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Day of the Doctor
~Chapter 6~
The Child
"I don't understand…" whispered Avery as she and Clara followed the three eager Doctors out of the Tardis.
"The Doctor and I were asked to take a look at something. The glass of the paintings had been broken from the inside. Apparently, those had been the very paintings that the Zygons just used to get to the future with."
"Oh! And we're going to do what they do," finished Avery, earning a smile from Clara.
"Yes. Although that won't…" breathed Clara before jogging up towards the Doctor, the five of them now walking over the field towards the castle. "Doctor, that won't get us to where we need to go. The Black Archive is nowhere near the paintings-"
"I need your phone," said the future Doctor, not indicating he had been listening to her at all.
With a sigh, Clara gave him his phone, watching as he dialled a number before speeding up, talking privately to the person in question. Clara slowed down slightly to one more walk beside Avery.
"Does your Doctor do that too?"
"Not explain what the hell he's doing to save the world? Yes. He does that a lot."
The five entered the castle without a problem, the guards recognizing them. Now almost jogging, the five zigzagged through the castle's corridors, dodging poor, confused servants and guards as they did. Finally, they reached the chamber where the Zygons had been hauled up. By now, it was empty of any aliens, apart from the Doctors, only the paintings remaining.
"This one."
The future Doctor stopped in front of one particular painting, and the other two Doctors came to a halt behind him, staring up at the painting with dark eyes. Avery and Clara glanced at it.
"That's the Gallifrey Falls painting… But that was-"
"It's been moved to the Black Archive. I made sure of it," said the future Doctor, tossing back Clara's phone to her.
"Once more we return…" said the Doctor quietly. Avery walked over to him, grabbing his hand. All she really knew about his home world, Gallifrey, was that it was no more. She did not know how it was destroyed, though she figured the Daleks had done it. Then again… Their home world was no more either. Perhaps, somehow, the two had fired at the same time and caused the destruction of both worlds?
She doubted that though. No, there was more to it than she knew. And whatever it was troubled her Doctor – all three Doctors – terribly.
The Doctor glanced down at her as he felt her hand intertwine their fingers. Her heart raced at being so close to him, holding his hand and looking him in the eyes. Her hand warmed up, buzzing with an energy she was unsure of what it was… Perhaps it was love. Or attraction. Either way, Avery did not fear it.
"Very well…" said the past Doctor, looking at the painting while holding the cube up in front of him. "Let's do this."
Avery did not feel anything of the process. Instead, it was more like she had blinked and then suddenly found herself in a different place. Though the moment she had suddenly appeared in the new place, she wished she had not.
It was complete chaos where they had appeared. They were on Gallifrey, though it was nothing like the stories the Doctor had once told her and Martha. There was no red grass and beautiful scenery. Just chaos and destruction. An alarm was blaring, explosions were going off everywhere. Daleks were fighting strangely dressed men and women, whom Avery soon understood were Time Lords. Parents with their children were running away, looking as though they were unsure of where it was safe…
Soon, that place, that planet, was going to exist no more. And the pain Avery felt along with the fear was what made her gasp and step away from the Doctor, letting go of his hand. Clara looked equally as shocked, though the three Doctors did not react. Instead, they began to walk, their faces void of emotions and their eyes dark…
Clara followed, a shocked look on her face, and Avery was going to as well… But then something caught her eye.
Time Lady… Explosions… Fire… So much death…
The voice came from right next to her, and she turned her head just in time to see two parents, both female, running with a child in their arms. The child was crying, but seized its crying when she looked at Avery. The face of the child seemed so familiar, like a face of a long lost friend… But Avery did not know her.
The child stretched out a hand towards Avery.
Please… Help me…
Avery, as though hypnotized by the child, stretched out her hand as well and began to walk towards the child. The parents were currently doing their best to open a door, explosions going off nearby them that caused them to panic more and more.
They're going to die.
A hand suddenly yanked her arm down and twirled her around. She came face to face with the future Doctor. A scream went off in her head and she cringed letting out a groan. The voice was clearly upset that she had not reached that child, and it projected its feelings right onto Avery, causing her to fight against the future Doctor's grip, wanting to reach that child. She fell to her knees, still struggling.
"Never ever walk towards that child. Don't listen to its voice."
She froze and stopped struggling. Avery stared at the future Doctor, suddenly fearing him. The way he seemed angry with her yet at the same time also fearful was… haunting. His strong grip on her arms surprised her… He knew something.
"Who is she?"
"Don't go with her. Not-Not yet. Please."
The anger seemed to go away from his eyes, and he suddenly embraced her, standing them both back up on their feet. She stayed limp in his arms, too shocked and confused to return the hug. Close by, the others were watching them, confused… At least, they all looked confused, apart from Clara.
The future Doctor suddenly let her go, taking a step away from her. When Avery turned back around towards the child and her parents, they had already managed to open the door and disappeared inside. The nagging feeling of wanting to help or approach the child was gone. A hand touched hers and she looked up to find her Doctor holding it, looking at her with worried eyes.
"Let's leave this place."
Avery nodded, still unsure of what had just happened. She watched her Doctor glare over at the future Doctor before leading Avery away from him.
The five resumed their walk, none of them talking about what had just happened.
A Dalek made its way over to them, shouting its signature 'exterminate' phrase and pointing its laser towards them. Avery gasped, though the three Doctors had a plan of their own. Pointing their screwdrivers at the Dalek, a light suddenly appeared from their screwdrivers which pushed the Dalek backwards, causing it to miss its shots. Exploding from the light, the Dalek suddenly crashed through something bright that had not been there before, and without realizing it, Avery and the others suddenly stepped out of the painting.
Letting go of Avery's hand, the Doctor and the two others walked synchronized out of the painting and into what looked a storage. Though Avery knew better, realizing it was the Black Archive. Clara and Avery watched as they stopped before a table filled with files, two blonde women standing on either side of the table with two scientists standing behind each of them. It was like watching a mirrored room, because the two blondes looked exactly the same as did the two scientists behind them.
The Dalek lay in the room, dead and still smoking slightly, and Clara and Avery made their way over to it to stand slightly in the back, watching the scene unfold before them. Clara noticed Avery was still shaken up from what had happened inside that painting, and she grabbed her hand shortly, giving it a squeeze. Avery nodded her head at the woman, smiling forcefully.
"Hello," said the past Doctor to the mirrored six people standing around the table.
"I'm the Doctor," said Avery's Doctor.
"Sorry about the Dalek," continued the future Doctor, the three of them still standing beside one another, staring at the six people, three of which were obviously Zygons.
"Also the showing off," mumbled Clara, to which Avery smiled a genuine smile.
Now came the time the Doctors would need to save them all from a nuclear bomb going off… while at the same time also getting rid of the Zygons… How they were going to do that, Avery was unsure of.
