CHAPTER 36
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THE EVIL ONE REVEALED AT LAST
"Wake up, sleepyhead, or are you going to sleep past noon . . . again?" Lydia said as she shook Christina awake with a huge grin on her face.
"Merlin, why do you sound so odd? Did one of your spells go wrong again?" Christina said in a sleepy voice.
"Merlin? Did you fall asleep watching Harry Potter again, Chrissy? Don't you dare to tell me that you're not a closet Potter fan either because I know better," Lydia said in amusement.
Christina was now fully awake and stared at both her surroundings and Lydia in surprise as she said, "Who are you? What is this place and how did you bring me here?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Lydia asked in confusion.
Christina suddenly grabbed Lydia by the throat and threw her against the wall hard as she said, "I asked you some questions, girl, and I had better have answers!"
This was where I entered the story as I heard Christina shouting and the very loud noises coming from Christina's bedroom and decided to investigate. It briefly occurred to me that it might be something to do with Giacomo that was none of my business, but I decided to err on the side of caution when I heard Lydia yelling in fear.
Also the TARDIS had decided to take the soundproofing off of the room which was always a warning sign.
"What's going on here?" I asked as I opened the door to see Christina pressing a scared Lydia against the wall and glaring at her.
"Melody, she's lost her mind. She doesn't know who I am, and she keeps babbling nonsense," Lydia said.
"My mind is in perfect condition. One of you has kidnapped me and brought me here in my sleep, and I demand to know why," Christina said as she practically snarled at me.
"Lydia, did you mess around with her mind somehow?" I asked as I saw the furious look in her eyes that looked nothing like the Christina that I knew.
"No, I didn't do anything I swear. I'd never take the risk of hurting her," Lydia said in an insulted voice.
"You lie! You stole me from my home! Now you're going to undo the spell that you cast and put me back there right now or you'll wish that I had killed you!" Christina threatened her.
Now I knew that Christina had flipped because she loved Lydia too much to ever talk to her that way no matter how angry that she was at her. All of that talk of hers about spells though made me think of something that Jenny once told me about how Christina had a double in another universe.
"You are Nimueh I take it," I said taking a wild guess.
'Christina' turned to glare at me as she said, "It was you then. You kidnapped me. Now you'll pay for it."
She immediately dropped Lydia as she made what I took to be a mystic gesture and then looked astonished when nothing happened. She made the same gesture again with no results and then became furious.
"So you've stolen my magic too! You'll pay for this, witch! You're about to find out that even without magic that I'm still too dangerous to ever be underestimated!" The woman who I now knew to be Nimueh said as she started to attack me.
Nimueh then came at me with a lightning fast roundhouse punch to the side of the head that was quite impressive for someone of her time. Unfortunately for her I'm from the future, and I was trained to be the deadliest assassin in the universe.
I easily ducked Nimueh's punch as I said, "Sorry, sweetie, but the fighting skills of someone from the Dark Ages don't even come close to someone who was trained to kill the Doctor."
Then I punched her in the jaw so hard that her eyes rolled back in her head, and she immediately passed out cold on the floor. There was never any doubt who was going to win this fight.
"Melody!" Lydia shouted as she checked Nimueh to see if she was still breathing.
"What?" I asked not really knowing what she was going on about.
Lydia sighed with relief as she said, "I, uh, kind of thought that you might have killed her."
I looked at her in disbelief as I said, "I believe that she's somehow switched minds with Christina since that's still her body. I've gotten used to having Christina around, Lydia. I'm not about to kill her over something like getting her brain switched."
Lydia smiled as she said, "You pulled your punch because you didn't want to hurt Christina."
"Don't be ridiculous. That would imply that I actually liked her, Lydia. We all know that she gets on my nerves way too much for that to be true," I said.
"Oh, come off it, Melody! You love her and you know it," Lydia said as she kept flashing a big stupid grin at me.
"Why does everyone keep saying that to me lately? I'm a psychopath, Lydia. I don't feel things like love," I protested.
"It's okay, Melody. I won't tell. Your secret is safe with me," Lydia said as she gave me a hug.
To say that I was mortified was an understatement. I should have sent her to join Nimueh on the floor for daring to do such a thing. I didn't though.
Maybe I really am going soft. It seems that the Doctor was right about domestics after all.
Suddenly Jenny appeared and said, "Oh, River! You couldn't leave her alone for five seconds, could you?"
"Me? She attacked me I'll have you know," I said indignantly.
"I take it that you already know what's going on then. An enemy of Nimueh's has caused her to switch bodies with Christina. Christina is trapped in her body back in her universe. I'm going to need to take Nimueh back with me so that she can fix things. Hopefully she'll wake up sometime this century so that she can do that," Jenny said as she rolled her eyes at me.
"Oh, come on. I didn't hit her that hard. I didn't even break anything," I said.
"You must be slipping then," Jenny said grinning at me.
"She pulled her punches because she didn't want to hurt Chrissy," Lydia said.
"You did, didn't you?" Jenny said as she began to smirk.
"Don't you have someone else to annoy? How about taking on whoever caused all of this instead?" I said anxious to get her to leave.
"Don't worry, River. I'll bring Christina back in no time. Want to go with me, Lydia? You'll probably help me find her faster since you're connected to her," Jenny said.
"I was already going whether you asked me to or not. Let's go. I've got to save Chrissy," Lydia said.
Jenny and Lydia immediately teleported away along with Nimueh and I sighed in relief.
"Chrissy?" I said to myself with a grin.
Then just a second later, Jenny, Lydia, and who I hoped was the real Christina returned, and Christina immediately ran over to me and hugged me. I almost punched her right then and there.
This was really getting ridiculous. The next thing that you know people are going to start saying that I actually care about other people or something. That would really ruin the fearsome reputation that I've worked so hard to build.
Who's going to be afraid of me if they think that I'm lovable?
"I heard that you pulled your punch so that you didn't hurt my body too much when you knocked out Nimueh. I always knew that you loved me, you big softy! I can totally understand why you did that by the way. That woman was so annoying. She's nothing at all like me despite her outward appearance. I'm so much more cultured and refined then her and nowhere near as irritating. Am I, Melly? Come on. Tell me what you love about me," Christina said as she moved forward to hug me again.
I immediately punched her in the jaw as I said, "I love that you have a glass jaw. Don't ever call me Melly or a softy again if you want to keep all of your dental work, 'Chrissy'," I said with an evil grin on my face.
"I notice that you didn't deny that you loved me though, did you? Did you? Admit it! You love me!" Christina said as she rubbed her jaw.
"If she does, she has a very funny way of showing it," Jenny said shaking her head.
"You don't understand. This is her way of showing affection, Jen," Christina said as she smiled at me.
"What is wrong with you people? I don't show affection and I don't feel love for anyone but Donald," I said in an irritated voice.
"I think she protests too much, Chrissy. What about you?" Lydia said.
"I think you're right and that you need to stop calling me Chrissy. I really don't like that," Christina said with a wince.
Jenny shook her head as she said, "I thought my crew could be a bit weird sometimes, but yours has mine beat by a mile. I guess I'll go now. Before I do though, I have to tell you that Mum wants to see you, River."
"I expect she does, yes. Tell her that I'll be around to see her soon after I wrap up a few odds and ends here first," I said.
"I will. Goodbye, River. Goodbye, 'Chrissy' and Lydia," Jenny said grinning mischievously.
"Don't call me that! Thank you for saving me, Jen. I owe you one," Christina said.
"No, you don't. I was happy to do it. I'll see you later, Chrissy," Jenny said as she teleported away at last.
I was grateful too. I didn't have anything against Jenny, but she could be a bit too perky at times even after becoming the War Lord (it was probably some attempt to overcompensate for becoming even crazier than me for a while there). Perky people always annoy me.
"Thank you so much, Lydia. Now she's going to have everyone calling me Chrissy soon," Christina said in an annoyed tone.
"So? I like Chrissy. What's wrong with it?" Lydia asked.
"My name is Christina not Chrissy," Christina said in a proud voice.
"So, Chrissy, have you decided when you and Lydia are going back with Giacomo yet?" I asked with an evil smile as I watched her wince at that name.
"It's Christina and yes, I have. We're going right now if you're ready, Lydia," Christina said.
"So he's going back first and then we'll go to the end of his life and make him open the watch then?" Lydia asked.
"That's right. Are you sure that you still want to do this?" Christina said to Lydia.
"I'm sure. Let's go," Lydia said.
"Wait. How were you two expecting to get home?" I asked.
"I'm not sure that I am going home. I thought maybe I'd just stay there and take the slow path with Giacomo," Christina said.
"What? I always thought that you had some kind of plan to come back to our own time sooner or later with Giacomo. So you really want to live the rest of your life there?" Lydia asked in disbelief.
"Apparently she does. You should be very sure of that, Christina. Very sure. What about Lydia? She's immortal you know. She'll be stuck in the past long after you're gone, and we may never see her again. Are you really sure that you've thought this out at all?" I asked.
"I just wanted to settle down and have a normal life with Giacomo for as long as I have to live. I always thought that Lydia could use her powers to return to you. I mean surely her mum would let her do that," Christina said.
"Do you really think that Giacomo would ever live a normal life, Christina? He is the Doctor more or less after all," I said amazed at her naiveté.
"He said that he would for me," Christina said.
I shook my head at her as I said, "Come on. Let's talk to him about this. I'm going to get this straightened out once and for all."
I found Casanova sitting in the corner of the Console Room brooding as I said, "Alright, Giacomo, let's hear what your real plans for the future are. Are you really telling me that you're going to spend a regular normal boring life with Christina until she dies? I don't believe it. Not for a minute. You'd never sit still that long. Even if you don't have a way to leave that time, you'll never settle down. You'll just start traveling the world instead."
"I can live with that. I could definitely raise a family while traveling the world. It might be more fun that way," Christina said.
"Are you sure that's what you really want?" I asked.
"Yes. I don't care what kind of life that I have to live as long as I live it with him," Christina said without hesitation.
"How about I give you a way out just in case you ever change your mind, okay?" I said as I pulled an extra Vortex Manipulator from one of my pockets and handed it to her.
"This is for me?" Christina asked touched.
"Yes. I just want to make sure that you aren't left behind in the past forever," I said.
"You do love me," Christina said.
"I never said that. Let's just say that I'd miss your irritating presence if you were gone forever," I said.
"Thanks, Melody," Christina said.
I quickly taught her and Lydia how to use the Manipulator and then the three of them used it to return Casanova to his proper place in his timestream after he submitted himself to the Chameleon Arch again. After that they planned on jumping ahead to the end of his life and making him open his watch. I had no idea what they would do next, and I don't think that they did either.
I wondered if I would ever see any of them again. I missed Christina's annoying laugh already.
I think I must be going as mad as the Doctor.
"You miss them, don't you?" Donald said grinning as he watched me silently taking my gun apart and cleaning it.
"Whatever makes you say that?" I asked nonchalantly.
"You always smile when you're cleaning your gun. This time you look like someone called you sweet and you didn't get to punch them out," Donald said.
"I don't know what it is. I just feel down for some reason. Cleaning my gun just isn't as fun as it usually is," I said in a sad voice.
"I know what it is, Melody. You miss them whether you want to admit it or not. Don't worry. I think that they'll return someday," Donald said.
"I don't know where you get these crazy ideas from, Donnie. I don't miss anybody. If anyone else tries to leave us though, I may just have to shoot them," I said as I continued to clean my gun.
Donald smiled at me and kissed me even as Matt and Astrid walked into the Console Room hand in hand doing a little kissing of their own. They continued to kiss long after Donald and I had stopped, and I felt strongly tempted to use my gun to put a stop to it.
Luckily for them I hadn't finished cleaning it yet.
"Why don't you two just get married already? All you do is spend every spare moment stuck up under each other anyway. You might as well make it official," I joked.
The two of them suddenly stopped kissing, looked at each other in silence for a moment, and then they both said to me at the same time, "Okay."
"What?" Both Donald and I said together.
"We just decided to get married. Isn't it wonderful? I'm marrying the coolest woman in the universe!" Matt said as he picked Astrid up and spun her around the room while she laughed at him.
"That's not possible, Chinny. I already married her," Donald said as he smiled at me.
"Nice save there, Donnie," I said as I kissed him in gratitude.
"You and Melody are great together, Sandshoes, but Astrid is the one for me. I've known it for some time now. I just wasn't sure how she felt about it. Now that I do I can't wait. We're going to be married!" Matt said with joy as he spun Astrid around again.
"Stop that, Matt, or I'm going to get motion sickness. I'm the one who's lucky you know. I spent so long trapped by the Silence that I never thought that I'd ever be free again. Now not only am I free and human again, but I also have the handsomest man in the world believing that he's the lucky one. I'm luckier than I ever deserved to be, Matt. By all rights, I should have been killed back on the Titanic long ago. I'm so glad to be here alive and well and with you and my friends. I love you, Matt," Astrid said as she kissed him.
"I love you too," Matt said as he kissed her back.
I smiled at Matt as I said, "To think that it probably never would have happened if I hadn't opened my mouth. Those two are so busy kissing that I bet it would have taken them years to figure it out on their own."
"That's presuming that they would ever stop kissing long enough to talk to each other that is," Donald said laughing.
"I do believe that I'm making you as bad as me in the cynical comments department, Mr. Song," I said winking at him.
"I do believe that you are, Mrs. Noble. You won't hear me complaining though," Donald said.
"You'd better not or I might be tempted not to tell you the other good news that I learned today. In fact, this little bit of news might explain why I'm feeling so moody lately much better than missing Christina and Lydia would," I said.
"What are you talking about?" Donald asked confused.
"I suspected it this morning but I used the TARDIS' medical bay to confirm it. I'm pregnant, Donald, and it's a girl. Dorothy's finally on her way at last!" I said as I wrapped my arms around him tightly.
"My little girl's finally going to be born! I didn't think that it would be this soon, but I'm so glad. I'm going to spoil her rotten," Donald said grinning from ear to ear.
"You'll have to get in line behind me first," I said as I gave him a long passionate kiss.
"What about me? Don't I get to spoil her a little?" A familiar voice said behind us.
I sighed as I said, "Rose, I was having a private moment here. Do you mind?"
"No, I don't mind sharing in it at all. Congratulations to the both of you!" Rose said as she hugged both of us.
Honestly! What is it with the hugging lately?
Then she turned to Matt and Astrid and said, "Congratulations to you two too. I hope that I'm invited to the wedding."
"How did you know about that? We only just now decided to get married," Astrid asked amazed.
Rose grinned and her eyes glowed with golden energy as she said, "I have my ways. Besides that, it was obvious that it was going to happen sooner or later wasn't it? That really shouldn't have come to a surprise to anyone that knows you I don't think. I really am happy for you two. I know that you'll both be good for each other, and I'm glad that good things have finally come your way at last, Astrid. You deserve them."
"Thank you, Rose," Astrid said in gratitude
"Thank you, Rose," I mouthed silently in a sarcastic manner as I pretended to gag and Donald frowned at me.
Rose could be even more sickeningly perky than Jenny sometimes, and that was saying something. I just wished that she would get to the point and tell us why she was really there. It wasn't because of our good news.
It was because she knew the real cause of my current mood, and it had nothing to do with pregnancy or Christina and Lydia.
"River, you know why I'm here don't you?" Rose finally asked.
"Yes, I do. I figured it out before Reinette even did actually. You're the fabled Evil One of the Symmetry's prophecies. You're the one that they're all so terrified of because you're supposed to stop them from using Mikaela to take over the universe," I said.
"Of course! Rose fits all of their prophecies perfectly. She once had red hair in her first incarnation and now she's blonde. I also knew her when she was young and all throughout her first incarnation, and then I met her when she was little in her second incarnation as Rose and gave her a red bicycle. Chinny told me that he helped her with her math homework when she was younger too, and then of course I met her when she was nineteen. I've been in and out of her life forever. Then after traveling with me for a while we were separated, and it wasn't until she found her way back to Chinny that she discovered that she was really Arkytior. She fits the whole prophecy to a T," Donald realized at last as he hit himself in the forehead.
"You're a little slow, Donnie, but you finally got there," I said with a chuckle.
"I was ever so grateful for both the bicycle and the help with my homework. I never would have passed if a certain bow tie wearing alien hadn't shown up when he did," Rose said smiling.
Like I said, she's way too perky!
"So why did you come here to talk to us about what Melody already knew?" Donald asked Rose.
Rose suddenly turned very serious as she said, "I came here to protect all of you. I knew that sooner or later Melody would be triggered, and I didn't want any of you to get caught in the crossfire when it finally happened."
"What are you talking about, Rose?" Donald asked in complete bewilderment.
I finally finished reassembling my gun as I said, "She's talking about how the Symmetry programmed me to kill her. They went back in time and kidnapped me when I was on the run from the Silence as a little girl and implanted a command in my mind to kill Rose as soon as she revealed to me in the future that she was the Evil One. It's a command that I'm trying very, very hard to resist right now, and I'm just barely holding onto myself, Donald. I'm sorry," I said as I struggled to keep myself under control for his sake.
"That's why you've been so irritable and moody and why you kept cleaning your gun. You knew but you couldn't tell me because of the programming," Donald realized in horror.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to but I couldn't until Rose herself mentioned it. Donald, take the others and leave. I don't want you to get hurt," I said in a shaky voice.
"Melody, you don't have to do this. You can fight this. I know you can! Do it for the baby's sake! Please!" Donald pleaded.
"Rose, make him go," I said in an emotional voice.
"I'll do better than that. Let's go where neither of us can bother anyone until we get this all sorted out," Rose said.
She snapped her fingers and the two of us were suddenly standing alone in the dimension of the White Guardian. I stood face to face with her in silence for a moment as I continued to try to fight the programming that the Symmetry had put into my mind.
"It's okay, Melody. I know that this isn't your fault," Rose said in a gentle voice.
"I'm so tired of being used this way," I said in anger.
"It's alright. I'll find a way to keep both of us alive I promise. You can stop fighting it now. It's just the two of us here now. No one's going to be hurt but us. Let's do this, Melody. The sooner I stop you, the sooner I can fix whatever the Symmetry did to you," Rose said.
"Oh, it's not going to be that easy, Rose. Not in the slightest. You do remember that you gave me the secret to defeating you if you ever went rogue, don't you? I'm going to use it too. I'm sorry, Rose, but I have to. They're making me pull out all the stops against you," I said as I struggled in vain to remain in control.
"Just let go, Melody," Rose said in a soothing voice.
"Rose, I'm sorry. I haven't always got along with you in the past and I'm still a little angry at you for coming back to claim the Doctor, but I don't want to kill you. I certainly don't want to do it to help the Symmetry," I apologized.
"It's alright, Melody. I understand," Rose said.
"Rose, run!" I warned as I finally lost control and pointed my gun at her.
"I can't. I need to fight you right here and now and get it over with," Rose said.
"Oh, how you're about to wish that you had," I said as I fired my gun at her at point blank range.
Next: The fight of the century begins in deadly earnest in a special two part crossover between this story and Adventures in Time as the opening blows are struck in Adventures in Time Chapter 18 where River exploits a weakness that Rose told her about herself and uses it against her to her complete and total advantage. Then the fight continues here next time in the next chapter of this story as our two heroines fight a long, bitter drawn out battle to a dramatic conclusion that I really hope that you won't see coming. All the while Donald is constantly searching for the young Melody who was on the run from the Silence so that he can attempt to come up with some way to reprogram her in the past so that River can be saved in the present. Will he succeed or will River and Rose both be lost forever?