Doomsday, Part Three
The Doctor and Clara were in the lead, running. Mickey ran up to Clara's side.
"I just fell, I didn't mean it!" Mickey rushed. The Doctor shook his head.
"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force. To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favor." The Doctor waved ahead. "Now, run!" They ran until they met up with Jackie and Pete Tyler in the stairwell. "We've got to see what it's doing. We've got to go back up. Come on! All of you. Top floor!" Jackie shook her head.
"That's forty five floors up!" She protested. "Believe me, I've done them all."
"We could always take the lift." Jake suggested, pointing to the elevator. They all stuffed themselves into the elevator, pressing the top button frantically. The elevator ride was tense. Rose kept glancing and Pete.
"I'm sorry, but are you-"
"Pete Tyler," Pete smiled. "I'm your dad from the parallel universe." Rose nodded, faking like she was okay with that. Clara reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly.
The elevator doors opened and everyone practically fell out. The Doctor, still towing Clara, ran to the window. Clara stumbled and only looked out the window when she heard Rose and the Doctor gasp. Her head snapped up and her eyes widened at the sight. The Ark was floating in midair, spinning rapidly as Daleks were spit out at an alarming speed. The Doctor's grip on Clara's hand grew tighter.
"Time Lord science," he moaned. "It's bigger on the inside." Mickey did a double take.
"Did the Time Lords put those Daleks in there?" He asked, pointing at the ever-growing fleet of Daleks. "What for?"
"It's a prison ship." The Doctor answered. He couldn't tear his eyes from the sight.
Clara cleared her throat. "How many Daleks?"
"Millions," the Doctor whispered. Clara leaned against the Doctor's arm. She didn't know what to do or to say. How could she make this better? There probably wasn't a way. The Doctor finally pulled himself from the window and they walked all out of Yvonne's office, through the glass doors, and into the main room in Torchwood. Clara spotted a large lever in the midst of the desks. Pete stepped forward, pulling Jackie with him.
"I'm sorry, but you've had it," he told the Doctor. "This world's going to crash and burn. There's nothing we can do." He turned to Jackie. "We're going home." He pulled a yellow button, like Mickey's, out of his pocket. He gave it to Jackie. Then, he pulled out another and held it out to Rose. She took it tentatively. "Jacks, Rose, come on. You're coming with us." Jackie looked appalled.
"But they're destroying the city!" She exclaimed. Pete looked at her endearingly.
"I'd forgotten you could argue." He muttered. "It's not just London, it's the whole world. But there's another world just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe as long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?" The Doctor, who had been looking out of another window, turned around. He had 3D glasses on again.
"Oh, I'm ready.," he stated, looking invigorated. "I've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood." He ran over to a computer, typing away. "Slam it down and close off both universes." He kept typing.
"Reboot systems." The emotionless voice of the computer said.
"But we can't just leave. What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?" Rose demanded, clutching the button tight. The Doctor spun, tapping her on the nose.
"They're part of the problem, and that makes them part of the solution. Oh yes! Well?" He looked at the group of people expectantly. "Isn't anyone going to ask what is it with the glasses?" Clara grinned. He was acting like himself again, and she was happy.
"What's with the glasses?" She asked. The Doctor beamed.
"I can see, that's what! Because we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen traveled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void. Oh, I like that. Via the Void. Look." The Doctor stopped rambling and gave Clara the glasses. She slipped them on, looking the Doctor up and down. He was surrounded by greenish speckles.
"What is that stuff?" She asked.
"Void stuff." The Doctor replied happily.
"Like er, background radiation," Clara clarified. The Doctor kissed her on the nose, taking the glasses back.
"That's it." He put the glasses back on. "And all the others, they've all got it, too. The only one who hasn't been through the Void is Jackie. First time she's looked normal all in her life." Jackie's mouth dropped.
"Oi!" She snapped, hitting the Doctor lightly on the arm.
"And Rose," Clara reminded him. He looked at Rose, nodding.
"Oh, yea." He shook his head. "But the Daleks lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it. Cybermen, all of them." The Doctor gestured to the blank wall at the end of the room. "I just open the Void and reverse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."
"Pulling them all in!" Rose cried excitedly.
"Pulling them all in!" The Doctor repeated.
"Sorry, what's the Void?" Mickey inserted.
"The dead space." The Doctor replied. "Some people call it Hell." Mickey chuckled, pleased.
"So you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell." He looked at Jake. "Man, I told you he was good."
"But it's like you said. We've all got Void stuff." Clara reminded the Doctor. "We went to that parallel world. We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in." The Doctor looked grim.
"That's why you've got to go."
"Reboot in two minutes." The computer stated, breaking the tense silence as Clara glared daggers at the Doctor.
"If you think I'm leaving you, you're off your rocker." She spat.
"You'll be safe on that side, Clara," the Doctor told her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off.
"No way in hell! I'm not going, and there's nothing you can say or do that will make me." Clara stepped away from him. "Mickey, Jake, Pete, Jackie, and Rose will go. But I'm staying with you."
"Why me, too? And Mum?" Rose asked. "We don't have Void stuff on me. We're safe." Clara raised her eyebrows.
"You're really gonna split your mum and Pete up?" Clara asked. "Or stay here forever without Jackie? You could have the same life you have here, but with a Dad. And, as someone who's gone quite some time with only a dad, having one is pretty awesome. You'd be happy there."
"But, you'll close it for good, after we leave?" Pete asked. The Doctor nodded.
"The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff. In the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput." The Doctor answered, hands in his pockets.
"But you stay on this side?" Rose asked. The Doctor nodded again.
"But you'll get pulled in," Mickey said. The Doctor wagged a finger. He ran over and grabbed two stools with handles on the end.
"That's why I got these." He waved them around. "I'll just have to hold on tight. I've been doing it all my life."
"There's two." Clara pointed out. "You'll hold on to one, and I'll hold on to the other." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Clara-" The Doctor tried. Clara's nostrils flared, her glare getting more intense.
"Doctor, I swear, if you try to make me go..." Clara couldn't even finish her threat, she was so angry!
"You won't be alone!" The Doctor shouted. "You'll have Rose and Mickey and-"
"I don't care!" Clara yelled. "I'm staying!"
"I never said I was going to go," Rose inserted quietly. Jackie, Pete, Mickey, and the Doctor all stared at her.
"Aren't you?" Jackie asked softly.
Roe stared at the button in her hand. "Yea, I guess. I just wanted to decide for myself."
"We've got to get going!" Pete yelled. "Everyone who's going, press your button now!" He slapped his button, as did Jackie, Rose, Mickey, and Jake.
"Reboot in one minute." The computer said. The Doctor and Clara stared at each other. The Doctor pulled a yellow button out of his pocket.
"Clara-" He said, holding it out to her. She slapped it out of his hand, a satisfied smile on her face when it audibly broke.
"I love you," she told him. "There was never even a choice."
"Systems rebooted. Open access." The computer announced. The Doctor took Clara's hand. "Levers operational." Clara half smiled.
"That's more like it," she said, clapping her hands. "Let's get going!" The Doctor gave her a clamp.
"Press it to the wall and press the red button," he told her. She stuck it to the wall and pressed the button. She felt it secure itself to the wall. "Just hold on tight. This shouldn't be too bad for us. Ready?" Clara nodded. With one hand on the handle, she pushed the lever on her side in place. The Doctor did the same. Instantly, she could feel the pull of the breach. She held on to the handle with both hands as the pull lifted her off her feet.
"HOLD ON!" The Doctor shouted.
"I AM!" Clara yelled. She held on tighter. After a moment, the Daleks and Cybermen began swarming past them, straight into the Void. "IT'S WORKING!"
A few minutes later, the computer shouted over the noise of the pull, "Offline." Clara's eyes widened as she saw the lever on her side slide down. Clara knew what she had to do. Bracing herself, she let go to the handle and felt herself fly back. She just barely grabbed hold of the lever.
"BE CAREFUL!" The Doctor cried, watching her in horror.
"I'LL DO MY BEST!" Clara, using all of her strength, pushed the lever back into place. The computer announced, "Online," much to their relief. Soon, it seemed that all of the Daleks and Cybermen had flown past them. The breach was going to close any second.
Clara was having a hard time holding on. Her fingers were slipping off the lever, she could feel it. She knew what was going to happen before it did.
"I LOVE YOU!" She shouted to the Doctor. Two seconds later, her last finger slipped and she went flying to the Void.
At the last second, two arms wrapped around her. Then, the room disappeared and reappeared, empty. Rose set her on the ground and Clara launched herself at the wall. Sobs racked her body as she clung to the wall.
"Take me back, please," she whispered through the sobs. "No. Take me back." Slowly, she fell to the ground. She buried her face in her hands, crying nonstop.
"It's stopped working," Pete told her quietly, "he did it." Clara's sobs grew louder.
Lalala
Clara stood on a beach in Norway, far away from the Tylers and Mickey, as she waited for the Doctor. She had heard him calling her name for a month and had convinced the others to help her track down the voice. This is where the voice led them.
Just then, the Doctor appeared to the left of her. He looked transparent, like he was only half there.
"Where are you?" She asked him, holding herself as she approached the image. He looked down at her sadly.
"Inside the TARDIS." He said. "There's just one tiny little gap in the universe left. This projection takes up a lot of energy." He laughed humorlessly. "I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye." Clara nodded, tears pooling in her eyes. She wanted to ask him to come through the gap and stay here with her, but she knew she couldn't do that. He probably couldn't, and asking for it would just make him feel worse.
So, instead, she said, "You look like a ghost." The Doctor held out his sonic screwdriver. He pointed it at something that Clara couldn't see.
"Hold on," he told her. He pressed the button and his image solidified. Clara, instinctively, reached for his face. "I'm still just an image. No touch." Clara couldn't help it when a tear fell down her cheek. She tried to say something, but couldn't. "Where are we? Where did the gap come out?"
"We're in Norway." Clara answered shortly, clearing her throat. Tears kept falling down her cheeks. "How long have we got?" Her voice cracked.
"About two minutes." The Doctor answered softly. Clara laughed, pulling her hair out of her eyes. The wind on the beach was terrible.
"I can't think of what to say!" She exclaimed. He smiled.
"So, what are you going to do?" The Doctor asked.
"There's still a Torchwood on this planet," she told him. "It's open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens." Clara started crying harder. She sniffed, trying to hold herself together. "Am I ever going to see you again?" She asked, knowing the answer before he said it.
"You can't."
"What're you going to do?" She asked, stepping closer to the image. The Doctor avoided her gaze, looking above her head.
"Oh, I've got the TARDIS. Same old life, last of the Time Lords." He sounded broken, which broke Clara even more.
"On your own?" She asked. He nodded solemnly. "I- I love you." She told him again. He smiled.
"Quite right, too." He held out his hand, holding it so it was almost like his hand was holding hers. "And I suppose, if it's one last chance to say it, Clara Oswald-" Before he could say it, he vanished before her eyes. Clara's heart broke and she crumpled to the ground, devastated.
He had never wanted to admit that he loved her because he knew that, one day, he would lose her. And, when he had known she was gone, he was going to say it. But now, she would never get to hear him say those words.
Rose ran over to her, pulling her into her arms. Clara clung to her, not even bothering to stem the heart wrenching sobs as they racked her body painfully.
She didn't think she could ever be happy again.
A/N: Please don't hate me! I'm sorry, but I knew the story was heading here from the very beginning. And yea, this is the end of Clara's journey with the Tenth Doctor. I will write an epilogue, though! Hopefully, it'll answer any questions you all have about Clara's effect on the Doctor's timeline.
Leave a review, please!
Until next time, sweeties!
