(AN) Just thought I'd tell you all about my process. My main hub of activity is on Archive of Our Own (you'll find more of my stories on there than on here) but I've been transferring this story over here. What I didn't realise was that the Doc Manager was ignoring my 'section breakers', meaning different scenes were going directly into one another. Because I want you to have the best possible reading experience, I'm planning on going back and sorting this out for each chapter. You should notice the difference in this update. (AN)
The hostages had been taken away, ordered to go hide as well as they could and told to do better than they had the last time. River had been tasked with doing that since she was the straight talker of the group and no one would dare question the instructions she gave. The others had simply been waiting. Waiting for the fleet that they, for some reason, hoped that would come. It was an unusual position to be in, wanting the Daleks to actively find you. Amy was worried that the Doctor had gone mad before remembering that this was the version she had travelled with, meaning he was just being as infuriatingly crazy as he had been back then. It made her realise how bonkers she was too since she wasn't planning on running away or taking cover like most people would do.
The Silurians were surrounding the area, guarding it. The Daleks wouldn't have known how their initial convoy had been defeated and the Doctor wanted to keep it that way. That was the reason why the Homo Reptilia were skulking away in the shadows, just there to get involved if things turned nasty, which they usually did when this certain enemy was involved. They were currently sitting in the same spot they had discovered the captives, using broken objects or large upturned rocks as seats. It didn't matter that they weren't particularly comfortable; they were so anxious that even the most luxurious of chairs would have felt like a bed of nails.
"You should all go," the Doctor said, speaking for the first time in a while. He'd been lost in thought, trying to come up with a last ditch attempt at a plan. Calling the Daleks here had seemed like the best option at the time but now he was left wondering what he could possibly do against an armada of Dalek ships. It would be better if he faced them alone, not wanting to risk the lives of the other people around him. They'd be highlighted as his weaknesses and he knew they'd be right in referring to them as such. "I mean, we currently have two Tardises at our disposal. Go and wait in there until this is all over." The sun beating down on them didn't feel right compared to the dark situation they found themselves in. Its brightness was only matched by the flaring rift that appeared to dwarf it in size. It still hadn't changed since its first appearance. Brian had made sure to tell him that, using the photos he had taken to compliment his videos on the topic. Amy scoffed at his proposal with a shake of her head, messing with small pieces of gravel in her hand she'd picked up to pass the time.
"Don't be so ridiculous," she said, dismissing the notion entirely. "Think back on all that we've gone through together. Do you think you'd ever be able to convince me to do anything, let alone leave you when you desperately need help?" She nudged Rory with just enough force to make him perk up. "And my dear husband wouldn't dare go against what I say." He nervously nodded his head vigorously, wanting to avoid the temper she often showed.
"I suppose you're right. Doesn't hurt to try though, does it?" He smiled softly before looking at Brian. "I'd understand if you wanted to get somewhere safe. You've never had to deal with the Daleks before."
"I'm with Amy on this one," he replied after a moment's hesitation. "My friends back at UNIT will probably be fighting against those metal men right now. I wouldn't be able to look them in the eye if I didn't do the same."
"For what it's worth, Doctor," the General said. "We'll be standing by your side too. You led us to victory against them too many times to count. You'll find a way to win like you normally do. And, by all the gods, there's three of you this time! The last time that happened, you managed to wipe out an army ten times the size of this one."
"Wait? This has happened before?" Amy asked, peering at the Doctor, who looked equally as confused. Ko Sharmus hit his fellow Time Lord lightly on the head in annoyance.
"You're forgetting that hasn't happened yet for him! I know a lot is going on but please try to remember the basic things. Like not wanting to destroy the entirety of the time space continuum."
"Time is already condemned as it is," the General responded. "Giving him a few hints won't hurt anyone. If we somehow get through this, he'll forget anyway. I was trying to give him a pep talk."
"Well, you better be better at leading an army than motivational speaking." The Doctor ignored their bickering to look over at River, who was sitting unnervingly quiet as she checked something on her scanner.
"There's no way I'm going to be able to get you to run, is there?" he asked with a knowing smirk.
"Not a chance in hell, dear," she instantly replied.
"Any chance you could tell me who you are before we all get shot at?"
"Not a chance in hell, dear," she repeated with an even wider grin. "Instead, why don't you tell us what brilliant plan you've got floating around in your head?"
"It's hardly a fully baked idea," he grumbled. "How would you go about all of this?"
"It really must be drastic if you're coming to me for advice. You normally don't listen." He looked at her as if to tell her to get on with her point. "Do what you always do. Use their own devices and weapons against them."
"You make it sound so simple."
"Because you normally make it seem so simple. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and figure out how we can do this." He stood up, beginning to pace as he wrung his hands, muttering to himself.
"The only way would be to get into their systems. And plant something within them."
"Like a computer virus," Brian pointed out. "Wilfred is always banging on about them. Says Sylvia is always telling him to watch out for them."
"Exactly. But I don't have time to code anything. Even I'm not that quick."
"We were working on something similar," Cassandra said, making them all focus their attention on her. "I mean, the Time Lords. The scientists. I'm one of the chief scientists, you see. Rassilon was always so paranoid that they'd find a way to reach us, the Daleks that is. So he wanted us to come up with a way of hacking into their operating systems. The Daleks work on the same network, as do all of their ships. It's in the very early stages. It basically emits a sonic wave that disrupts the core atoms of the Dalekanium. It's such a strong metal because of how tightly packed the atoms are, interwoven in varying chains. The sonic wave would increase the size of the gaps between each atom, hopefully without them noticing until it's too late."
"That would make their metal a lot weaker," the Doctor deduced. "It wouldn't be able to hold the creature living inside. And the ships themselves would simply...collapse! Do you remember how to input this code?"
"Of course. But the issue is that it requires access to their operating software. A piece of their technology. We never had any whilst we were trapped in our reality, meaning it's never been tested properly. It might not work at all. And there's no way I'll be able to get on one of their ships."
"You won't need to," River said.
"Do you have a Dalek computer lying around?" the Doctor sarcastically asked. She rolled her eyes at how much of a fool he was.
"No. We all do. You really are slow today, aren't you?" She gestured to the recording equipment the Daleks had used to broadcast across America, the Doctor hitting himself in the face for missing the obvious.
"Oh! You're right! I am being an idiot today. It must be the temporal flux."
"You always have an excuse," Amy laughed.
"Shush. Cassandra, can you get to work?" The Time Lady nodded her head, picking up the strange technology before beginning to work her way into it. Five minutes passed as they watched her struggle, her hand waving away different symbols as they flickered on the screen. She kept working even as a loud rumble shook the ground beneath them before they looked up to see that the Daleks had finally arrived. The largest ship was directly above them, spinning menacingly, with smaller ships buzzing around it like metal flies. "Keep going. I'll keep them busy."
"Doctor!" the Supreme Dalek's voice rang out, amplified to boom out from the shop, vibrations practically shaking them. "Show yourself!"
"Hello! Took you long enough! If you'd told me you'd be a while, I would have started reading my book!"
"We could kill you right now."
"You're never one for chit chat, are you? If that's the case, then why haven't you blasted me to kingdom come?" He gave them a second to reply, nothing coming. "I think I know why. Because, even though I clearly have no weapons that could cause you any serious damage, you're still afraid of me! Because, over the many years I have had to face you, you have come to realise that I always have something up my sleeve! You're worried that I have some secret plan so now you're even too frightened to attack me. My greatest achievement. Getting inside your heads!"
"Do you have a plan, Doctor?"
"Oh, that would be telling. But I'm feeling generous for some reason. Call it my last semblance of good will. No! I do not have a plan!" The others looked at him in fear as he admitted this. He gave them a quick reassuring smile in response. "And now you truly are wetting yourselves. Because...if I don't have a plan...then I'm willing to try anything. How about...a truce?"
"Explain!"
"A truce! A momentary deal of peace."
"The Daleks do not make peace!"
"No? Then I'll be forced to blow you out of the sky before you can even react!"
"You don't have the capability to do such a thing!"
"Oh yeah? Do you want to risk your lives on that assumption? How many times has that backfired on you?" There was another moment of silence, which he wanted to think was encouraging.
"...what do you propose?"
"I want to talk! Face to face! Eye to...eyestalk. You come down here. Promise not to shoot and I'll do the same. You'll have picked up my protection detail. They won't attack. For once, let's try and settle this so we both survive." He didn't want such a large number of Daleks being able to fly away from this but it was his only option to stall them for a bit longer. Cassandra was still working away behind the broken bus hopefully out of sight. As he grew impatient for a response, a flash of blue appeared in front of them as the Supreme Dalek teleported into view. He nervously looked at it, glancing at its gun. "I wasn't expecting you to be so open to the idea. You must really be worried."
"Doctor. You wanted to talk."
And then the worst thing imaginable happened.
xxxxxxxxxx
The Sontarans appeared to stand around in sheer disbelief as they looked up at the sight of one of their ships suffering serious damage. With their commander being the first to have fallen at the start of this battle, no matter how brief it appeared to be, they were uncharacteristically unsure as to what to do next. Their numbers were probably slightly greater than what the Zygons had brought but their initial upper hand with the surprise attack had pretty much levelled the playing field. They were surrounded, being greeted with the sight of snarling red faces that were gradually getting closer. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't the plan. They may have had an almighty hunger for war but that was when they were prepared for such an event. This had meant to be the first stage in their attack against the humans. For once, they hadn't been ready for war. They were debating what to do. Fleeing would make a mockery of them but staying would likely needlessly condemn themselves and their ships. The Doctor sensed this silent deliberation, seeing an opportunity to end the potential bloodshed. With his hands raised in the air, he began to slowly walk towards the centre of the Sontaran contingent. As he did so, he glanced at the people who had joined him in Russia, motioning with his head to tell them to put their weapons on the ground. Although they were worried about doing that, they trusted him enough to listen, placing the guns down obviously to make it clear what they were doing.
"This can end now!" he shouted to the depleted army. A strange silence had settled as everyone focused on him. Thankfully, it happened so much that he was no longer fazed by such apparent scrutiny. "Nobody else needs to die here. Nobody else needs to be a victim of a war that none of us want. Look at us. We're not attacking. We could have continued when we saw your moment of weakness but we didn't. Surely that means something to you. Go save your fleet! I'm telling you, those who are firing at them don't want it to be destroyed. It was to make you stop. For once, do the right thing and graciously leave the battlefield." They were still holding their guns, primed to shoot. None of them moved, making no indication that they were listening to what he was saying. He knew what would be the cause for them not to want to do this. He'd expected it but hoped that they could move past their basic characteristics. All he wanted really was to be surprised. Just this once. Let the universe show him that there was still some scrap of goodness left in it. "Oh, come on! The only thing stopping you is that stupid sense of honour! No one's going to tell anyone about this. I'm not on any forums, ready to gossip about it. I don't think anyone else is," he said, quickly looking at the others. Graham made sure to shake his head to be on the safe side. "Call it strategy. Call it whatever you want. Whatever you need to convince yourselves that your reputation is still intact."
Then, like a miracle before his very eyes, they disappeared in individual shimmers of bright blue, one by one. All around them, zaps of teleportation proceeded to happen. With wide eyes, the Doctor watched as each Sontaran took advantage of his offer until there were none left. He whooped loudly, his fist punching the air in celebration. A huge smile on his face, he turned around and wrapped Jenny in a tight hug, the both of them laughing together. He didn't even complain when Jack joined in too. Graham shared a disbelieving look with Yaz before she too enveloped him in a relieved hug, taking him by surprise. The only one who seemed disappointed with the turn of events was Strax, who was despondently walking around, muttering to himself grumpily.
"But...I hardly got to take part in the thrill of the battle. Will my time ever come?" he said. Vastra and Jenny, eyeing one another bemusedly, were by his side to lead him back to the group before they lost him to his sorrow.
"Oh, don't you worry," Jenny said quietly, her cockney accent even more prominent than ever. "You still got to do some shooting, didn't ya?"
"I tell you what, when we get back eventually," Vastra continued. "I'll round up some of the worst criminals I can find and let you have a go at them for a change."
"You're too kind, ma'am," he replied graciously. Graham, in high spirits as he laughed with Yaz, strolled up to the Doctor and patted him heartily on the back.
"I can't believe we actually did it, Doc!" he grinned. He rolled his eyes at his constant use of the nickname but he was in too good a mood to call him out on it.
"Did you ever doubt us?"
"Well...there were moments, I can't lie."
"I think it had something to do with this person," he remarked as Hayley, now changed back into her human form, walked over to them. He hadn't met her before but some of them instantly recognised her. "I'm glad that you were able to get here in time. Although you took a risk by getting yourself captured."
"It was all about giving them a false sense of security," she dismissed. "The other you basically told us that none of these aliens would know we inhabited this planet alongside the humans. We took advantage of that fact."
"How did you even get here?" Yaz asked. "The last we saw you, you were gathering your...um, species...together back in England. It seems like such a long time ago but it really isn't."
"We have colonies across the planet. When we were informed what was going on here, I contacted the regional leader and explained the situation. You should take note of the sort of deals I had to make with them in order for them to even listen."
"We're grateful. We wouldn't have stood a chance if it weren't for you. But, Doctor, what happens with the Sontarans now?"
"Well...they'll be back on their ship, making any desperate repairs they have to. Then they'll either fly away with their tails between their legs or strike up a deal with the Ice Warriors. I don't know which is more unlikely but I must have told our...allies to only attack up to a certain point. It's such a strange war that we're in, it really is."
"I...wouldn't really know. First time and all…"
"You're the lucky one." They looked up at the Sontaran ships that they could see just in the distance, almost expecting something to happen. And something did.
It just happened to be the worst thing imaginable.
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The Cyberman erupted into ugly red flames before it could get any closer, before they realised that it had even been there in the first place. They turned around at the sound of its final anguished cry, being met with the sight of a Judoon blaster pointed in their direction. Its one good eye seemed to be observing them closely, trying to figure out what they were doing in the middle of the battlefield since they didn't really look like typical human soldiers. It wasn't particularly fond of the look of the weapons they had. For all it knew, they could have been outside operatives trying to interfere with proceedings. It wouldn't stand for such an injustice.
"Explain your presence here!" it barked. Nardole was cowering the most under its angry glare as they all nervously looked at one another.
"We're with UNIT," Mickey urgently explained, hoping the simple truth would convince the alien. Martha had told him all about them after her run-in with the intergalactic police force. He knew that they wouldn't stand for even the smallest of peculiarities.
"You do not wear typical clothing of UNIT personnel. Irregularities detected. Explain."
"We're working with the Doctor!" Martha blurted out, knowing he had been the one to go to the Judoon in the first place.
"You are colleagues of the time traveller?"
"More like friends but yes. We're on your side, that's all you need to know."
"What is your mission here?" They looked over the car they were hiding in, spotting the small spacecraft that was their target through the ensuing battle. It wasn't actually that far away and, if they went around the fighting, they might have been able to avoid being dragged into the conflict.
"Do you see that ship over there?" Mickey asked, pointing to it before ducking back under cover. "We need to get inside it and connect up this thing to its onboard computers." He unzipped the backpack he had, showing the Judoon a glimpse of a Cyberman head. Martha was carrything the other one, both having the imprint of the weapon they planned to unleash. Pol Kon Don simply grunted in response, not particularly impressed with the technology. "Once we do that, we can basically hack into their systems and shut all the cybermen."
"Meaning you won't have to fight anymore," Wilf helpfully finished with an agitated smile. It seemed to contemplate what had been said to it, trying to figure out whether they were being truthful. They didn't look like they would be able to do any damage to its ranks and it wouldn't make sense for them to jeopardise the army trying to help them against their deadly foes.
"Plan seems logical." They let out the breaths they'd been holding at once, thankful that it was seeing sense. "Cover will be provided. Protection detail...activated." Martha nudged Mickey when he didn't move, a confused look on his face.
"I think that means it wants you to lead the way," she whispered.
"Oh! Yeah. I can do that." Another quick scan of the battle and he began to move away from their temporary shelter. The craft was just out of the way from the fighting going on around them so they weren't under direct threat for the time being. They had been forced to stop when a large explosion erupted close in front of them, a Cyberman flying above their heads before crashing into a brick wall that collapsed due to the impact. That had made them even more cautious, hunched over as they quickly ran over. As they got closer, they noticed two guards outside. They had been expecting this although they had hoped it wouldn't be the case. Glancing at their Judoon bodyguard, Mickey readied his gun and they both fired at the same time. As one dissolved in front of them, the other's head exploded messily. Not wanting to waste any more time in case others were alerted to what had happened, they moved towards the craft, running up the ramp that was thankfully open.
Inside, they saw two control hubs that were identical. It looked like this was where the Cybermen would fly the ship in the middle of the dark, metallic blue room. This was where they handed over to Nardole, who started working on getting into the systems on the wall. The two heads were brought out, Wilf taking care to pass them over to the other man. Martha and Mickey, along with Pol Kon Don, made sure to stand by the door, ready to defend themselves if any assailants targeted them. Nardole, sitting on the floor, activated the earpiece he was wearing to get in contact with those back at the base.
"Alright guys, tell me what we're doing here," he said.
"You need to insert the largest cable into the main drive," he heard Perkins' voice come through. Straight to the point. He appreciated that. Him, Sarah Jane and Kate were all sitting around the table in the lab, having been waiting for the first message. Nardole did as instructed, a chime ringing out as he did so. What he didn't like were the red lights that started flashing.
"Okay, that's not good." He got out his laptop and began typing furiously, realising that they weren't going to have a lot of time to do this.
"We've got company!" Mickey shouted, firing at targets Nardole couldn't see before reloading in the safety of the ship. "They must have detected us messing with their computers."
"What's going on?" Kate asked anxiously, hearing the worried shouts.
"I set off an alarm, I think. Just got to work faster." Wilf was holding the two heads steady, making sure the cables stayed in the right place. He made sure to have his gun within reaching distance in case he was forced to join in the fight. "What's next?"
"We're sending the code through using K9's data banks," Sarah Jane answered. As she did, a bar appeared on his screen, slowly being filled. "The transfer should be taking place now."
"Yes, yes it is. But why is it so slow?"
"If it were a simple process, more people would be able to do it!" All he could hear was more gunshots, lasers firing against the sides of the ship making him flinch every time they hit.
"Delete! Delete!" the familiar voices of the Cybermen shouted as they marched ever closer. They were soon preoccupied by a Judoon force though, Pol Kon Don having alerted them to what was going on. As a new battle took place just outside, a bead of sweat ran down Nardole's head. The bar was almost full but it was more agonising as it got closer.
"Do you think it's going to work?" Wilf asked.
"It better. Otherwise we're all doomed. River's instructed me to be more optimistic so that I agree with her plans more so I shouldn't say that. Everything is going to be fine." Wilf didn't seem so sure.
"Hurry up!" Martha shouted. "We don't have long. It's like they're bringing their entire force here to stop us. They know what we're trying to do!" But then the lights inside of the craft dimmed before a flash of blue ran up the walls and spread out from the ship with a dull tone. The two of them ran to the entrance where the fighting had stopped. It took a second to kick in, the Cybermen simply standing there trying to process what was happening, before one started screaming. Then all the others did the same as they held their heads in pain. After a few more minutes of the harrowing sight, not being able to watch the scene unfold, the heads began to explode as the metal figures collapsed to the floor. At the base, they watched on a large screen the same thing happening across the country. Wilf grasped Nardole in a relieved hug, cheering as he did so, as Mickey and Martha shared a brief kiss. But, as they contemplated the prospect of celebrating, a golden glow in the sky momentarily blinded them. When they looked back to see what it was, they all realised what it was.
The worst thing imaginable.
xxxxxxxxx
The Tardis buckled wildly, the Doctor and Clara having to hold on tight to the handrails. As the room spun around, making their vision go all dizzy, the Doctor attempted to drag himself closer to the console, which was taking an almighty effort. As he heaved himself up with a hefty groan, his face came level with the monitor, his mouth set in a grim line as he saw the spiralling symbols crazily running in front of his eyes. The time machine was reacting to something massive, something that was messing with the regional time zone. It was struggling to get a lock on the planet below, which he didn't take as a good sign. He needed to find out what had caused it to react in such a way, pulling a lever down that stopped the spinning. The room settled with a thud, the two of them staggering around as they tried to regain their balance. Clara was grateful for him coming to her side, helping her stay on her feet as she attempted to compose herself. Once he could tell she was alright, he moved towards the doors, keeping her tightly in his arms just to be safe.
"What was that?" she asked, rubbing her head due to the pain it had suffered. "We were just watching the Ice Warriors. I told you that we were too close! You never listen."
"I don't think it was that," he answered, his voice deep and tired. Why did this situation always seem to get worse just when he thought they were making progress. "Actually, I'm getting the sense that this was something much, much worse." She didn't like it when he spoke like that, as if he was contemplating giving it because it was too difficult. That was why she stayed with him, to keep him going, no matter how hard it was to carry on. Taking a moment to compose himself, his hands resting on the wooden doors, he pulled them open. They were met with the sight of the dark abyss of space just like before. They'd moved slightly but the ships in the distance appeared to be in the same place. Clara couldn't tell what had caused the freak accident but the Doctor's face became more gaunt as his gaze settled on what he had been fearing.
The worst thing imaginable.
The rift was still there, glowing brightly as it had been for seemingly ages now. But its cavernous mouth was now even wider, almost as if space itself was sporting a large cheshire grin. The jagged lines were more pronounced, covering a greater area. It looked ready to absorb everything in its path, which sadly included Earth below them. Golden wisps of energy, thick tendrils sprouting from the gaping hole, were stretching further out, ethereal claws making their way to take a hold of the innocent planet.
"What's happened to it?"
"Guess. The Time Lords will be behind this. They're getting close to being able to come through. The first stage was always going to be to make the rift wider so they can actually get through."
"So, that ticking time bomb we were working against...we have even less time to sort this mess out, don't we?"
"Precisely. But my worry is that the mess we have to deal with has just got a whole lot bigger."
"Doctor...what do you mean by that?" He urgently moved over back to the console, scowling as he dragged the lever down. The Tardis let out a noise of complaint but could tell she had to power through. The engines wailed and cried out in despair but his ship wasn't letting him down. "You can't tell me that it's got more serious and then not inform me about what that entails!"
"Take a look for yourself." Clara worriedly looked at him but then rushed out of the Tardis. She had to cover her eyes at the unexpected brightness. They were on the top of a hill, a cool breeze blowing their clothes and hair. They weren't focused on that. They were more concerned with the orange sky and the black clouds that were swirling together. Bolts of lightning could be seen far away, the deep rumble of thunder shaking the ground they stood on. Clara put a hand over her mouth in shock and anguish, wondering what was happening to her planet, her home. The Doctor grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. He knew it wouldn't help, nothing could. But it was the only small comfort he could give her right now as he tried to figure a way out of this. She was thankful that she had him by her side.
"Why...why is this happening?" she choked out.
"To make the rift larger, they will have had to pump unfathomable amounts of time energy into it. What Olenna told us, how they were using the Citadel as a beacon, this was why. I'm sorry Clara. I'll try to fix this. It's a massive distortion of the planet's time stream. Past, present and future could all come together like some mish mash of the Earth's identity. A Frankenstein planet. And I have no idea what that could mean for us and the rest of humanity."
"Oh, don't be such a bore!" a voice said loudly behind them. They turned around to see Missy with a large grin on her face, the Master standing next to her with an equally smug smile. The Doctor glared at the sight of them. They had been told they would end up meeting this duo again. "You're normally one for theatrics. Go on. Tell her what this truly is, in simple terms so she can understand." He refused to say anything, not giving into their games. The Master rolled his eyes.
"He never wants to play along. Fine. I'll do it for you," he said as he swung his arm to gesture to the surrounding area. "This, right here...where we stand...we're looking at the end of the world."