across the Earth. Even now, the king is in his Counting house..."

There's a scene of a black man and young woman, who must be his daughter, both looking rather satisfied.

"We don't even know those people," Ari only but frowned at the image.

"And there is another," the Elder went on, "The most lonely of all, lost and forgotten..."

A blonde woman, sitting inside a cell, lit with blue light, wearing what looked like pyjamas, hair pulled away from her face, breathing heavily.

"The Master's wife!" the Doctor exclaimed as they pulled out from the visions.

"My brother is alive and had a wife what else haven't you told me about?!" Ariana stared at him in disbelief.

"Ari..." he tried to argue.

"I don't want to hear it!" she gazed angrily at him.

"We see so much, but understand little," Sigma interrupted with a sigh, "The woman in the cage, who is she?"

Ariana let out a scoff and rolled her eyes, "Probably is her own fault really," she began, "The first not knowing she was my sister-in-law. Second marrying my nutcase brother...the Master...who is a Time Lord, just like us..."

The Doctor looked around, seeing that the Ood hadn't understood, and returned his gaze to his girlfriend. She frowned, not sure what he was about to do, so he turned back to them, "I can show you."

They all closed their eyes not only pulling the Ood into his memories but Ariana too.

The Master could be seen sliding arrogantly around the room. That very image just rubbed Ari the wrong way, knowing how he's always be that way having different faces, but with the same arrogant stuck up personality he just never seemed to alter.

"The Master took the name of Saxon," the Doctor informed, sensing his mate getting uneasy, "He married a human, a woman called Lucy. And he corrupted her."

They watched the Toclafane being released by the Master, ordering to them to the American President, watching as Lucy celebrated many deaths with, as the Toclafane swarmed upon the Earth. This honestly made Ari's blood boil seeing what a monster her brother has become.

"I held him in my arms," Doctor swallowed harshly as the vision played out. It pained Ariana to see her brother dying but at the same time felt no pity for what he had done back then, "I burnt his body!" he continued, as he felt his mate squeeze his hand as he showed scenes of funeral pyre, "The Master is dead!"

"And yet, you did not see," the Elder informed.

They watched him walking away from the pyre.

"What's that?" Ariana gasped, as the scene continued to unfold.

A hand picks up a ring that had fallen into the flames, a signet ring. An older woman stood there, looking down at it in the palm of her hand, cradling it close.

Ariana's anger burst into ferocious flames within her...how dare she take it! It was a rite of Gallifrey, the heirlooms of family passed onto family, the ring she had lost long ago that was rightfully hers! How dare that woman take it!

"Part of him survived!" the Time Lord spoke, horrified, snapping out of the vision. He tried getting up, panicked, only the hands kept him down, "We have to go!"

"But something more is happening, Doctor," the Elder warned, as the Doctor struggled to both he and Ariana out, "The Master is part of a greater design," he look to his mate who looked to be getting more frightened by the second as the Ood went on. It was her brother, yes, he was coming back, yes, but it wasn't good by any stretch of imagination, "Because a shadow is falling over creation. Something vast is stirring in the dark."

Ariana tightened her grip on his hand as the Ood looked up at them, their eyes red. She felt her mates fear creeping into him as well.

"The Ood have gained this power to see through time," the Elder told, "Because time is bleeding. Shapes of things once lost are moving through the veil. And these events from years ago threaten to destroy this future, and the present, and the past."

"What do you mean?" the Time Lord demanded angrily.

He had to get out of here, he had to get Ariana out of here. This was just becoming too much for her to handle.

"This is what we have seen, Doctor. The darkness heralds only one thing. The end of time itself."

The Master appeared to them again in their minds, just as the Doctor managed to rip his hands away from the Ood and get Ariana. He pulled her up, as they began running from the circle and back towards the TARDIS.

"Events that have happened are happening now," the Elder's voice echoed in their heads as they ran out of the building.

They charged across the snow, the Doctor remotely unlocking the TARDIS as Ariana leapt inside, the Doctor slammed the door shut behind them. Ran straight to the console, rushing about as it sparks, seeming to have sensed the danger. He whipped his jacket off, throwing it over the chair where Ari's jacket already was as they continued running around and put in the coordinates.

Ariana ran to the monitor, gasping her hand going to her head as she heard a ghostly whisper inside her mind that of her brother...

"Never dying, never dying..."

"Ari?" the Doctor ran to his mates side, hearing those words through her mind just as the console let out an explosion.

"Honsetly I'm fine!" she shouted to him, as the words began to fade just as she pulled down the lever the TARDIS gave a jolt, having materialised on Earth.

They run out, only to find themselves standing in the ruins of Broadfell Prison, the one Lucy had been kept in, the police tape around it was unnerving to say the least. Looking down the Doctor sees a sign lying on the ground covered in rubble and bricks.

"We're too late," Ariana remarked, looking around at the ruins before turning back to her mate, with nothing but fear in her eyes. He went over to her and pulled her into his arms as she shook.

He could feel how fearful she was, sensing it through her thoughts. She used to admire her brother, he knew that she had, but he also knew she was scared of him. The Master has just probably succeeded in making his own sister afraid of him. Afraid what he could possibly do or would do, what he's willing to do...but more so...he could feel she was terrified of what the Master would do to the Earth and him, her Bond.

"It'll be alright," he whispered into her the top of her head and kissing it, "I promise you, that everything be alright."

She responded nodding into his chest before moving away. Wiping the tears away that had started to fall. She looked up at him, "We better start looking for him," she roughly swallowed.

He nodded in agreement, taking her hand in his and leading her back to the TARDIS.

-Doctor Who-

Ariana had been working on the monitor non-stop, trying to pinpoint her brother. Out of the two of them, she had a better chance of locating his position. She came close about twice to the exact location but he would disappear quicker than possible...

"I've got him!" Ari hollered.

The Doctor came over to see the tiny blinking light near some construction site ...it seemed the Master had stopped there for something. Because this could be the only chance they possibly have.

He took his girlfriend's hand and ran out of the TARDIS, still parked in the ruins of Broadfell, in that direction the TARDIS had locked on in. It was close enough and they didn't want to risk the Master finding the TARDIS sitting in the construction site.

They both opened their eyes as echoes reached them, someone was banging on something, four times. Looking over to the direction of the sound only for an instant before running towards it again. The banging became faster and faster before stopping completely.

Running past a red oil drum that had a dent its side, clearly having been struck hard, only for them to stop short. He was wearing a black hoodie and jeans paired with a red shirt underneath, his hair almost a bleach blonde.

He faced both of them, staring them down only for a moment before he bellowed at them, an almost animalistic roar. He leapt up high into the air, higher than humanly possible or Time Lordly possible, and disappeared on the other side of the gravel. They go running after him, nearly falling down the gravel until seeing him once more, stopping a short distance away, standing on a pile of iron beams while they stood on concrete below.

He starts to laugh, as his face flickered to a skeleton and back.

Ariana couldn't help but gasp, flinching at the sight of her brother, eyes wide with horror. What has he done to himself?

"Please, let us help!" the Doctor called, sensing his mates concern.

The Master only returned them a mocking look.

"You're burning up your own life force brother!" Ari shouted trying to reason with him.

He sneered at them before jumping of the iron pile and vanishing.

They go chasing after him, around the the pile of rusty bars, only for them to run straight into Wilf and a group of elderly men and women with him.

"Oh, my gosh, Doctor, Ariana, you're a sight for sore eyes!" Wilf cheered, grabbing the Time Lords arm.

The Doctor lightly shoved him off, "Get out of our way!" Both the Time Lords jumped over onto a nearby pile of metal, still trying to look for the Master.

"Did we do it?"another elderly man asked as a group of elderly people showed up, "Is that them?"

"Tall and thin, big brown coat," another of men eyed the Doctor and then Ariana, "Leather jacket, ripped jeans and black hair. I'd say so."

The Doctor and Ari peered over their shoulders at the group of elderly people staring back at them before leaping down from the pile and staring back at them.

"The Silver Cloak!" a woman cried, "It worked! Because Wilf phoned Netty, who phoned June, and her sister lives opposite Broadfell, and she saw the police box, and her neighbour saw these two heading east!"

Both the Time Lords just stared back at the group of elderly people in in utter confusion, "Wilfred?" the Doctor asked turning to him.

"Yeah?" he returned with a smile.

"Have you told them who we are? You promised us!"

"No," Wilf shook his head, "I just said you were both doctors, that's all. And might I say, sir, it is an honour to see you again."

He gave both of them a salute, Ariana smirking to herself from the annoyed look on her mates face. She quickly elbowed him and he reluctantly returned a half hearted salute.

"Oh, but you never said he was a looker!" the same woman from earlier said, admiring the Doctor with her eyes, "He's gorgeous!" she turned to hand her camera over to one of the men, "Take a photo."

The man looked the Time Lord up and down, "Not bad, eh?"

The Doctor looked rather taken aback and very frighted, something Ariana couldn't help but laugh at.

"Look at her!" another of the men exclaimed, eyeing the Time Lady, who herself was now looking startled.

"She's gorgeous!" another of the men agreed, "What a looker she is."

The Doctor was rather baffled, he kept looking between the woman attached onto his arm to the group to the men and Ariana and back.

"I'm Minnie," the woman on his arm introduced, "Minnie the Menace. It's a long time since I had a photo with a handsome man," her arm goes around his waist, the other women joining her as the men gathered around Ariana.

To say the the least the Time Lord gave his mate a pleading look of help, as he see an older gentleman on either side of her giving compliments, even though she felt a tad uncomfortable. He could tell she was, despite convincing her on many occasions, she never saw herself as anything truly stunning to look at. But to him she was absolutely beautiful, inside and out.

"Just get off them!" Wilf cried as he glared at his friends who were swarmed around the pair, "Leave them alone, will you?"

"Hush, you old misery!" Minnie hissed back at him before smiling up at the Doctor, "Come on, Doctor!" she reached up and pinched his cheeks, "Give us a smile!"

The Doctor looked to Ariana, both putting on pained smiles as the group faced the camera where Wilf was currently standing.

The camera gave a click, "Hold on..." the man pushed the button once again, "Did it flash?"

"No, there's a blue light. Try again."

"I'm all fingers and thumbs."

"We're really kind of busy, you know," the Doctor squirmed, trying to be polite as possible and get them away from here. Ariana now went rigid, uncertain what to do.

"Oh, it wont take a tick," Minnie assured him, "Keep smiling," suddenly her hand slid down towards his bottom and gave it a squeeze.

Ariana's now got brought to attention by her boyfriend's startled look just as he jerked away from the woman, "Is that your hand, Minnie?"

"Good boy," Minnie replied with a smirk, giving his bottom a small pat.

"Okay, that it's fun time is over," having enough Ari stepped forward, forced herself away from the men surrounding her and yanked the Doctor by his tie, pulling him away from the women as well, "So hands off my man," she gestured a finger a Minnie with her free hand, the old woman now looking slightly offended.

'Jealous much?' her mate muttered to her.

'Maybe, it's something I should start doing more,' she replied, 'To remind others that your mine.'

'I've been yours from the very moment we met,' he raised an eyebrow at her.

'You've never been able to think as fast enough as me Kas that's why,' she returned with a subtle smile.

"Well, thank you for everything," Ari now turned to give the group a tense smile, "As lovely as this has been to meet you guys, we really have to go...like now," she gave Wilf a brief glare before she pulling the Doctor away, leaving Wilf to get the group under control.

-Doctor Who-

How Wilf had ever managed to convince them to come on the bus with a bunch of crazed pensioners, they would never understand, only to pray and hope the ride would shortly be over. Wilf never took them back to Broadfell, only to instead take them to a small cafe in town.

"Come on, then. Here we are, hurry up!" Wilf ordered, ushering them off the bus soon as it had stopped and giving the others a wave, "Bye. You behave, bye!"

Everybody waved back from the bus waved back to them, Minnie cheekily blowing a kiss to the Doctor who honestly didn't notice it as looked around, in utter confusion.

"Over here, come on," Wilf now lead them across the street to a café.

"What's so special about this place?" the Time Lord asked, eyeing it suspiciously as they entered, "We passed fifteen cafés on the way."

Wilf responded with a laugh, "Yeah," he nods to some people in greeting as they walked out, "Afternoon!"

He led them all over to a table near the front, one right by the window, the Doctor letting Ariana sit first before sitting next to her. Folded his arms across his chest, leaning himself back in the chair whilst Ari sat there, a hand resting on his knee while Wilf leaned forward.

There was silence for only a moment before Wilf began to speak again, "Oh, we had some good times, didn't we though? I mean, all those ATMOS things, and planets in the sky, and me with that paint gun," he mimicked with his hands along with a popping noise, chuckling afterwards but the Doctor looked nothing but anxious while Ariana looked concerned, they really needed to find the Master before he did anymore harm to others. Wilf let out a sigh, hesitating for a moment, "I keep...seeing things. This...face at night."

"Who are you?" the Doctor abruptly asked him.

"I'm Wilfred Mott."

The Time Lady lightly shook her head, with a reassuring smile, "What he meant is that people wait hundreds of years to see him again yet only that you managed to do it in a few hours."

"Well, I'm just lucky I s'pose."

"No, we keep on meeting, Wilf," the Time Lord sighed in thought, staring back at him, "Over and over again like something's still connecting us."

"What's so important about me?"

"Exactly," the Doctor answered, "Why you? Ow!" he jumped forward slightly, rubbing the spot on the back of his head where Ariana had just slapped him.

"Would it kill you not to be rude for once," was the explanation she offered him as he returned a questioning look, before turning to the other man, "You are important Wilf you're Donna's grandfather."

Wilf returned a smile at her for that.

He gives his head another rub before glancing out the window at all the people going about their day, every single one of them full of life. He moved his hand onto Ariana's lap, lacing their fingers together as he turned to Wilf, "I'm going to die."

"Well, so am I, one day," Wilf replied.

"Don't you dare!" Ari returned angrily, pointing at them threateningly with her finger, "Either of you!"

"All right," he chuckled, "I'll try not to."

The Doctor smiled fondly at his mate and kissed her on the forehead. He swallowed harshly, blinking the tears away in his eyes as he turned to tell the older man the devastating truth, "But I was told...'He will knock four times.' "That was the prophecy. Knock four times, and then..."

Ariana tightly squeezed his hand.

"Yeah, but...I thought..." Wilf began to hesitate, "When I saw you before, you said your people could change, like, your whole body."

"There's always a possibility for us to die," Ariana sighed, exhausted, "You can kill us in the middle of a regeneration cycle. Before it even gets a chance to finish, then just like that...we die."

"Even then, even if we change, it feels like dying," the Time Lord continued on, "Everything I am dies. Some new man goes sauntering away..." his lip begins to tremble as he imagined his Ari leaving with another man, even though it was him. It was just so unfair. He's not long Bonded with her, still hasn't had enough time with her, "And I'm dead."

Ariana felt her eyes filling with tears as she sensed his thoughts. She will always love him, every incarnation of him...past, present and future. But she would love this one most of all from the others, as she had with his other forms. Yes of course he'll be different, be he would always be hers and she would always be his. Like if she changed, he would still love her as well...but by all means she didn't want this version of him to die.

They looked back across the table to Wilf, who was distracted and strangely silent, seeing him looking out the window.

"What?" the Doctor followed his gaze, to see Donna outside across the street getting keys out of her coat.

"I'm sorry, but I had to. Look, can't you make her better?"

"Stop it."

"No, but you're so clever. Can't you bring her memory back? Look, just go to her now. Go on, just run across the street. Go up and say hello."

"Wilf if she ever remembers Alice or us, her mind will burn, and she will die," Ariana put to him sternly, unwilling to risk her old friend suffering that fate.

A door is heard closing as they now looked out to see Donna confronting a parking warden, "Don't you touch this car!"

Both the Time Lords began laughing, "She's not changed," the Doctor remarked.

"Nah," Wilf agreed with him, "Oh, there he is..." a young black man joined Donna, holding her shopping bags, "Shaun Temple. They're engaged. Getting married in the spring."

"Another wedding."

"Yeah."

"Hold on, she's not going to be called Noble-Temple? That sounds like a tourist spot."

"No, it's Temple-Noble."

"Right."

"Is she happy?" Ariana asked quietly, continuing to watch them interacting, "Is he nice?"

The Doctor smiled at her with concern for Donna.

"Yeah, he's sweet enough," Wilf replied with a smile, "He's a bit of a dreamer. Mind you, he's on minimum wage, she's earning tuppence, so all they can afford is a tiny little flat. And then sometimes I see this look on her face, like she's so sad, but she can't remember why."

"She's got him," the Time Lord remarked.

"And he's got her," Ariana added quietly, giving her mates had a squeeze as he returned a soft smile.

"She's making do," Wilf sighed.

"Aren't we all?" the Doctor laughed emptily.

"Yeah, how about you? Who've you two got now?"

"No one. Travelling only us," he swallowed hard, "We thought it would better..." his voice cracks, "But I did some stupid things that went wrong..." he wiped his eyes just as Ariana put a hand on his arm.

"But I fixed it," she reminded him, "I had to stop you, you know. I am very persuasive with other people so I've been told," he laughed a little at that, "I did it all for you. So stop blaming yourself."

"Oh, my word," Wilf let out a soft gasp, seeing the man nod, trying not to break down, "I'm sorry."

"Merry Christmas," the Time Lord lightly scoffed.

"Yeah, and you!"

"Look at us."

"But don't you...don't you see? You know, you need her, Doctor. I mean, look. Wouldn't she make you laugh again? Good old Donna? Eh?"

They could only but watch her drive away, knowing that she would...but at the same time couldn't.

-Doctor Who-

Managing to have located the Master earlier, the TARDIS is now locked onto his location. They closely watched the monitor as he moves, waiting for the right moment for when he stops so they could pilot the TARDIS to his exact location.

It's now nightfall as they walked through the darkened alleyway to see the Master crouching over on the floor, nibbling away at a bone. As if having sensed their arrival, he instantly looked up to them. They moved slowly forwards, eyeing him closely as stared at his hands, now beginning to spark and glow. He reached out his hand, shooting a bolt of lightning at them, but missed hitting the building behind them instead. They didn't even flinch as they kept going towards him.

Neither of them deterred, he fires another bolt to the left of them, only for it to hit a barrel, they continued on.

He rubbed his hands together, as he generated a much greater force before shooting it straight into the Doctor's chest...only for Ari step in front him. She lets out a small cry of pain, staggering. He pulled back, with horror knowing he never meant to harm his long lost sister...but shocked that Doctor, also seemed to be affected from the bolt. He dropped to his knees, holding her as she falls to the ground.

He charged forward, taking Ari's face in between his hands just for a moment with the Doctor who pulled her away...and saw the adversary in his eyes...that's when he makes the discovery, that his dearest friend had finally Bonded with his sister. He's lost his bet. On wanting to harm the man in the worst way possible, but before that would of meant to simply destroy Earth...which also meant killing his Ariana...that was something he could never, ever do.

The Master sunk back into a squat, watching on filled with guilt for hurting his sister as she panted for air and the pain from the bolt, the Doctor holding her tightly to his chest, offering the comfort that he couldn't give her. He never could.

"We had estates," he quietly spoke, glancing at Ari in pain, "Do you remember my father's land back home? Pastures of red grass, stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition..." he now looked over to the Doctor, "We used to run across those fields all day, calling up at the sky," he falls back onto the mound of debris sitting on it, watching both of them, "Look at us now!"

"All that eloquence," the Time Lord shook his head, "But how many people have you killed?"

"I am so hungry."

"Your resurrection has gone wrong," Ariana offered with a gasp, still finding it hard to breath, "That energy...ripped open your body. Now it's killing you."

"That human Christmas out there!" he just blanked her, gesturing wildly with his hands, "They eat so much! All that roasting meat, cakes and red wine. Hot, fat, blood, food. Pots and plates of meat, and flesh, and grease, and juice, and baking, burnt, sticky hot skin. Hot. It's so hot..."

'Oh, dear Rassilon I think I'm gonna hurl,' Ariana shivered, feeling some bile rise up in her throat.

"Stop it!" the Doctor warned with a glare.

"Sliced...sliced...sliced..." the Master muttered under his breath.

"Stop it!"

"It's mine. It's mine. It's mine to eat and eat and eat."

"Stop it!"

There was finally silence.

"Please we need your help," Ariana pleaded weakly, now having healed herself enough to now breath properly.

But the he only just laughed at her, the very thought that she still needed him now even if she had the Doctor. Nobody ever needed him once the Doctor showed up.

"There's more at work tonight than you, me or Ari," the Doctor told him seriously.

"Oh yeah?" the Master asked mockingly.

"We've been told," the Time Lady slightly winced as she managed to sit herself up, "That something is returning."

"And here I am!"

She shook her head, "No, something much more."

"But it hurts!"

"We were told," the Doctor starts, "The end of time."

"It hurts!" the Master whimpered, "Doctor, the noise. The noise in my head!" he tried crawling over to them, looking to his sister but she just couldn't hear it. Meaning that his resurrection had gone wrong more ways than they thought possible even if she could hear it. In fact, she hadn't heard him ever since he came back, "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Stronger than ever before," he saw them looking back at him, confused, "Can't you hear it?"

"I'm sorry," the Doctor apologised with a shake of his head.

"Can you hear it?" he now turned to his sister, who sadly shook her head, "Please!" he pleaded, crawling up to her, "Listen, listen, listen, listen. Every minute. Every second. Every beat of my hearts. There it is, calling to me. Please listen!"

"I know that it hurts," she tries to soothe him, hating it to see him in this much pain despite of what he has done, she knew how painful the beating must have been, whether a heartbeat or a drumbeat, it just hurts and they didn't know what it was or why he can still hear it, "It understand that it hurts...it will always hurt..."

The Time Lord looked between them, feeling rather helpless. He knew Ari must of heard the beating, he had seen it her dreams and her memories, but now neither of them can hear the drumming, "I can't hear it."

"Listen!" the Master growled, turning to the Doctor, taking his face and pressing their foreheads against each other, as he closed his eyes in concentration.

The Doctor quickly backed away, startled. He had heard it. The beating.

Ariana winced, hearing it coming through his mind into hers.

"What?" the Master asked them.

"But that's..." he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"What?!"

"We heard it," Ari quietly answered as her mate tugged her back, staring at the Master in fear.

"But there's no noise," the Doctor called as the Master jumped onto his feet, mind racing at lightning speed as to the reason for the noise inside his head, he thought his sister just imagining things, putting a sound to her brother she claimed to him, but there it was, a true beating sound, "There never has been. It's just your insanity. What is it? What's inside your head?"

The Master began to laugh hysterically, "It's real!" he claimed with a shout, starting to scream loudly, "It's real. It's real!"

Bolts of electricity came out of of his hands and propelled him up into the sky.

The Doctor turned out from Ariana and kneeled down to face her, "You stay right here," he told her, "I'll go and look for him."

But she grabbed his arm before he could even leave, "Not without me your not," she replied with a grunt, using him as balance to get up. He takes her hand, helping her along as they went, still in slight pain. They looked up to the sky, trying to find the Master but he ins nowhere to be seen, but then they hear his laughter coming from a distance. They chased after it, coming to an abrupt halt to see him standing on a pile of dirt.

"All these years, you thought I was mad!" his arms went up in victory as he glared at the Time Lord, "King of the wasteland. But something is calling me, Doctor. What is it? What is it? What is it?"

Before an answer was given, a bright light suddenly shone down illuminating the Master from above. Looking up they see a spotlight on him as another snapped on the Doctor and Ari toppled back, trying to see past the blinding light. Ropes fall down either side of the Master, men in black uniform grabbed him, they inject a tranquilliser into the side of his neck, making him instantly become unconsious.

"Stop!" Ari shouted, reaching out to him. She ran forwards only to trip over, her mate pulling her back, both of them now running as the two soldiers began taking fire at them from a helicopter, holding them back so their teammates could hoist up the Master.

"Let him go!" the Doctor shouted as they ran up the hill, trying to get him. A solider ran up, slamming the butt of his gun into the back of the Time Lords head, knocking him unconscious, making his mate fall be she is knocked out as well, leaving both of them on the ground.

-Doctor Who-

When coming to they realised it was now morning, they rushed back to the TARDIS and tried to track the Master, only to discover he was on the Naismith estate. Having no clue who that was, they went to one person who could actually help them.

The TARDIS landed, both Time Lords stepping out onto the street looking at the Nobles house before them. They quickly ran over to the house, stopping short with fear of Donna's safety. Ariana picked up a small pebble from the ground and threw it at one of the windows upstairs that had a light on. Seeing Donna and Sylvia were downstairs, it only left Wilf upstairs. He comes to the window and looked out to see them. Moments later he went out to greet them.

"We lost him," the Doctor informed him, "We were unconscious. He's still on Earth. We can sense him, but he's too far away."

"Listen, you can't park there!" Wilf exclaimed pointing at the blue box sat in the middle of the street, "What if Donna sees it?"

"You're the only one that can help Wilf," Ariana cuts in, "The only connection we could think of. You're involved in some way, we just need to figure out how..." she shakes her head, "Tell me, have you seen anything? I don't know. Anything strange, or odd?"

Wilf hesitated a second, debating on whether to tell them about the woman in white he has kept seeing, "Well, there was a..."

"What?" the Time Lady frowned at him.

"What is it?" the Doctor shouted, "Tell us!"

'Will you calm down,' Ari called, placing a hand on his arm, 'You're making the man anxious.'

"Well, it was...no, it's nothing."

"Think, think, think," the Doctor said with a more calming tone, but still a little desperate, "Maybe something out of the blue. Something connected to your life. Something!"

"Well, Donna was a bit strange. She had a funny little moment, this morning, all because of that book."

"What book?" Ariana asked with a frown.

-Doctor Who-

Wilf held up his hand just for a moment before running back into the house, he paused at the door motioning for them to go around the back. They headed to the backdoor, standing out of sight as Wilf stepped out to meet them again, a book in his hand 'Fighting the Future.'

"His name's Joshua Naismith," he handed the book over to the Time Lords.

"It's him!" Ariana gasped, staring at the cover, "The man we saw in the Ood vision."

"By the what?"

"By the Ood," Ariana repeats to him.

"What's the Ood?"

"They're just the Ood," the Doctor replied with a wave of his hand.

"It's all part of the convergence," the Time Lady murmured, "Maybe? It may be touching Donna's subconscious..."

The Doctor fondly smiled, "Oh, she's still fighting for us, even now. The Doctor-Donna."

"Dad, what are you up to?" Sylvia now steps out of the house, spotting her father, before glaring at the sight of the two Time Lords standing there, "You! But...get out of here!"

"Merry Christmas," they greeted together with a smile.

"Merry Christmas. But she can't see you. What if she remembers?"

"Mum, where are those tweezers?" Donna called from inside the house.

"Go!"

"Okay, okay, we're going," Ariana rolled her eyes, ushering her mate back around the side of the house and back out onto the street.

"Yeah, me too," Wilf followed after them.

"Oh no, you don't!" Sylvia barked at her father as she followed after him, around the side of the house where they are heading towards the TARDIS, "Dad, I'm warning you..."

"Bye, see you later!"

"Stay right where you are!"

"You can't come with us," the Doctor said back as they ran over to the TARDIS.

"You're not leaving me with her," he argued back with a mumble.

"Dad!" Sylvia shouted for him again.

The Doctor glanced back and shrugged, "Fair enough."

He opened the door and they all entered the TARDIS, still hearing Sylvia shouting in disapproval. The Doctor going over to flip the switch sending them into the vortex.

"Naismith," Ariana pondered, as she walked forward with the book in her hand, "Naismith Manor, that's where the Master is gonna..." she now glanced over to see Wilf looking about, rather bewildered, "Hey, are you okay?"

The Doctor looked up, just as he nodded his head, "Ah. Right. Yes. Bigger on the inside. Do you like it?"

"I thought it'd be cleaner," he remarked, still looking around.

"Cleaner?" the Time Lord asked, offended, before he pointed at him, "We could take you back home right now."

Wilf just shook his head and looked as they worked at on console, "If this is a time machine, that man you're chasing, why can't you just pop back to yesterday and catch him?"

"We cant go back inside our own timeline," the Doctor recited the old age law, looking to girlfriend. He smiled at her and gave her a wink, she returned him a soft smile, now it had seemed that he has come to his senses since what had happened on Mars, "We have to stay relative to the Master within the causal nexus. Understand?"

"Not a word."

"Well then, welcome aboard the TARDIS," Ariana returned with a laugh, giving him sideways hug as he approached her.

"Thank you."

-Doctor Who-

They continued piloting the TARDIS until it materialised inside a barn on the Naismith estate, both of them immediately sensing the Master the very moment they stepped foot outside.

"We've moved!" Wilf exclaimed, looking around in shock, "We've really moved!"

"You should stay here," Ariana gently insisted to him, reluctant for him not to be used as a pawn in her brothers sick little game.

"Not bloody likely!" Wilf responded with a glare.

"And don't swear!" the Doctor told him off.

"Hold on," Ariana now reached into her mates coat and pulled out the remote control key, making the TARDIS dematerialise before them as she tossed him back the key, "It's only hidden just a second out of sync," she informed Wilf.

"Don't want the Master finding the TARDIS," the Doctor agreed, "That's the last thing we all need!"

They headed through the barn coming outside, passing an archway. Ariana pulled her boyfriend back quickly just as two guards walked by.

"That book said he's a billionaire," Wilf informed them, "He's got his own private army!"

Peering around the corner, through the archway Ariana spots something and then looks back at the other two, "Down here!"

She dashed forward, over to a tiny door that is in the archways side, sonicing it open with her sonic and going inside followed by her mate and Wilf, who just shuts the door as the guards go past again. They find themselves before a set of stairs leading down to a basement level and went down them. The Doctor holding a finger to his lips looked around to make sure they stayed quite as he listened, they now could hear someone faintly whispering down the hall.

"Miss Addams, we're getting encouraging results from the ratio-foldback," they heard someone reporting over the comm as they crept nearer the room, "Can you confirm?"

They both peered around the corner to see a blonde woman wearing a black outfit with a white lab coat over the top, smiling as she reads back results.

'That's a shimmer,' Ariana remarked to the Doctor, having seen the technology before she knew the subtle hints of it's technology in play, the Doctor gave a nod, getting out his sonic.

"The man's a miracle," Addams responded, "All the systems are slotting back into place. The shatterthreads have harmonised, the fibre links intensified. And the multiple overshots have triplicated."

"Nice Gate!" the Time Lord shouts, poking his head around the door frame with his girlfriend.

"Hello," Wilf greeted peering around the other side.

"Don't bother try calling security," the Time Lady warned as they came into the room, "Or we'll tell them you're wearing a Shimmer."

"Cos we reckon anyone wearing a Shimmer doesn't want the Shimmer to be noticed, or they wouldn't need a Shimmer in the first place," the Doctor agreed with her.

"I'm sorry? What's a 'Shimmer?'" she asked pretending to sound innocent.

With a grin the Doctor pointed his sonic at her, "Shimmer!"

The woman turned into a green, spiky alien.

"Oh, my Lord," Wilf gasped pointing at her as she glared back, "She's a cactus!"

"Miss Addams?" a man called over the comm, "Miss Addams?"

But Addams just couldn't move as the Time Lords entered the room more and started to check over the readings for themselves.

"He's got it working," Ari called to the Doctor as she frowned at the readings.

"But what is it?" he asked coming to the computer she's currently at, "What's working?"

Just then a tall man ran into the room, wearing a similar black outfit and lab coat, "What are you doing here?"

Without even looking Ariana pointed her sonic at him, keeping her eyes on the screen, using one hand for typing, she flashes him, "Shimmer!"

The tall man, too also turned into green spiky, cactus as Wilf called the other one as she looked around the older man to him.

"Now, tell us quickly, what's going on?" the Doctor turned to them the tall alien how was shaking his head, "The Master, Harold Saxon, Skeletor. Whatever you're calling him, what's he doing up there?"

He briefly glanced to his mate who was still typing away, checking all the files over, "But I checked the readings. He's done good work. It's operational."

"Sorry, and who are you?" Ari glanced at him.

"I met someone like you," the Doctor added, "He was brilliant, but he was little and red."

"No, that's a Zocci," Addams returned angrily, slightly offended.

"We're not Zocci, we're Vinvocci!" the other agreed, "Completely different."

The Time Lord just shrugged.

"And the Gate is Vinvocci," Addams added with a sigh, "We're a salvage team! We picked up the signal when the humans reactivated it. And as soon as it's working, we can transport it to the ship."

"But what does it do?" the Doctor demanded as he frowned.

"Well, it mends," the other alien added, "It's simple as that. It's a medical device to repair the body. It makes people better."

Ariana shook her head slowly, "No. There has to be more to it, there's just gotta be. Because the Master wouldn't just stop at something simple, no he would do something colossal."

"So that thing's like a sickbed, yes?" Wilf pointed to the machine.

"More or less," Addams replied with a shrug.

"Well, pardon me for asking, but why is it so big?"

The Doctor look at Wilf rather impressed, "Oh, good question. Why's it so big?"

"It doesn't just mend one person at a time," Addams replied, sounding rather fed up.

The other one agreed with a laugh, "That would be ridiculous."

"It mends whole planets."

"Sorry...it does what now?" Ariana asked, eyes going wide with horror, her brothers plan unfolding inside her head, the Doctor blinked his eyes, seeing it being worked out and passed over to him.

"It transmits the medical template across the entire population."

Both the Time Lords shared a single glance before speeding out of the room. They ran up the many flights of stairs as they willed themselves to, following the Masters sense until they come bursting into the control room where the gate machine is standing ready and waiting, "Turn the Gate off right now!"

"At arms!" a man ordered and the guards aimed their guns.

The Doctor took his mate and pulled her behind him, before holding his hands up in surrender, "No, no, no, no, no. Whatever you do, just don't let him near that device."

"Oh, like that was ever going to happen," the Master scoffed before flinging his straightjacket and collar off with his powers he had been forced to wear. He jumped into the air and lands inside the Gate with an almighty roar.

Ari and the Doctor looked on in shock, knowing what was about to happen.

"Homeless, was I?" he shouted, as he began to mock, "Destitute and dying? Well, look at me now!"

"Deactivate it!" Ariana pleaded, "All of you, turn the damn thing off!"

But only it's too late, the Gate had started transmitting. Everyone, save for the Time Lords, began to shake their heads in pain as the Master evily laughed.

"He's...inside my head..." Mr Naismith grimaced in pain.

They looked from person to person, each struggling against the Master.

"Get out of there!" the Doctor ran to the Gate. Only for Ariana to pull him back just in the nick of time before the Master could strike him with a bolt of energy.

"Doctor!" Wilf called out to him, stumbling into the room holding his head, "Ari, there's...there's this face."

They come to his aid, faces full of concern, "What is it? What can you see?" the Time Lord asked hurriedly.

"Well, it's him!" Wilf gestured to the Master, "I can see him!"

"There's something wrong," a newsfeed comes from the television, "It seems to be affecting the President."

Ariana looked over at the controls, running to them, looking about madly, "I can't shut it off!" she called to her mate.

"That's because I locked it!" the Master sneered at his sister.

An idea comes to the Doctor, so he grabs Wilf and drags him over to one of the secure rooms built of the same alien technology, "Wilfred! Get inside now!" he unlocked the door and shoved Wilf inside, letting the other man out. He runs to the other door and began fiddling about with the dials, "Just need to filter the levels..."

"Oh, I can see again!" Wilf breathed with a sigh of relief, "He's gone."

"Radiation shielding," Ariana told him, running over to the boxes, "Now press the button to let him out."

"You what?"

"I can't get out until you press the button," the Doctor instructed, nodding at the button, "That button there!"

Wilf presses the button, letting the Doctor go free.

"Fifty seconds and counting!" the Master shouted with a menacing grin.

"To what?" the Time Lord demanded.

"Oh, you're going to love this."

Both Ariana and the Doctor rushed back towards the controls, in desperation to find some way to shut it all down, working frantically as they ignored everything around them.

"What is it, hypnotism?" the Doctor demanded, "Mind control. You're grafting your thoughts inside them, is that it?"

"Oh, that's way too easy," the Master responded with a laugh, "No, no, no. They're not going to think like me. They're going to become me!" he outstretched his arms, "And...zero!"

A blast of brilliant white light shoots out from the Gate spreading rapidly throughout the room and around the Earth as the Master laughed.

The Time Lords watched on in horror as Naismith, his daughter, and everyone else in the room, except for Wilf who was frantically searching his pockets for something, their heads started shaking fiercely, in a rapid blur, changing before their very eyes into the Master.

"He can't have," the Doctor gasped.

"What is it?" Wilf asked them, before putting his phone back to his ear, "Donna?" he looked back up at them horrified, "Doctor!" he shouted, "Ariana! She's starting to remember. What is it? What have you done, you monster?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you talking to me?" the Master turned to Wilf with a grin.

"Or to me?" each of his clones started to ask, the Naismith's and the guards...

"Breaking news," the Master/news reporter announced, "I'm everyone. And everyone in the world is me!"

"I'm President," the Master/Obama said, "President of the United States. Look at me!" people began applauding, every single one looking like the Master, "Ooo, financial solution. Deleted!"

The Master now stepped out of the Gate and approached the other clones of himself in the room, as they stared at the Doctor and his little sister who stood next to Wilf, "The human race was always your favourites," he glanced between them as they stood there both looking helpless, "But now, there is no human race. There is only the Master race!"

He started laughing, all his clones laughing all over the planet. Ariana scrunched her eyes closed, hands grasping her head, the echoes of the Masters laughter amplified by him.