Chim Chim Cheree

"So...you brought us here to die."

The flame-haired youth groaned, leaning back against the wall of the cell. Girl sat across from him and rolled her eyes,

"Shut up."

She then turned to the Doctor, who was seated beside her,

"Well...?"

The Doctor frowned, shaking his head,

"Well, what?"

Girl snorted,

"How do we stop them?"

"How do you expect me to know!?"

"'Cause you're the Doctor," she pressed, a sad look crossing her face,

"And Soufflé..."

The Doctor sighed, bowing his head as she continued,

"I believe you can. Look, this is their strong hold! We're right in the centre of it! Can't your screwdriver shut the power off or something? Kill them at the core?"

The man frowned, straightening as he glanced down at it,

"Girl...Girl, that's brilliant!"

Leaning over, he gave her a peck on the forehead, and shook his head,

"How come I didn't think of that sooner!?"

She scowled, shifting her mouth to the side as he stood and headed for the door,

"Not the lips? Really, bro?"

The Doctor straightened and turned to her slowly,

"Why?"

"Why, what," she queried, a confused look on her face.

"'Not the lips'...why would you ask?"

Vaya and Vamos glanced back and forth between them, as though watching a tennis match. Vinyl remained as silent as ever. Girl shook her head,

"Um...I don't know? I remember you kissing people? Was kinda excited about it-"

"Not people," the Doctor pressed, stepping back over to her,

"Just one person. Do you remember? A man...a man with red hair and a nasty attitude...but surprisingly a fantastic snog, Beverly was a lucky woman."

Girl bit her lip as she thought a moment. She could almost see him, the man the Doctor was describing, standing next to a graffiti-ridden, muscle car. She shook her head as he began to fade, soon disappearing all together. With a sigh, she shrugged,

"Nope. Nothing."

With a groan, the Doctor shook his head and went back to the door,

"Well, nevermind, then. Once I figure out how to correct this timeline, you'll remember him soon enough."

Sonicking the lock, he smiled as he pushed the door open, motioning to her with a grin,

"Ladies first..."

~ø~

They hurried down the hallway, the Doctor glancing around cautiously. This looked strikingly like the hallway from the security footage he had seen from the day the original Killjoys had infiltrated the building, the day that they had...

He shook his head and nodded to a room nearby, quickly heading inside,

"This way..."

Val scowled as he followed the pack, glancing around nervously. The room was lined with tubes and wires, all leading to a console at the centre. He raised an eyebrow,

"Is this it?"

"No," the Doctor began, swallowing hard,

"But it is part of it..."

Waving the screwdriver at it, he pulled it up and read over the scan, cursing softly,

"They got smart. Broke the control centre into four separate parts."

"So, what do we do," Girl frowned.

Turning back to them, the Doctor sighed,

"We'll have to split up. You two, with the funny hair," he motioned to Vaya and Vamos,

"You head down the East wing and take out that panel. It'll be in a room exactly like this one."

He then turned to Vinyl, and nodded,

"And you, Fezzik, you take the South end."

The dark-haired boy frowned at that, raising an eyebrow curiously,

"Princess Bride?"

The Doctor swallowed hard. Vinyl smiled,

"I like that movie."

"And what about us," Girl shook her head, watching silently as the Doctor waved the screwdriver at the console again. The whirring in the room soon came to a halt and the lights grew dim. With a smile, the Doctor turned to her, motioning to Val as well,

"You and Howdy Doody over there are with me."

He then spun and quickly zoomed from the room. Val rolled his eyes.

Stepping up beside him, Girl eyed him up and down and let out a loud snort,

"Howdy Doody."

Her snickers turned to cackling as she followed the Doctor out of the room; Val trudging slowly behind them.

~ø~

The loud whine of sirens bounced off the walls of her office and she smiled, watching them on the monitors as they took out each of the control panels. Sighing, she turned and picked up the handheld radio nearby. Pressing a number of the buttons in sequence, she smiled again; leaving the room and heading down the hall. She greeted Korse in the hallway.

He smiled,

"You rang, Madam?"

~ø~

It only took a short time for all four consoles to power down. The Doctor smiled as the group met back up in the main entrance hall, nodding them toward the exit,

"All right, let's get out of here. Back to the TARDIS."

Val shook his head,

"That's it? We didn't even kill anyone!"

"Ah, yes," the Doctor smiled, putting an arm around the younger man's shoulder as they walked,

"And we're gonna keep it that way."

The lanky man then glanced up, raising an eyebrow in concern. Girl was leading the pack...followed by him and Val. Vaya and Vamos and Vinyl held up the rear. They were slowly approaching the exit doors.

His eyes widened as he heard the sound of the elevator doors chime open.

Then, a scream.

Spinning on his heel, the Doctor straightened as he watched the pink-haired one collapse to the floor, their shoulder scorched from the burn of a laser. The blue-haired one knelt at their side, letting out a shriek,

"Vamos!"

Glancing up at the elevators, the Doctor's hearts stopped as he spotted Korse and a legion of Cybermen step out. They turned in synchronised fashion, marching fast toward them.

Quickly, the Doctor aided in helping Vamos to their feet, pulling them along,

"Run, now!"

Val smiled at this, his eyes widening in excitement as the party approached,

"Well, maybe there'll be some fireworks, after all."

Raising his gun, he fired back, the hot pink splashes bouncing effortlessly off of the steel of the Cybermen's armour. Girl spun on her heel, watching him rush into the fray,

"Val!"

The Doctor froze as he watched the red head take down Cyberman after Cyberman, coming within inches of them to shoot out their power cores.

He turned as he heard another scream. This time, the blue-haired one was down, the burn mark between their eyes spiralling smoke from it's centre. Vamos let out a yell, running to Vaya's side,

"No! Vaya!"

Reaching their side, Vamos knelt down, letting out a cry of agony at the loss. Another cry escaped them as a stray laser struck their chest, silencing them for good.

Girl straightened as she watched Vamos fall, shaking her head fearfully,

"No...no, no!"

Falling to her knees, she closed her eyes and clamped her hands over her ears.

The Doctor swallowed hard. It was happening again...the history that never was. Time was repeating itself.

Val let out a cackle as another Cyberman dropped, his eyes wild as he glanced around,

"Anyone else!?"

"How about me?"

The red head spun, startled as Korse suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the jacket. He slammed the boy against the wall, and set the nozzle of his gun under his chin.

The Doctor froze. Vinyl charged forward, gun drawn, only to be taken out by a pair of Cybermen who blocked his way. The Doctor shook his head, remembering that horrible security footage. How the shot had burned straight through his brain...how Party Poison had slumped to the floor in a lifeless heap. Girl's terrified screams. It was going to happen again, and this time, right in front of him.

Korse offered Val a sinister smile. His finger squeezed the trigger...

~ø~

-California - September - 2019-

Party Poison let out a yelp as his body began to flicker again, and Clara gasped, quickly kneeling down beside him,

"Party Poison!?"

She reached over to place a hand on his shoulder, eyes wide as it went straight through him instead. The rosary laced around his wrist hit the floor with a 'clack'.

Glancing up from him, she frowned. Girl and Cherri Cola seemed uneffected by the red head's cries of pain. After a few moments, he leaned back and looked down at it. He reached for it, desperately trying to pick it back up. His hand passed through it each time.

A sorrowful smile struck him, terror in his eyes,

"Guess this is it-"

"N-No," Clara shook her head, grabbing the rosary for him,

"No, it's not! You're fine! You're gonna be fine!"

She went to drop it in his hand, gasping as it passed through and hit the floor a second time.

He snorted at that, shaking his head as she picked it up and tried again,

"Clara, it's okay-"

"No, the Doctor will fix this," she stated with firm insistance,

"Everything will be fine! It will-!"

"Clara-"

"Who are you talking to?"

They both stopped and turned slowly to see Girl standing a few feet away. Confusion was written all over her face. Clara shook her head and glanced back over at Party Poison, snorting softly,

"I'm...I'm talking to Party Poison! Can't you see him?"

Girl shook her head as she gazed right at him, seeing only an empty spot on the floor,

"There's nobody there."

~ø~

-California - August - 2031-

The Doctor let out a shout as the shot sounded, his eyes wide in horror,

"No!"

He then frowned. Val wasn't falling.

A Cyberman stood stock still beside them. What was it doing there?

Korse scowled as it held onto his wrist, eying the burn mark in the wall beside Val's head,

"What do you think you are doing? Stand down."

It did not listen and instead began to wrestle him for the gun.

After a short struggle, the Cyberman overpowered him, and aimed the gun straight at his head. Korse straightened, putting his hands up quickly in surrender,

"Put that down."

The Cyberman paused a moment. It kept the gun trained on him.

"No," it replied.

Korse narrowed his eyes at it and snorted, confused,

"No?"

It fired a shot, hitting him square in the face, and the man collapsed to the ground.

"No," it repeated, lowering the gun.

Val quickly raised his gun at it, the Doctor urgently waving him down,

"No, no, no! Val, don't!"

"Why not," Val snarled, red hair falling in front of his eyes,

"It's one of them, isn't it!? We have to kill 'em, don't we!?"

"It just saved your life," the Doctor shouted, hurriedly marching over,

"I don't think shooting it is a good way to show your gratitude, now, stand down!"

He stepped over to it, his eyes wide as he pulled out the sonic,

"That being said...why did you save us? What are you playing at?"

Girl straightened at the sound of marching, her eyes growing wide,

"What is that!?"

Val smirked, licking his lips with in excitement,

"Did they call the cavalry or what...?"

"Run."

The Doctor frowned as he gazed at the Cyberman, shaking his head,

"Not until you tell me why...why did you save him? Why are you helping us?"

"Run," it repeated, a strikingly sorrowful tone in it's metallic voice,

"You clever boy..."

He straightened, hearts dropping as it black fluid began to leak from it's eyes.

Those words. It couldn't be...

Squeezing his eyes shut, he bowed his head, tears filling his eyes,

"Oh, no...no, no, no! Clara! Oh, Clara...!"

"Doctor!"

He turned away from her, eying more of them rounding the corner. Closing his eyes, he stepped right up to her, placing a hand on the side of her cold, steel face,

"I will fix this...I will make this right."

Pressing his head against her's, he let out a whimper and shook his head,

"I will save you, Clara Oswald...I promise."

"That's what you said before..."

He bit his lip, glancing back. Reinforcements were arriving and quickly.

With a lick of his lips, he gave the Cyberman a quick peck on the head and turned, quickly running to Girl,

"We need to go. Now!"

Val smirked as he cracked his neck, prepping for a fight. Grabbing the collar of the boy's jacket, the Doctor dragged him away as he and Girl ran for the exit.

They made their way out of the building under a hail of ray gun fire.

It was raining.

~ø~

"I thought you said that was suppose to work," Girl shouted as they ran through the streets, heading toward the Tunnel. The Doctor scowled, glancing behind them briefly as they ran,

"Well, obviously it didn't-!"

"Why not!?"

"I don't know!"

"Then, why did that Cyberman help us!?"

"Because it wasn't a Cyberman," he shot back, pain in his voice,

"It was Clara."

"Soufflé," she shrieked, her eyes wide,

"That was Soufflé!?"

They quickly darted into the alley as a pair of sentries blocked off the Tunnel entrance and the Doctor cursed, turning to the two teens with a hard swallow,

"Yes. That was her-"

"Well, then, we have to go back," Girl insisted, starting around him,

"We have to save her!"

"We can't save her," the Doctor hissed, quickly grabbing her arm,

"There's nothing we can do for her, now! She's been converted! She will never be the same ever again!"

"Then, what," she shook her head, tears in her eyes,

"We just leave her to die!?"

Val let out a sigh and leaned back against the wall, gun dropping to his side. The Doctor noticed the sudden change in his disposition and frowned.

Quickly, he shook his head,

"No, we are not going to leave her to die...but we aren't going back there, either."

"Then, what are we gonna do?"

He started down the alleyway, away from the Tunnel, tapping his screwdriver to his palm,

"We have to find another way out of the city. Now, that I know what's happened, I know how to fix it. I just need to get back to the TARDIS."

"What good'll it do," Val scowled, narrowing his eyes,

"The V's are dead...Soufflé's dead. And any minute now, we're gonna be the same way."

"Ooh, little ray of sunshine you are," the Doctor scoffed as he reached the end, turning back to them with a frown,

"Now, think, is there any other way out? A secret path or something? An alternative route?"

They were both silent. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, urging them on frantically,

"Well, c'mon! There's gotta be something!"

"Left..."

Val straightened as he hear a soft voice in his ear and glanced behind him. There was no one there.

Shaking his head, he turned forward, hearing it again,

"Turn left."

"Left?"

Girl straightened as she looked over at him, noting the confusion on his face,

"Left?"

"Yeah, left," he repeated, more sternly this time,

"We gotta turn left."

The Doctor straightened at those words and slowly looked over at him, eyes wide,

"Turn left?"

Rolling his eyes, Val popped his jaw in annoyance,

"Did I fucking stutter, Doc Brown?"

Feeling a pang of pain in his hearts, the Doctor swallowed hard, gazing sadly at the flame-haired youth,

"No, no you didn't-"

"Then let's go, already. I'm not waiting around to get the Windows 8 treatment."

He straightened as Val marched past him, leaning toward Girl a bit as he watched him round the corner,

"Does something about Val seem odd to you, Girl?"

Girl frowned, shaking her head,

"No...why?"

He opened his mouth to reply just as Val cut him off, calling to them from up the road,

"C'mon!"

They rounded the corner, seeing that Val had pulled the lid off of a sewer drain,

"This way. I think it'll lead us out of the city."

~ø~

Madam Director scowled as she reached the ground floor, eying the numerous cybernetic corpses all around. Rounding the corner, she eyed Korse lying in a sparking heap. Rolling her eyes, she started for the door and shook her head,

"Must I do everything myself?"

Marching out of the building, she went straight to the garage to fetch her car.

~ø~

The sewer was dark and dank, smelling foul with mold and mildew. Girl shivered as she eyed a rat scurry by, a chill surging down her spine,

"H-How far is it?"

Val remained silent. Girl scowled at this, raising her voice as she asked again,

"Val?"

"I don't think he knows," the Doctor shook his head, frowning in confusion,

"Do you, Val...?"

The boy glanced back at them, saying nothing at first. He then cleared his throat, his voice echoing off the walls,

"It's this way."

They kept pace, the Doctor coughing shortly as he turned to Girl,

"So, where'd you pick him up, ey? Flea market?"

She snickered, shrugging a little as she glanced up at him,

"Something like that."

He sighed deeply, scanning the area with the screwdriver as they continued down the narrow path,

"Girl, you said...you said Clara raised you..."

"Yeah," she nodded, glancing over at him curiously.

She frowned. There were tears in his eyes.

Coughing shortly, he swallowed hard, keeping his eyes on the sonic,

"Was she...was she all right?"

"All right," Girl smiled, shrugging shortly,

"She was great! Like the mom I never had..."

She narrowed her eyes as he turned his head away from her, breathing a sigh,

"Or...do you mean...was she all right when you never came back?"

A strange sound escaped him and he turned to her, biting his lip,

"I never meant...I always meant to..."

She smiled, nodding shortly,

"She knew."

The Doctor coughed at that, quickly stepping ahead of her,

"Right...well, then. Getting on with it. Have you figured out where we're going, yet?"

Val stopped at the end of the tunnel, reaching a ladder that lead up. Grabbing onto it, he swallowed hard and tapped it with his knuckles,

"This looks like a way out."

The Doctor sighed as he approached it, cautiously climbing up to the manhole. He scanned the cover with the sonic, a smile flashing across his lips as he glanced back down at the boy,

"You're right! Lucky guess."

Val rolled his eyes as Girl started up the ladder after the Doctor, heading up the rear as they climbed to the surface. Pushing the cover aside, the Doctor crawled out onto the sandy, desert plain, taking in a deep breath of air. He then choked on it, smacking a hand to his chest as he turned back to Girl and Val,

"Ooh, that'll put hair on your chest. A bit toxic, the air right now. Will you two be all right?"

Girl coughed shortly, the wind tousling her hair a bit,

"I'll be okay."

"What about you, Val?"

Val shrugged as they started back out toward the desert, shaking his head,

"Sure, whatever."

The Doctor frowned at that, turning back to the boy with a sigh,

"Something the matter?"

He strolled over to him, hands on his hips,

"Still sulking about the fire show, are we? Well, sorry about that, mate. Trust me, though, it's better this wa-"

"You said that was Soufflé back there," Val snarled, glaring the Doctor in the eyes,

"That Cyberman was Soufflé...?

The lanky man sighed deeply, biting his lip as he nodded,

"Yes. Yes, that was her."

"And you left her behind. Again?"

Val snickered at the Doctor's silence, shaking his head as he took a few steps back toward Batt City,

"You know...I don't know why you ever looked for her in the first place. What did you have her do? Stand around and look pretty for you all day?"

The Doctor froze at his words, shaking his head with a frown,

"How do you know about that?"

"Know about what," the boy hissed, turning back to him with a scowl, "About how lousy you are at keeping promises?"

"No, about Clara," the Doctor shouted back, the wind beginning to kick up,

"The only person that knew about her...that I was looking for her...it was him!"

"Him," Val shot back, snorting back, "Him, who!?"

"Party Poison," the Doctor pressed, a look of despair on his face,

"Michael Milligram! Whatever he wants to call himself!"

He stepped right up to the boy, glaring him straight in the eye,

"He was the only one who knew about Clara. The only one who saw her picture on that screen-"

"The Victorian woman...?"

Val breathed, confusion in his eyes. The Doctor smiled, an excited tone to his words,

"Yes...! Yes, the Victorian woman!"

Girl glanced back and forth between them, raising an eyebrow,

"What's going on here?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Val stiffened suddenly, his eyes growing wide. Glancing down, the Doctor eyed the tip of a lengthy blade protruding from the boy's chest. The fiery-haired youth swallowed hard, looking to him in fright,

"Doc...?"

The Doctor caught him quickly as he fell from the sword, eyes wide as he lowered the boy to the ground,

"Val!? Val!"

Turning his eyes upward, he spotted the Madam Director standing there; a wide smirk on her face,

"Hello, again. Doctor."

Motioning to Girl, the Doctor stood and stepped away from Val, anger set into his eyes,

"Go-Go."

~ø~

-California - September - 2019-

"What'chya mean? Of course there's someone here," Clara snorted, shaking her head,

"It's Party Poison! You remember, yeah?"

Girl shook her head shortly.

Clara straightened at this, glancing around at the room in shock. Everything was gone. The colours, the brightness...all replaced with age, decay and dust. It was as though no one had ever called this rundown Diner home.

She glanced back at Party Poison, her eyes filling with tears. He was fading fast. He offered her a sad smile, and glanced around, shaking his head,

"It's okay, Clara."

"The Doctor will fix this," she whimpered, a few gliding down her cheek,

"I swear! He'll fix it, he has to!"

Smiling, he placed a finger to her lips and shook his head. He then moved to wipe the tears from her eyes, but found that his finger met nothing. She could not feel his touch.

Cherri-Cola cursed as he spotted something in the distance, and started back over to her and Girl,

"They're headed this way. Got us flanked. We're sitting ducks."

Clara gasped as she stood and glanced out the windows, eying the cybernetic army that approached from both sides. Girl whimpered, hugging her robot toy close,

"What do we do, P2?"

Party Poison straightened at that, looking to Girl in surprise. He then noticed the small decal on the robot's forearm, a sticker bearing the marking P-2. Frowning thoughtfully, he glanced over at the bar. The radio was still there...as was an alarm clock.

His eyes widened,

"Clara."

Clara glanced down as he weakly pulled himself to his feet. He smirked at her, shooting her a wink,

"I've got an idea."

~ø~

-California - August - 2031-

Girl knelt down next to Val, not exactly sure of what to do. She pulled him up, setting her jacket under the hole in his back. Her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at him, shaking her head,

"Hold on, okay? Hold on!"

"Go-Go," Madam Director giggled, leaning back on her hip with a smile,

"Hmm...it's been ages since I heard that name."

The Doctor frowned, shaking his head in confusion,

"How? How can that be," he began, searching his brain for the answers, "If Party Poison never existed then the angels would never have come here in the first place-!"

"And I would never have been a Killjoy," she continued, turning her gaze to Val,
"I would have stayed in the city my whole life...never have known the feel of the desert wind against my skin; the joyous freedom of this lifestyle. The speed, the sex, the rock 'n' roll. He would have been so much easier to get over."

"You remember Party Poison," the Doctor breathed, his eyes wide.

She narrowed her eyes, her smile fading quickly,

"Of course I remember Party Poison. He's a hard man to forget."

"But how!? In this timeline, he should never have existed at all! Even Girl can't remember-"

"Well, Girl didn't exactly know him the way I did, Doctor."

Girl's eyes widened at that and she glanced up at the Doctor, frowning in concern,

"What is she talking about?"

"You're too young, never mind," the Doctor waved her off, shaking his head,

"It doesn't matter how she knew him, the point is he never existed for you to have your little..."

He blushed, making an awkward motion at her as he coughed,

"Snapchats with! The fact that you remember can only mean..."

He then paused, swallowing hard as a smile crept across his lips,

"It can only mean he still existed somewhere."

"Well, yes," she smiled, again glancing down at Val and Girl,

"But not for much longer."

~ø~

-California - September - 2019-

"Now, loop that wire in there."

Clara nodded, fumbling with the radio according to his instruction,

"Okay. Now, what?"

Cherri-Cola cursed as he paced back and forth, shaking his head,

"We're wasting time. We have to go!"

"There should be a vending machine outside. Ask Cola for the Vend-a-Hack."

"The Vend-a-what?"

"The Vend-a-Hack," Cherri-Cola frowned, "What do you need it for?"

"J-Just give it to me," she said excitedly, hopping up from her seat on the floor,

"Quick!"

He pulled it from his vest and she hurried outside, Poison following closely behind.

"Put the card in that slot."

She did as he instructed, straightening as the device lit up,

"Okay..."

Her brows furrowed as the next screen came up, dozens of numbers flashing by at once,

"What do I do now?"

"Chim Chim Cheree."

Clara straightened, shaking her head,

"Chim Chim Cheree? From Mary Poppins?"

"Oh, look at that," he grinned, snorting softly, "One you finally know..."

"What does that have to do with anything!?"

"It's the passcode! The tune is the passcode!"

She frowned at this, thinking for a moment as she glanced over at him,

"You used Chim Chim Cheree as your passcode."

"Yeah, you can thank Tommy for that one," Poison shook his head, nodding to the device,

"Just do it, they're gettin' closer!"

"All right!"

Biting her lip, he softly sung in her ear as she put in the code,

"Chim Chim-i-ney, Chim Chim-i-ney, Chim Chim Cheree...when you're with a sweep you're in glad company..."

Clara smiled at that, singing along with him as she finished up,

"Nowhere is there a more happier crew...than them wot sings, 'Chim Chim Cher-ee, Chim Cher-oo'..."

The device dung and she smiled, glancing over at him fondly. He smiled back, nodding down to it with a cough,

"You'll need the big boys. And probably a couple guns for you and Cola."

Nodding shortly, she looked back down at the screen and tapped away at the buttons,

"Okay, gotcha."

Pulling them out of the machine, she smiled and turned to him,

"Now, what?"

"Now," Poison turned, marching back inside as Clara followed close behind,

"Work those wires into the battery and start the clock."

"Right."

Cola frowned as he watched fix the battery to the radio, his eyes widening,

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Is that a bomb!?"

Clara paused as she glanced up at him,

"Is it!?"

She turned her startled gaze to Poison,

"Am I building a bomb!?"

~ø~

-California - August - 2031-

"What do you mean by that?"

"Doctor!"

Spinning on his heel, the Doctor turned to Girl, eyes wide as he glanced down at Val. The boy was fading quickly. Kneeling down, he, too, took off his coat and placed it to the boys wound, eyes wide,

"Val! Val, hold on!"

He let out a yelp, lurching in pain. Grabbing the Doctor's wrist, he gagged, gasping for air,

"Doc-"

"Shut up," the Doctor snipped, keeping his coat firmly in place,

"Don't try to talk."

"But why-"

"Why what?"

"Why," he winced, his face contorting in agony, "Why do I remember...statues?"

The Doctor straightened, his eyes wide as the boy continued,

"...and...and her face...? She's so sad...she's so..."

He began to cough, blood spattering onto his lips as he choked on it.

"Who's face, Val," the Doctor pressed, swallowing hard,

"Who's sad? Who is she?"

"I-I don't know," he whispered, his eyes filling with tears,

"...but...but I think she was my wife?"

Girl straightened at this, glancing up at the Doctor in confusion,

"His what?"

"But I'm not married," he choked, "No one...no one loves me..."

The Doctor smiled at that, placing a hand on the boy's head,

"Beverly did."

Val swallowed hard as he gazed up at the man, shooting him a startled look,

"She was real...?"

"Oh, yes," the Doctor smiled, leaning in closer as he boy's grip began to weaken,

"Yes, she was very real..."

To this, Val gasped, a tear escaping him as he smiled,

"It's funny...I always wanted someone...to look at me the way Soufflé had...when she'd talk about you...and Party Poison...but I never thought," he laughed as his mind trailed off, his eyes beginning to fog over,

"I can see her, now...guess someone out there loved me, after all."

The Doctor straightened as the boy relaxed, ceasing all movement.

Girl let out a gasp, shaking him gently,

"Val? Val!"

Rising to his feet, the Doctor turned, his eyes narrowed as the Madam Director smiled,

"There. Now, he's dust."

"What do you mean," the Doctor raised his voice, fists clenched at his sides,

"'Now, he's dust'? What are you talking about!?"

"Isn't it obvious, Doctor," she smiled, shaking her head,

"Why, you're so smart, I thought you'd have figured it out already..."

"Enlighten me."

Sighing, she shook her head, running her fingers over the blade,

"I suppose...if I must."

Swiping her blade through the air, she watched in satisfaction as the spilled droplets of the boy's blood splashed onto the Doctor's face and clothes, her eyes glowing viciously,

"I haven't been completely honest with you..."

He straightened, eyes wide as two women, identical to her, stepped out from behind her.

"Or rather," she smiled, the one to her left pulling a whip from her coat,

"We haven't been completely honest."