CHAPTER 25
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THE ELEVEN DOCTORS PART 1 (OR IS IT PART 2?)
The TARDIS materialized just outside of the Dark Tower in the Death Zone on Gallifrey. The Doctor and Rose had talked President Karen Pond into momentarily lowering the force field surrounding it for just a second so that they could enter by telling her exactly what might happen if she didn't.
Now that they were here they would have to go through the same kinds of dangers that the Doctors had to go through the last time that Borusa brought them here. There were several traps set up to keep anyone out of the Tower, and the Doctor was sure that they had been changed by the Time Lords since the last time that he had been here. They would have to face all new challenges this time.
Rose and the Doctor had decided to let Mary, Alex, and Pete sleep and not tell them about what was going on. They had enough to worry about with Mary possibly leaving with Pete soon anyway. The three of them would probably be too distracted by that to be much help anyhow.
So it was just the eleven Doctors, Rose, Clara, and Ace who ventured into the Dark Tower to free Borusa. Or at least that's what they wanted him to think anyway. They were more than willing to find a way to stop Borusa first rather than free him.
The last thing that Gallifrey needed especially now was yet another madman trying to become immortal and rule forever. The Time Lords already had enough trouble with the C.I.A. trying to topple the government much less Borusa.
"I think that we'll just all go in through the main entrance this time instead of splitting up and going above, between, and below like the last time that we were here as tempting as it would be to dump some of you that way," the Eleventh Doctor said.
"Doctor, stop that!" Rose admonished him.
"And here I thought that I was the rude one," the Tenth Doctor said.
"You're certainly the stupid one," the Eleventh Doctor muttered.
"What was that?" the Tenth Doctor asked as his face contorted with anger.
"You heard me. Stupid! You let Rose go," the Eleventh Doctor said.
"I'll agree with that. It's hard to believe that I turn into someone as thick as you. She's the best thing that happened to us. How could you ever let her go? My brain must have gotten fried and all scrambled up in that last regeneration. That's the only way that I can explain it," the Ninth Doctor said to the Tenth.
The Tenth Doctor was just about to let both of them have it when Rose got in-between the three of them and said, "Oi! You got me back so stop it! It's okay. Everything's okay."
She smiled at the three of them as she softly caressed each of their faces one after another with one hand before kissing them. "It's okay, Doctors. We're finally together now, and nothing's going to separate us ever again," she finally said in a gentle voice.
All three visibly calmed down, and the tension immediately disappeared between them. Clara laughed to herself. It was truly amazing to her to see how completely wrapped around Rose's finger that the Doctor was in all of his incarnations. All she had to do was talk to him a minute, and she could get him to do anything.
Now that that crisis had passed everyone came to the entry coder that opened the front door. The First Doctor tried inputting the same code that he had used the last time that he was here only to find that it was changed.
"I should have known that would happen. It looks like we're going to have to spend some time going through all of the possible combinations unless someone's got a better idea," the First Doctor said.
"I do," Rose said.
She began to glow with the power of the Vortex and incinerated the front door with a single gesture. She turned around and smiled at the First Doctor as she said, "With me around, we don't need access codes, Doctor."
"Yes, I can see that," the First Doctor said with a smile.
As they entered the Tower, they could feel it already starting to attack their brains by making them feel irrational mind numbing fear as its first defense in an attempt to drive them back. It didn't work. They had all long since gotten used to fear. It was a part of their lives every day.
As if the Tower sensed this, it suddenly sent a different attack against them.
Massive walls came down out of nowhere and suddenly split them all up. Now Rose was with the First, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors who she had been standing the closest to when the walls came down. Clara meanwhile was with the Second, Third, Sixth, and Eighth Doctors while Ace was with the Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh. They had been purposely split up into three groups in an attempt to weaken them and slow them down by the Dark Tower.
"I could melt through the walls and reunite us easily and so could Ace," Rose suggested.
"Yes, and then the Tower might do something even worse in order to keep us apart. I think that we should just continue on ahead as we are now. If it still works like it did last time, we'll all end up meeting again soon anyway in the area where Rassilon's body used to lie. All of the paths in the Tower eventually led there before," the Eleventh Doctor said.
"I hope you're right. I don't like being separated from Ace and Clara," Rose said warily.
"It's alright. The other mes are still with both of them," the Eleventh Doctor said.
"That doesn't exactly reassure me," Rose said.
"They'll be okay, Rose. Ace has the power of the Vortex, and Clara is one of the smartest, most resourceful people that I've ever known. They'll be fine," the Eleventh Doctor said as he tried his best to reassure her.
Rose smiled at him and kissed him even as the Ninth Doctor whispered to the Tenth, "I still can't believe that he's the one who winds up with her."
"I know. Some people are luckier than they deserve to be," the Tenth Doctor whispered back with a frown.
The First Doctor overheard them and just smiled at them with amusement. It seemed that he still hadn't matured much in his old age and that he was just as jealous of Rose as he ever was.
Clara meanwhile rolled her eyes as the Second and Third Doctors bickered and started giving her a headache.
"We should try to bring the walls back up and reunite with the others. This is just what the Tower wants us to do is to plunge on ahead into danger," the Second Doctor protested.
"Don't you remember what happened before? We'll all meet up eventually. We need to keep following the path until then. The longer that we stand here the more time that we give the Tower to come up with something new to attack us with. I say as long as we stay on the move we should be alright," the Third Doctor said.
"Nonsense! It'll keep picking us apart and separating us until we're all alone," the Second Doctor argued.
"Even if it does, I'm not worried about it. I can take care of myself, and right now being separated from you sounds like a very good idea," the Third Doctor said.
"Excuse me but what about Clara here? She'll be all alone and defenseless if we all get separated from one another. I'm afraid that I'm forced to agree with the little fellow's plan, and as usual I'll have to do things myself if I want to see them done right," the Sixth Doctor said with a sigh.
"Wait a minute! Defenseless? Defenseless?! I'm not defenseless! I've been saving all of you all of your lives! I'm hardly defenseless!" Clara said in anger.
"Pay no attention to them, Clara. They're too busy arguing and proving how wonderful they are to each other to even realize just how much they're upsetting you. On behalf of all of them, I apologize," the Eighth Doctor said with a warm smile.
Clara smiled at him as she said, "Thank you. At least I have one of you that I can talk to. You know I always did like you or at least my echoes did. You're one of the more mature ones."
"You haven't been around me yourself for that long yet or you might question that assessment. I do have to admit that I'm certainly more mature than any of these fellows though," the Eighth Doctor said with a grin.
"Who isn't?" Clara joked.
She could see the Second, Third, and Sixth Doctors all glaring at her out of the corner of her eye, but she just kept focusing her attention on the Eighth Doctor as she said, "You know if I didn't love my Doctor so much I could definitely see myself traveling with you. It's nice to be with a version of you who doesn't act like a child. You don't know how nice."
"I can only imagine. I can tell that you care about him deeply despite your protests though. He's very lucky to have you," the Eighth Doctor said.
"Can you tell him that? He seems to forget that sometimes," Clara said.
"I'm sure he doesn't mean to. Why don' t we keep on moving? I think that the Dandy was right. The longer that we stay here, the sooner that we'll be attacked," the Eighth Doctor suggested.
"I agree. Besides that, I'm worried about Chin Boy. I always get anxious when he gets out of my sight for more than five seconds. You wouldn't believe how much trouble he can get into. Then again, maybe you would," Clara said as she smiled at him.
The two of them started to move ahead down the corridor together side by side as the other three Doctors reluctantly followed behind them. "Why does he get to walk next to Clara for? What's so great about him?" the Sixth Doctor pouted.
"Oh, that's easy to answer, old chap. He's easily the most romantic one of us. He's all dashing and adventurous and all of that. Women like that sort of thing you know," the Third Doctor said.
"Really? How would you know? When was the last time that you dated anyone anyway?" the Second Doctor said and then he suddenly went silent with shame because he already knew the answer to that question.
Arkytior was the only woman that any of them had ever loved.
The Sixth Doctor glared at him for even bringing that up and opening old wounds that way.
"I'm sorry," the Second Doctor said.
"That's all right. You don't have to apologize," the Third Doctor replied.
"I do have to apologize though, and I'm doing it. Don't tell me that I don't have to do something when I know that I do," the Second Doctor protested.
"I said that you don't have to apologize. Get over it," the Third Doctor said angrily.
"You don't tell me what to do. I'll apologize if I want to," the Second Doctor said in a furious voice.
"Will both of you please just shut up! I am so glad that I have long since evolved past this need for petty arguing," the Sixth Doctor said in a disdainful tone.
Then Clara silently walked over to the Second and Third Doctors and hugged both of them. They both quickly became quiet for once and smiled contently.
"That's simply amazing. You certainly live up to your name, Clara. You really are the Impossible Girl," the Sixth Doctor said in astonishment.
"He's right. You're very good," the Eighth Doctor said to Clara in amusement when she returned to walk alongside him.
"Sometimes all a cranky child needs is a good hug," Clara whispered to him.
The Eighth Doctor tried very hard not to laugh.
Meanwhile Ace was extremely happy to have the Seventh Doctor still with her. It was starting to seem just like old times again only now she could blow things up with her mind instead of needing Nitro-9 to do it. In other words, it was just like the old days only better!
Ace and the Seventh Doctor led the way down their particular hallway as the Fourth and Fifth Doctors silently walked behind them ignoring each other. Ace got the distinct feeling that they really didn't like one another.
"I'm certainly glad that I'm with you, Professor. I'd definitely rather be with you than them. I mean I understand that they're past versions of you and all of that, but they're just so different. They're nothing like you. The one with the vegetable is too nice, and the one with the scarf is too happy," Ace complained.
The Seventh Doctor laughed as he said, "Only you would complain about someone being too happy or too nice, Ace."
"I'm used to you and Baby You though, Professor. You're both a lot alike even though he's much more immature. You're both manipulative, devious, and cunning when you have to be, and you don't let being nice stop you from doing what's necessary when you know that you're right," Ace said.
"Thanks. I think," the Seventh Doctor said with a frown.
"I meant that as a compliment. Celery Boy looks too nice to do the kinds of things that I've seen you do, and Mr. Happy looks like he'd rather hand his enemies a jelly baby instead of fight them," Ace said.
"Did I just hear someone ask for a jelly baby?" the Fourth Doctor said happily as he held out his little bag of them for Ace to take.
"Go ahead, Ace. They're good. I don't eat them so much myself anymore, but I did used to love them with a passion when I was him. Just don't eat too many. Not all of us have an advanced Gallifreyan digestive system that prevents us from getting an upset stomach from too many sweets," the Seventh Doctor said.
Ace took a jelly baby and popped it into her mouth. She smiled as she said, "Wicked! I like it. I could definitely get addicted to these."
Ace took another jelly baby even as the Fifth Doctor said, "Yes, let's all stand around eating candy when we should be moving. That'll solve the problem."
"There's always time to have a good sweet and a little fun every now and then. It seems that I become awful dull in my future. You're much too serious," the Fourth Doctor admonished him.
"You're much too reckless. You think that everything is just a huge game while others of us know just how serious this business of saving the universe can be and the dark consequences that you can pay for it if you're not constantly on your toes," the Fifth Doctor said sadly while thinking of the recent death of his companion, Adric.
He had no idea that Adric was safe and sound and living back with his own people thanks to the intervention of his own future grandchild. Ace was the only one among them who knew, but she also knew that she couldn't tell him that even though she really wished that she could. In that moment, she started to feel for the Fifth Doctor and realized that maybe he wasn't as simple to figure out as she thought that he was. He was much more than just Mr. Nice. He was just as complex as her two Doctors only in a different way.
"Whatever happens in my future that makes you like this doesn't mean that you can't take the time to still enjoy life. You have to do that every once in a while just for the sake of your own sanity," the Fourth Doctor said in a much more serious voice than the one that he had used before.
The Fifth Doctor smiled at him as he said, "Sorry about that. I do tend to get overly maudlin sometimes."
"No need to worry about it. It happens to the best of us, old chap," the Fourth Doctor said with a warm grin.
"Let's go, Professors. We have to meet up with the other Professor and Mum. I'm sure that they're both falling apart without me," Ace said.
The Seventh Doctor smiled at her calling Rose her mum. He couldn't think of a better mother for Ace than his Arkytior. Only Ari could handle someone as potentially destructive as Ace with such ease. She had always handled Koschei pretty effortlessly after all in his pre-Master days, and he had been a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode even back then. Around Arkytior though, he was actually mellow at times. It seemed that she was working her magic yet again now with Ace even though she was nowhere near as volatile as Koschei.
As Ace led her group of Doctors down the hall, she didn't know that the mind of Borusa was watching them and the other two groups of Doctors as well. He was making sure that they were all still coming to free him. He didn't trust any of them and knew that he would have to watch them closely to make sure that they cooperated.
He took special notice of the fact that Ace had called Rose her mother. He knew that Arkytior was very protective of her loved ones back when he knew her and kept that in mind for the future. He could always threaten Ace if he had to in order to properly motivate Rose.
He only wished that he could make it easier for them all to get to him quickly. He had been unsuccessful at breaking into the defense systems of the Tower though. The creator of the Tower had made it too hard to hack into even for someone of his intellect. They had never wanted Rassilon to escape or be freed after all.
Therefore he was unable to assist the three groups in the slightest when they all ran into their first traps at roughly the same time.
Rose and her group of Doctors were suddenly boxed in completely as two more walls came down in front of and in back of them. Then the walls started coming closer and closer together slowly a little bit at a time.
"It looks like someone is trying to make us much closer than even I'm comfortable with, Doctor. It looks like I'm going to have to put a stop to that," Rose said.
She started to call forth the power of the Vortex but found to her shock that she didn't. "Vortex shielding. Nice," Rose grumbled.
"Can't you use those Elder Goddess powers that you received a while back or the powers of the White Guardian?" the Eleventh Doctor asked even as his other selves were trying unsuccessfully to stop the walls from moving with their sonic screwdrivers.
"Yeah, it's a funny thing about those Elder Goddess powers. Ishtar wasn't telling me the whole story about them because she knew that I wasn't supposed to know about the Guardians returning yet. They were my Guardian powers trying to come back all along after I died, and I just didn't realize it. That was when I had been changed back into the White Guardian again. As for the Guardian powers, they're not working either. Somehow this place is keeping me from using them too," Rose said in despair.
"That's impossible. Nothing should be able to interfere with the technology of the Guardians," the Tenth Doctor said in disbelief.
"I know who built this place though and if anyone could find a way to negate the abilities of a Guardian they could," Rose said.
"You don't mean?" the Eleventh Doctor asked in shock.
"Yeah, my mother built this place. Apparently she didn't want anyone, not even the Black Guardian, to ever be able to free Rassilon from it," Rose said.
"So it's really true. Your mother really is going to be the death of me," the Eleventh Doctor moaned.
"I'm sure that she'd appreciate the irony," Rose said with a grim smile as the walls kept coming closer and closer together.
Meanwhile Clara and her Doctors had just come across their own trap in the form of a deadly wall of lasers that suddenly popped out of the wall and began to shoot deadly beams at random across the entire area directly in front of and behind them effectively trapping them in one small area of safety. An area that was rapidly diminishing by the moment as more lasers started coming out of the wall closer and closer to them.
"Where's Jenny when you need her? She could have somersaulted through this mess easily," Clara said in fear.
"Don't worry so much, Clara. I'll quickly put a stop to this," the Sixth Doctor said confidently.
He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began trying to deactivate the lasers with it but to no avail. His sonic was completely useless and so were the ones of the other Doctors.
"Why don't you reverse the polarity? That always works for me," the Third Doctor said.
"Oh, shut up!" the Second Doctor said in disgust.
"Should I start worrying now, Doctors?" Clara asked.
"No, you shouldn't worry about a thing. We'll get out of this," the Eighth Doctor said with a smile.
"I'd like to know how," Clara said.
"It's the same way that I get myself out of everything. I improvise," the Eighth Doctor said with absolutely no concern in his voice whatsoever.
"I take it all back. You're just as crazy as my Doctor," Clara said.
The Eighth Doctor only smiled without any further comment as he concentrated on a way to get his selves and Clara out of this mess. So far he was coming up blank, but he wasn't about to let Clara know that though. That would be bad for his image.
Ace and her group of Doctors were in an equally bad fix as they found themselves suddenly being faced by dozens of Daleks, Cybermen, Yetis, and other residents of the Death Zone that the Tower had transmatted inside to stop them. Then things became even worse as Ace realized just like Rose that her powers didn't work here.
"Professor, I have some bad news to tell you," Ace said to the Seventh Doctor as they all started running for their lives.
"You want to tell me that your Vortex abilities no longer function as long as we're inside of the Tower due to Vortex shielding being placed inside of it?" the Seventh Doctor correctly guessed.
"That's one of the things that I really miss about being with you, Professor. You're always two steps ahead of everybody," Ace said with a sad smile.
"This is one of those times when I'd gladly be wrong, Ace," the Seventh Doctor said.
"Even the sonic screwdriver can't get us out of this one," the Fourth Doctor realized with a shocked look on his face as he tried to break through the walls surrounding them with it.
"Everything's deadlock sealed of course and shielded from sonic technology. Whoever built this place was an absolute genius and left nothing to chance," the Seventh Doctor said with admiration.
"Well, that's good for them but very, very bad for us," Ace said as the Daleks, Cybermen, and the others started to catch up to them.
"Am I the only one here who has a sonic?" the Fourth Doctor complained when neither the Fifth or Seventh Doctors pulled one out to help him.
"I'm afraid so. I never use one anymore since mine was destroyed," the Fifth Doctor said.
"I don't either honestly although I have been thinking lately that I might go back to it sometime. I kind of miss it especially at this moment," the Seventh Doctor said in a distraught voice.
"It doesn't seem to be doing us much good anyway. They're still coming," Ace observed.
"Just keep running, Ace. We should get to the inner area soon and meet up with the other Doctors there. Then all of us together can make our final stand against them," the Seventh Doctor said.
"Always assuming, of course, that the other Doctors manage to get there at all," the Fifth Doctor said.
"There you go again always being so negative. You're going to be so much fun for me to become in the future I can already tell," the Fourth Doctor said sarcastically.
"I'm just trying to be realistic instead of overly optimistic and insufferably cheerful all of the time like some people," the Fifth Doctor said.
"I really wish that I had some Nitro-9 right now," Ace said.
"Yes, for once I agree. It would certainly come in handy against our pursuers," the Seventh Doctor said.
"I wasn't talking about using it on them. I want it so that I can use it on your other selves and shut them up!" Ace said in irritation.
The Seventh Doctor laughed at her despite himself. Good old Ace!
As Ace and her Doctors ran for their lives, Rose had finally had enough of her particular deathtrap and in frustration she struck out against one of the walls closing in on her in anger with as much strength as she could. Suddenly the walls stopped, and a computerized voice said, "Genetic material of the creator detected. Comparing for analysis."
"What's going on?" Rose asked.
"I think that the computer running things in the Tower has just detected that you're related to Lily. I'm not sure what that means though. If what I suspect is true, then that could be a very good thing," the Eleventh Doctor said.
"Why?" Rose asked.
"Analysis confirmed. Subject is a relation of the creator. Awaiting further commands. What are your orders, daughter of Sekhmet?" the computer said.
"What the?!" Rose asked in complete amazement.
"Cannot answer this question. Please restate it and clarify it further," the computer said.
"Give it a command, Rose. It's waiting," the Eleventh Doctor said with a big smile on his face.
"I command you to cancel this deathtrap and any others that you might have going and take away all of the walls separating us from the others," Rose said.
"We cannot stop any trap but the one currently threatening you. This unit can only take orders in situations threatening the life of the children of the creator. You will be allowed to proceed unimpeded from this moment on, but we cannot stop the other traps currently in progress," the computer answered.
"Well, it was worth a try anyway. Release me from this trap," Rose ordered.
"Complying," the computer said.
The walls in the room moved back and the wall in front of Rose instantly moved down allowing her to walk out of the trap safely. As soon as she left it though, the walls instantly went back up around the Doctors!
"What? No! I said to stop this trap," Rose said.
"Can only take orders when it concerns your well-being not these others," the computer said.
"No! Mum, why didn't you let me have complete control?" Rose asked in despair.
It's okay, Rose. Go on ahead and try to meet up with the others so that you can free Borusa. You can always rescue us later. The Eleventh Doctor said in her mind.
What if there isn't a later? You could be squashed by the time I make it back here. Rose replied in a panic.
Let's not think about that right now, okay? Just go, Rose. The Eleventh Doctor replied in concern.
You're just sacrificing yourself for my sake again. I hate it when you do that. Rose answered in anger.
Please go! We're running out of time. I trust you, Rose. You'll find a way to get us out of this. I know you will. I believe in you. I love you, Rose Tyler. The Eleventh Doctor answered.
I love you too. I'll go. Just remember this though. If you die before I get back, I'll kill you. Rose answered back before she started running down the corridor as fast as she could toward the center of the tower where she knew that all of the passageways eventually met up.
Even as Rose raced down the corridor and the Doctors started being crushed further and further together, Clara and her Doctors were losing ground themselves as a rapidly approaching group of lasers threatened to slice them into pieces from all sides at once. The Eighth Doctor finally had a plan though, and he was about to implement it.
He held up what Clara recognized as an early version of the psychic paper that her Doctor carried and said, "I demand an audience with the computer behind all of this at once. I'm afraid that there's been a huge mistake. My companions and I have been sent by your creator to apply a patch to your systems, and I have been grievously attacked in the process. I demand that this trap be stopped immediately so that I can give you the latest bits of code for your programming from the creator. These are my credentials sent straight from the creator so that you'll know to recognize me."
"Doctor, what are you doing?" Clara hissed in the Eighth Doctor's ear.
"I think that I know, my dear, and it will be something quite ingenious if it works," the Second Doctor said with a look of pride on his face.
"Credentials verified. You may proceed on ahead to the main chamber to speak with the main computer," the computer said.
"Thank you very much," the Eighth Doctor said happily as he strode down the corridor like he owned the place.
"That was a work of genius. I can't believe that it actually worked. I have to admit that I thought for a moment there that you were going to fail miserably. I thought that I was the only one among us who could have pulled something like that off successfully," the Sixth Doctor said in appreciation.
"I still don't understand. What just happened?" Clara asked.
"He managed to fool the computer into thinking that we were sent by its creator to apply an update to its programming. Good work, old chap!" the Third Doctor said.
"Wait a minute. The computer doesn't have a brain. How was it fooled by psychic paper?" Clara asked.
"Of course it has a brain. Anything that can run a group of deathtraps this complex would have to have an advanced artificial intelligence of some kind and would be just as susceptible to being fooled by the psychic paper as anything else with a mind. Now let's go on and keep quiet before it gets suspicious," the Eighth Doctor said.
As they walked briskly down the corridor, Ace and her Doctors were still racing away from their pursuers and just barely keeping ahead of them. Ace knew that this couldn't last forever. The others were already just a few feet behind them and rapidly gaining ground. She had to do something to save the others.
She decided to pull a trick out of the Professor's hat as she suddenly stopped running and turned around and stood her ground against the others. She was going to pull off what might be the greatest bluff of her life if it worked. If it didn't, at least maybe the pain wouldn't last long with this many enemies attacking her at once.
"Oi! Do any of you know who I am and what I can do? If you don't, well, here's an example of my handiwork," Ace said.
She suddenly pointed at the Dalek nearest to her, and it exploded into a million pieces. "That's what's going to happen to all of you next if you don't back away right now and let me and my friends here go. I'm here on totally unrelated business, and I really don't have time to waste with you. So if it's all the same to you, I'll just leave right now without having to kill any of the rest of you. If you make me have to waste any more time messing around here though then I'm going to get mad. Trust me. You don't want me to get mad. It's not a very wise thing. If you don't believe me, just ask that Dalek over there. Oh, wait. You can't," Ace said with an evil grin on her face.
"HUMAN FEMALE RECOGNIZED AS DOROTHY MCSHANE. CLASSIFIED AS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS," one of the Daleks said.
"Well, I'm waiting on your answer. What's it going to be?" Ace said in an impatient voice.
Every one of the creatures following them turned around and fled. Ace grinned in triumph. She still had it. Even now, she still had it. She was still bad.
"How did you do that?" the Seventh Doctor asked.
Ace held out a miniature staser that she had hidden in her sleeve with an evil grin on her face. She said, "Mum always told me to carry this on me at all times in case I needed it. It's super small and only has enough energy for one shot, but she wanted me to have it in case my powers ever became unreliable for some reason. I thought that she was just being overprotective. When I see her again I'm going to give her a big . . . handshake. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do."
The Doctors all smiled at her as they all knew that she was going to say something else entirely but was too image conscious to admit it.
"It's okay if you want to hug someone else. It doesn't make you any less tough," the Seventh Doctor said.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Professor," Ace lied.
"Come on, Ace. Let's go. I just hope that's all of the traps in store for us," the Seventh Doctor said.
They all began to race down the corridor and thankfully encountered no further traps in their way. Clara and Ace's groups of Doctors all met together in the middle of the Tower in the room where Rassilon once lay. Rose was already there ahead of both groups trying to find a way to release Borusa and/or the Doctors from their respective traps.
Ace raced up to Rose and hugged her tightly. Rose looked at her in surprise as she said, "What was that about?"
"That was just for you being you, you overprotective woman you," Ace said as she kissed Rose's cheek.
Then she remembered that she and Rose weren't alone, and her face turned red as she said, "What? What's everyone staring at? Can't a girl talk to her mum without being gawked at?"
"Rose, where is the Doctor? My Doctor I mean," Clara asked.
Rose didn't even have to speak. The look of terror on her face said it all for her.
"No! We have to save them," Clara said in alarm.
"Computer, I'm here to input that patch now. Lead me to your main control," the Eighth Doctor said.
A console lit up near Rassilon's former resting place, and the Eighth Doctor quickly ran to it along with the other Doctors. They all began to tap rapid bits of code into its controls together at the same time as they worked as a team for once. Rose, Clara, and Ace all smiled at them as they saw just how formidable that the Doctors could truly be as a unit when they stopped fighting long enough to join forces.
Suddenly everything around them shut down, and the lights went out. The Doctors all smiled as the Third Doctor said, "It's an amazing piece of craftsmanship if I do say so myself. It's completely shut every computer system here down."
"What has?" Clara asked.
"A computer virus, right? Did you use the old Doomsday Virus? The one that we all came up with together in school to shut down the War Chief's time experiments?" Rose asked with a grin.
"Yes, and it still works even after all of these centuries too. It's even more reliable than the taste of a jelly baby," the Fourth Doctor said.
"That's pretty reliable," Rose said in amusement.
"What's the Doomsday Virus?" Ace asked.
"It's a virus that the Doctor, Amy, Koschei, Marissa, and I all came up with together that can shut down just about anything. It's actually modeled on living viruses in that it can replicate itself over and over again at a massive rate until it completely overwrites and replaces every line of code in any computer system with copies of itself in just a matter of minutes. It doesn't stop until it destroys every piece of code there is. Nothing can stop it. Not that we've ever found anyway," Rose explained.
"What about Chin Boy and the others? Are they alright? Is there any way of knowing now with all communications shut down?" Clara asked with worry in her voice.
"Yes, there is. You could just ask us," the Eleventh Doctor asked as he came into the chamber with the other Doctors.
Clara raced up to him and hugged him tightly as she kissed him several times on the cheek. The Eleventh Doctor became embarrassed as he said, "Stop it, Clara. Rose might get the wrong idea."
"I think it's a good idea actually," Rose said as she started kissing him herself. Only she kissed him on the lips.
Ace turned away in disgust as she said, "That's just not right."
She was secretly smiling though nonetheless.
"This is all well and good seeing Mr. Chin getting a reward just for dressing funny, but what about Borusa?" the First Doctor asked grumpily.
"He's right here," the unmistakable voice of Borusa said.
The Doctors all turned to see Borusa standing there along with a small army of unknown Time Lords that they had never seen before. How had Borusa gotten free, and where had all of these people come from?
Then they suddenly realized with mounting horror what must have happened.
"That's right, Doctors. When you shut down all of the systems in the Dark Tower you also shut down the system that was imprisoning me. It released me and everyone else that Rassilon's trap had ever ensnared," Borusa said with a malevolent laugh.
"We've just unwittingly helped release some of the worst Time Lords in history from imprisonment," the Eleventh Doctor said as he hit himself in the forehead.
"Don't worry, Doctor. They won't even know what hit them," Rose said.
"You know you're impossible sometimes. Do you know that?" the Doctor asked as he smiled despite the seriousness of their situation.
"I thought that was my job. I'm the Impossible Girl not her," Clara said with a smirk.
"You're both my Impossible Girls," the Doctor said as he smiled at them both.
"This is no time for frivolity, Doctor. This is the end for all of you. We're going to leave here now, and you're in our way I'm afraid. I really hate to do this because you were once my favorite student, but I'm afraid that you're going to have to die. Good bye, Doctors," Borusa said as he and the other once imprisoned Time Lords advanced menacingly on the Doctors.
Meanwhile back on the TARDIS and completely unaware of all of this, Mary woke up and visited Alex's room. She wanted to tell him about her decision first.
"Alex, I have something that I need to tell you," Mary said.
"Don't even bother. I already know what you're going to say," Alex said in an angry voice.
"I have to go with him, Alex. I don't want to but I must. I love him. I don't want to possibly spend the rest of my life without him," Mary said.
"Fine. Just go with him then. What do I care?" Alex said in a hurt voice.
"Haven't you ever met anyone that you'd go anywhere with? Someone who you couldn't live without?" Mary asked as she tried to make him understand why she was doing this.
"Yeah, I have," Alex said.
Mary looked surprised as she said, "I never knew that. What happened to her?"
"Nothing yet but I could tell by the look on her face this morning that she doesn't feel the same way about me that I do about her. Now I'm losing you too on the same day. Why don't you just put a knife through my heart and get it over with?" Alex said.
"I'm sorry," Mary said as she put her arms around him sympathetically after she realized that he was talking about Ace.
Pete came into the room then and realized immediately what was going on as he said, "I'm sorry, Alex. I would stay here forever instead of going back, but Mum said that I had to go back now."
"Why though?" Mary asked.
"Mum said that if I don't go back now that I'll come across someone who I'm not supposed to meet yet. They show up in Mum and Dad's life today, and I'm not supposed to meet them until later," Pete said.
"Who?" Mary asked.
"I don't know. That's all that she would tell me," Pete admitted.
"When are you going then?" Mary asked.
"Right now. She's supposed to come soon whoever she is," Pete said.
"I'm sorry, Alex. I thought that I'd have more time. I never even got to tell Gran that I was going. Please tell her good bye for me," Mary said as she took Pete's hand in hers as he started to glow with the power of the Vortex.
"Wait! I want to go too. There's nothing for me here now," Alex said.
Mary looked at Pete and he said, "You can come too if you want. I don't see any reason not to take you."
"Are you sure about this?" Mary asked Alex.
"Yes. She'll be better off without me here. Maybe she'll find someone who she really cares about instead," Alex said in an emotional voice.
"Let's go then. I'll just leave a message with past Mum and Dad to let them know about it," Pete said as he conjured up a note for them and left it on the bed in Alex's room.
The three of them vanished then little knowing that the others could have really used their help.
Back in the Dark Tower, things were getting worse and worse for the Doctors as it seemed that they were about to be overwhelmed at any minute. That was when the TARDIS materialized out of nowhere right next to the Doctors.
"It must be Pete. He brought it here to save us," Rose said.
She was wrong though. Out of the TARDIS stepped a middle aged man that none of them had ever seen before with Mary at his side.
"Who in the world is that with Mary?" Clara asked.
"I have no idea. Do you know, Professor?" Ace asked the Eleventh Doctor.
"Yes, unfortunately," the Eleventh Doctor said.
"Well, who is it?" Ace asked.
"Let me give you a hint," Rose said with a wicked grin on her face as she walked up to the man and kissed him on the lips.
The Eleven Doctors all groaned as Borusa and the freed Time Lords all looked on in confusion.
"What is going on here? Who is this?" Borusa asked.
"I'm surprised at you for not recognizing me, Borusa. We're old friends after all. To answer your question though, I am the Doctor, and I'm here because I was really feeling left out. I mean you captured all of the rest of me so I might as well show up to complete your set, right?" the Twelfth Doctor said.
"Kill them! All of them!" Borusa commanded the others.
"Oh, I don't think so. No one gets to kill my brother but me," Kimberly Mott said as she stepped out of the TARDIS with a huge smile on her face.
"It doesn't matter who you brought with you, Doctor. You will all die, and then we will take your TARDIS and finally escape from this hateful place," Borusa said.
Then they were all quickly surrounded by the army of murderous Time Lords as the Doctors fought for their lives. It was going to take all of them working together to get themselves out of this one.
Next: How in the world are our Doctors going to get out of this? Why is Mary suddenly back anyway when she just left and what is her secret? Hint: It's the reason why Pete had to leave.