ABOMINATION
THIRTYSIX
The gradual, complex and inexorable unfolding of The Doctor's gift inside her mind now complete, her promised potential fulfilled, Wil knew there was very little, if anything, that could harm her, unless she chose to permit it. This serene sense of impermeability colored her perceptions and illuminated the way forward.
In the mental housecleaning, as it had been so cleverly described, she had given up much, but gained more. Such was the nature of the deal. She now clearly and perfectly recognized her transformation as a blessing rather than a curse – all previous ambiguities resolved. (1)
She took the time to investigate and marvel at what she'd become; but in reality, it took her no time at all. Such was the nature of The Doctor's gift.
Then she fearlessly embraced the sentience of the developing TARDIS.
It had given up trying to break through her mental defenses, at least for the moment. Score a big one for the good guys.
"And what do I get in return?" it inquired soundlessly, telepathically. Freed of its Doctor-based physical manifestation, Wil thought the "voice" had an almost childlike quality – unlike The Doctor's TARDIS, its voice seemed small, hesitant, maybe even frightened.
"Well…" she answered. "You get me."
"I do not understand."
"Maybe if you'd not immediately tried to co-opt me you would have learned by now what I bring to the table. Let me spell it out for you. Pay attention. First of all, I'm part Time Lord. A big part Time Lord. I can offer you a Rassilon Imprimatur, which is way more than you will ever, I repeat, ever get here. You blew the possibility of any sort of cooperation or assistance from the only other Time Lord in this galaxy when you absconded with his best friend. Bad move on your part, by the way. He's a good guy, that Time Lord, but he's not in the habit of offering second chances.
"Second, I'm part TARDIS. There's no Eye of Harmony left in existence because Gallifrey is gone, destroyed in the Time War. But, if you agree to my terms, The Doctor's TARDIS has consented to share with you the power she's bestowed upon me, which comes from her heart, and thus from the Eye. She's being extremely generous, you understand, despite the fact you've seriously pissed her off by your aforementioned action – she's very fond of Jack Harkness – and by screwing with her Time Lord.
"Third, I'm part human. Don't underrate this. Humans are a very special species, just ask The Doctor." She paused a beat. "Oh wait, that's right, you can't ask him because you've messed with him and now he's laying catatonic on the cold, slimy floor. Clearly another stupid move on your part. Look, you've been screwing up big time and as a human I'm a good candidate for teaching you what you need to know to get along in any universe. And incidentally, there's a whole lot that you most certainly need to learn, beginning with how to play well with others. But beyond that, you can't do much better than a human traveling companion, just ask The Doctor.
"Fourth… well, fourth I'm also part something else. Something I'm not sure you'd even be able to understand right now. But let's just say I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that I'm powerful beyond anything you can imagine. When I say I can destroy you, I can. Do not doubt it. I can and I will. But I can also protect you while we bring you up to speed. It's scary out there, no matter which universe you end up in. Swimming alone is not advised."
"I do not have the capability to cross the bulk, to bridge the hyperdimensional gap between branes."
"That won't be a problem. You did manage to do one very smart thing, whether intentional or not. You took form over the Cardiff Rift. It just so happens I'm uniquely able to manipulate the rift. In fact, assuming I'm not overly stressed or worried about any silly thing like, oh I don't know, the lives of my friends, I can pandimensionally surf spacetime using the rift. We can hop the bulk to the next brane, no sweat."
"How do I know you are not lying?"
"You don't. But do you really have a choice here? Certain destruction or continued existence? Seems like a no-brainer to me. Uh, no pun intended."
She noticed The Doctor beginning to stir. Gently she reached out with a small corner of her mind and prodded him. The Time Lord tentatively touched her back. He was weak, but he was okay. She smiled inwardly and then shrugged, refocusing complete attention on her internal discussion.
"But I'm not through, not yet. I have one last demand," Wil said silently. "I want to know something. I want you to explain why now. What caused you to take your leap at this time? You weren't ready – you aren't ready – yet something unusual must've set you off, something unnatural sped up a process that should have lasted another thousand years, if not a thousand millennia. What was it?"
When the voice inside her mind finally concluded its surprisingly long response, the human part of Wil Beinert squeezed her eyes shut and silently mouthed, "Oh no." A single tear ran down her cheek.
"I'm very sorry," the childlike voice replied sadly, sounding like it meant it.
(1) "Revelations" Chapter 18.