Where to go from here? The Doctor couldn't help but wonder. Where would he take a young, inexperienced powerhouse like Eva to get the maturity and courage she needed? He fiddled with the console while mentally racking his brain, trying to think of what to do next. This all started with just helping a young girl find her past. He never expected it to turn into a mission to save the universe. Nor did he imagine he would meet any more people from yet another reality.
"How ya feelin'?" said a familiar voice.
It was Wally, zooming in behind the Doctor again.
"Must you keep sneaking up on me like that?" said the Doctor, slightly agitated.
"Sorry, Doc." He grinned.
"Oh, it's all right I suppose." Sighed the Doctor. "I'm just, you know, thinking about where to go. Wondering how Eva's taking the news, how I'm going to help her from here, that sort of thing."
"Did you know all along too?" asked Wally.
The Doctor nodded. "Oh yes. It took me a while to actually admit it though. I kept having arguments about it almost every hour."
"Arguments? With who?"
The Doctor smiled at Wally. "Myself of course!"
Wally chuckled and shook his head.
"Imagine, Wally! She's not only an extraterrestrial. She's a Kryptonian. A fictional race in our oh no! It goes even deeper than that. She's not just some Kryptonian from an alternate reality. No, she's Superman! Can you imagine something like that?"
He stopped himself and realized just how silly he was acting just then.
"Oh." He said calmly. "Well actually, I suppose you could, couldn't you?"
Wally nodded. "Just a little bit." He joked. "Also, I think the name you're looking for is 'Supergirl'."
The Doctor smiled at him. "You're right. Supergirl it is, for now anyway. But I won't call her a superhero."
"Why not?" asked Wally, looking offended.
"That word just sounds so… It's something reserved for the likes of a comic book!"
"You're kidding, right?"
Suddenly a light flickered repeatedly on the TARDIS console. Wally pressed a button, reacting faster than even the Doctor could register what had just happened. By the time the Doctor had realized a light had turned on, a screen appeared in front of them. The Doctor could hardly believe who he was seeing. That black cowl was unmistakable.
"Wally." The man growled.
"Hi, Bats." Wally said, nervously. "Everything's going fine. Um, how are you?"
Batman glared at him. Those eyes were like daggers going straight through his very soul.
"You were supposed to wait for my order."
The Doctor took the opportunity to introduce himself, calmly and with dignity.
"Batman?!" he sputtered with excitement. "It's really you?! I never thought I'd get the chance. I mean in all my years, and believe me there are many, I've met world leaders, famous authors, historical figures, heck I've met the devil himself! But never, and I mean never!... did I think I'd ever meet Batman!"
"Oh." Said Wally. "And uh, the Doctor knows about us too."
"Doctor." Said Batman, showing no change in tone or any emotional expression. "I've read a lot about you. Your exploits are nothing short of genius."
Wally playfully nudged the Doctor. "What Bats is trying to say is that he's a huge fanboy and-"
"Wally!" snapped Batman.
"Sorry, Bats."
"Allow me to explain, Doctor." Said Batman. "Wally tried to hide who he really was, because he feared your hostility. His job was to make sure you would take care of Eva. You didn't know that she was Kryptonian, or that her survival was imperative to our universe's survival. If Wally were to simply tell Eva everything he knew, she might have reacted badly."
"She did when the signs showed themselves." Said Wally.
Batman continued. "And if Wally revealed to you that he was The Flash early on, he was afraid that history would repeat itself."
"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor.
Batman leaned forward, his eyes peering into the Doctor's eyes. He looked as if he could just reach through that screen and grab him.
"You didn't play the disc yet, did you?" he said.
"No."
"Play it. Now. Wally knows how to contact me after you're done."
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed the Doctor. "Batma-"
The screen disappeared. The transmission had ended, and both Wally and the Doctor stood in awkward silence.
"He's right, Doc." Said Wally, sternly. "You need to play it. I'll go hang out with Eva till you need me. Trust me, you'll need a lot of time."
Wally sped away, leaving his afterimage behind. The Doctor stood at the console, alone, and pulled out that jewel case from his pocket. He quietly took a breath as he opened the case. It contained that horrible disc. The Doctor froze as he stared deep into that disc. He really didn't want to play it. He feared what it contained. If it really was a message from himself to himself, what would it say? Why would he send a message in the first place? The Doctor knew the answer to that question already, and it terrified him.
"No." he thought to himself. "I don't want to know."
He closed his eyes, and his memory flashed back to when he first met Wally.
"You're not just going to protect her, Doctor. You're going to guide her. She knows nothing about herself, her powers or everything she can do, and will do. If she dies, none of that happens!"
He glanced back on that disc in his hand. "Oh, I don't want to do it."
"You're not just some guard or delivery man, you're her mentor! You're like a father to her! You're the one who taught her the principles she lives by!"
"I don't want any of this, but I have to." He said to himself.
Eva faced her past, he realized. If he were to be a role model for her, he would have to show at least the same amount of courage. Whether he liked it or not, he could no longer be the Doctor he once was. His life was forever altered. The Doctor slipped the disc into the player and drew in a deep breath. Suddenly a screen appeared in front of him, and what the Doctor saw sent shivers down his spine.
In the screen, was himself sitting in a chair and staring straight ahead. The Doctor had been face to face with himself before, but not like this. It was like seeing his own ghost. The other Doctor clasped his hands together and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. For a moment there was complete silence. He didn't move an inch. Was the disc corrupted? There was the sound of the very same TARDIS whirling in the background, but there was no voice. The other Doctor was completely still. The Doctor waited a few more minutes before reaching for the eject button.
"Well I suppose I have to start some time." Said the other Doctor, with a grim tone. "If you're seeing this message…"
The other Doctor paused to compose himself. He looked scared to death.
The Doctor was frightened himself. He knew what was coming, and he still did not want to hear it.
The other Doctor continued. "If you're seeing this recording, then it means that something terrible has happened. The days of our universe are now numbered. Every second counts now more than ever. It means that countless lives were lost in the invasion."
There was a long pause, as the other Doctor choked back tears.
"So many lives. Including mine."
It was just as he feared.
"I'm no longer living, and it's all my fault. But there is hope. There is always hope. If you're seeing this disc, it also means that my backup plan is in progress, and that the person watching this particular disc is either one of two people: Wally, or myself. To Wally, I say I am sorry."
The other Doctor's voice began to break.
"Wally, I'm so sorry." He said, tears streaming down his face. "I should have listened to you from the beginning. You warned me about myself. You tried to tell me, but I never told you the truth. Not then anyway. I only hope that now I can make things right.
And to the other listener, myself. What you're about to hear is my recollection of the past few years leading up to this final entry. Listen very carefully, and learn from my mistakes."
Wally ran to Eva's room, and found her sitting on her bed, holding that red blanket she found in the space ship. She was in a trance, just staring wide eyed into that symbol. That "S".
"You okay?" he asked her.
Eva lifted her head and set the blanket aside.
"Yeah." She replied. "Just thinking."
Wally felt relieved. She was taking her recent revelation quite well.
"There was something I meant to ask you, Wally. I forgot till just now."
"What's that?"
Eva stood up and opened the top drawer of her nightstand. Inside were at least a dozen of the emotion patches that they had encountered back in New New York. Wally looked confused.
"Remember when I told you I saw Batman?" said Eva.
"Yes."
"I saw him again in New New York. He didn't have his costume, but I know that voice even without the costume. He didn't have the same exact voice as he did the first time, but I know it was him! He told me to take these and hide them from the Doctor."
Wally's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh."
"Do you know why?" she asked.
Wally paced back and forth, and put his arms behind his back, trying to think. Why would Batman ask Eva to hide emotion patches from the Doctor? Or better yet, why would he ask her to hide anything from the Doctor? Both he and Batman knew that one of main objectives of this whole mission was for Eva and the Doctor to trust each other. What could Bats be thinking?
After a few seconds, Wally shrugged. "I can't figure it out." He said.
"That's okay." Said Eva. "I'll hide them for now."
Eva sighed and looked down at the floor.
"Wally?" she said, with melancholy. "He also said to tell you to hurry back."
The thought of Wally leaving caused her pain. She never said anything, but she had started to grow attached to him. Not romantically, but he was the closest thing she had to a big brother. She didn't want him to go, not now.
"You're more than just a superhero." She said. "You're from the future aren't you?"
He never did tell her where or when he was from. He kept all that to the Doctor and himself, in fear of Eva's horrible temper. He made that mistake once before. He couldn't afford to make it again, but this time was different. Wally may not have been careful about revealing himself, but he was certainly careful about heeding his Doctor's instructions regarding Eva.
"This time, stay with them longer. They need you more than they'll admit. Trust me, I know." He said when Wally first played the disc.
Wally's mind came back to the present. Eva was certainly different now, and in a good way. Perhaps, this time, she needed to know the truth.
"Yeah." He replied to Eva. "But I'm from another universe. Looks like here, I'm just a comic book character. Where I'm from, there really are superheroes. And…"
He paused.
"And?" said Eva.
"Well, Eva. You were one of them."
Eva looked afraid. "You said 'were'."
Wally started getting nervous, but he kept his smile and lighthearted tone. "Long story short, Eva: I'm here to protect you and the Doctor. Think of me as your own personal bodyguard! Free of charge."
Eva giggled. "Well can you at least tell me if I get any more…'superpowers'?"
She giggled again after uttering that last word. The reality of actually having superpowers amused her quite a bit, and for a split second she imagined herself, in a ridiculously gaudy costume, stopping bank robbers.
Wally smiled warmly. He was glad that Eva was taking these recent events so well. Much better than she did the last time, when he first tried to save her. He didn't even tell the Doctor about that, simply because it was on that disc.
"Ah ah." He said playfully. "No spoilers. But I will say, you will eventually need a new wardrobe."
Eva smiled back at him. She could hardly wait for the Doctor to set the course for their next adventure, so she could test her abilities and push her limits. When she first joined the Doctor, she was scared and hopeless. Although she hadn't been with him for long, she could tell that she had grown. No longer was she a scared and hopeless girl. Eva gazed upward, daydreaming about what new adventures awaited her, what new abilities she would gain, and new friends she would make. Suddenly, the future looked bright. All will be well, she felt. Maybe all will be well.