Doctor Who
The Children of Gallifrey
Episode Four
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"Where are we?" Ryan asked, trying to peer around at their surroundings.
"We're in London," the Doctor replied grimly.
There was a horrific shriek somewhere in the distance. A scream, cut worryingly short. Constant cries of pain and woe echoed across the cobblestones.
"What's happened to it?" Graham asked, as the chilly night air surrounded them.
"Nine million people all experiencing their worst nightmares," the Doctor said. "Nine million monsters, free to wreck havoc. It's spreading as well. London is just the epicentre, soon the entire planet will be engulfed in fear. Every moment that passes the Nightmare Child gets a little stronger."
"Your people created this child, yeah?" Ryan asked, as they followed the Doctor down the streets, trying to ignore the monsters that were stalking all around them.
"Yes," the Doctor said. "Fear, the one universal constant in the universe. Almost every living being feels it. Almost every living being has some sort of survival instinct, buried deep, that reacts when it is threatened. The child taps into it and brings it to life. Hard to have an army advance when they're desperately trying to run away."
"But why did your people create these children?" Ryan continued.
"Why did your race create the atomic bomb?"
Ryan and Graham said nothing, digesting this new information.
"Pay no attention to what's going on around you," the Doctor said. "The Nightmare Child feeds off fear. The cubes, they should make us invisible to them, but if you start to react to them they'll have power over you."
"Easier said than done," said Graham, as the bee the size of a husky crawled passed him.
"Just focus on your memories," the Doctor said. "On the good times in your life. The things that made you happy."
"Like how Harry Potter fought against the Dementors?" Ryan asked.
"Sure, let's go with that," the Doctor replied, as they crept forward. "Anyway, if I know the Nightmare Child, there's one place they'll want to be."
"Where's that?"
"The place that has inspired more fear than anywhere else in history."
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"The Tower of London?" Ryan asked, somewhat baffled.
"All the horrible acts that have been committed here... they stained the building. Gave it low-level traumatic psychic energy. The Nightmare Child can feed off of it."
"So how do we get in Doc?" Graham replied.
"Let's try the front door," the Doctor said. "Never hurts to be polite."
Suddenly there was a crackling of thunder that sounded eerily like a child's laughter.
"Come in, come in," said a disembodied voice, that appeared to be coming directly behind their right ear, even though no one was there.
"I'm going to need to trap this child," the Doctor whispered. "But remember, whatever happens, hold onto your good memories. Hold onto your dreams."
"How quaint," the child said. "Let's see how well that holds up." Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the Doctor found herself standing in the middle of the Tower, all alone.
"Where are my companions," the Doctor demanded.
"Seeing how useful your advice is," the child sneered. "Let's just hope they have the willpower to survive."
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Ryan stumbled as the world around him changed, to find himself...
"Where am I?" he asked, as he tried to figure out where he was. It was a church of some sort. There were people in the pews, all dressed in black. And at the front of the church...
"Dearly beloved," said a priest. "We are gathered here to mourn the passing of Graham O'Brien."
"No!" Ryan said, running up to the casket. Inside lay his grandfather, deathly white, no life left into him.
"Wake up," Ryan said, shaking his grandfather's prone body. "Please, Granddad, wake up."
"Graham was a good man," the priest said, seemingly ignoring the interruption. "A humble man. A man that always tried to do the right thing, no matter what. Even when it got him killed."
"What?" said Ryan, turning his attention back to the priest.
"Oh yes. He nobly gave his life so his ungrateful grandson could live. He didn't really want to travel in the TARDIS, no, he wanted to stay safe. But his grandson went ahead and travelled, so Graham tagged along. Why, some of us might say that Ryan is the reason that dear Graham is dead."
"No," said Ryan. "That's not true."
"I mean Ryan already got his beloved mother killed after touching that strange alien device in the woods. If only he hadn't thrown his bike away, Grace would still be with us now, living her best life."
"No," said Ryan again. "That's not my fault."
"And then there was that tribe back in New Zealand. All those happy, smiling, joyful children. Their lives smothered by ash and flame. If only someone had the heart to warn them, to protect them, to help them. But that's Ryan for you."
"Stop it," said Ryan, slumping to the floor, his head in his hands.
"How many lives have you ruined? How many worlds have you destroyed? How much misery and despair have you spread across this entire universe?"
Around him fire sprang up, as the whole church seemed to burn and melt around him, as piles of coffins stretched out as far as the eye can see.
"Ryan Sinclair, destroyer of worlds and of souls. He doesn't care, he isn't interested, he just runs away from all his problems like a coward. So congratulations, Ryan. Congratulations on dooming us all!"
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"Stop it!" the Doctor said angrily, forced to helplessly watch her friend suffer.
"My my, such a lot of responsibility this one puts on himself," the child said. "Clearly he's learned a lot from you. That's what you do to people, Doctor. They feel as if they're just as responsible as you are. Honestly no wonder everyone ends up having to leave you. What you do to them... it's horrific."
"I will stop you," the Doctor said.
"You easily could," the Nightmare Child taunted. "You could suck me into your little cube, allowing me to take as many souls as I please along the way. I don't mind living in that thing if I get to torture your friends, your precious little species, for as long as I want. By all means do it Doctor. I'll enjoy having fun."
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Graham woke up in the hospital bed, his head throbbing. Slowly he turned his head, squinting against the light, trying to work out what was going on.
"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do," the nurse said. A familiar voice. Where had he heard that voice?
"Well how long has he got?" Ryan asked. Ryan was here. That was a relief.
"We can't say for certain," the nurse replied. Again, that voice. Who was it? "But you're going to have to look after him."
"That's fine," Ryan said. "He's been there for me."
"Bear in mind you're going to have to wait on him hand and foot. You'll never get to have your own life because you'll have to look after him. You'll be trapped with him."
"I don't care," said Ryan.
"I do," said Graham. "What's going on."
Finally the nurse came into view. No wonder he recognized the voice.
"Grace," he breathed, unable to believe what he was seeing. Clearly this must be some sort of cruel trick.
"Good to see you're awake," Grace said. "Mister O'Brien, the cancer has come back and... well, the important thing is that you're alive."
Graham got up to move, but found he couldn't. His body refused to co-operate.
"We managed to remove it, but... I'm sorry, but you're a paraplegic."
"What?"
"You'll be unable to move anything but your head. I'm sorry, it was the only thing we could do to save your life."
"It's okay though," said Ryan, picking up Graham's hand. Why couldn't he feel Ryan's hand in his own? "I'll be here for you."
"No," said Graham, tears welling up.
"I don't mind giving everything up for you. I'll go back to the factory. I'll work double time, triple time, to help support you."
"No," repeated Graham, wanting to do something, anything, but unable to move.
"I'll be here for you Graham. I told the Doctor, she understands, she'll leave us alone. I will never do anything with my life except care for you as long as you live. I'll give up my hopes and dreams for you, my aspirations and desires, I'll dedicate my life solely to you."
"That's not what I want," Graham said. "I want you to have your own life. Not stuck with me. Not trapped with me."
"Stop pretending," said Grace. "You love this, really. Ryan will finally be safe. He'll be unable to do anything but stay by your side. You'll be able to have control over him."
"That's not what I want!" Graham said angrily.
"Isn't it? You never wanted him to travel with the Doctor. You were constantly worried about his safety. Now you've got exactly what you always needed. Now you got everything you ever wanted. This is a dream scenario for you."
"This is a nightmare," Graham said. He tried to struggle, but he couldn't move. All he could hear was Grace's laughing, her cruel, mocking laughter, as he struggled to do anything. Trapped, wasting away, with Ryan unable to do anything. Forever.
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"How dare you," snarled the Doctor, wanting to strangle the child.
"You know, I wouldn't have thought that for Graham, but here we go."
"I'll kill you," the Doctor stated. The emotion had drained from her. Now she was just a cold fury, a burning star of hatred.
"I don't doubt it," the child said. "I look forward to it. Won't help them though. All of your companions, across all of time... they will suffer, feel pain you can't even imagine, for what you did to me."
"Why are you doing this?"
"I'm just doing what I was created for. Now, let's see, how is your third companion doing. The one you forgot. What do you think her greatest fear is, hmm?"
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Yaz sat in her kitchen, cup of tea in hand. She wasn't scared, not any more. She'd accepted what had happened. For some reason no one seemed to acknowledge her existence. Her family didn't see her, didn't notice her. Anything she did, they managed to rationalize away.
The same was true for everyone she'd come across in Sheffield. Just nothing but cold ignorance. It was as if she didn't exist, she didn't even matter. It was like the Silence virus had attacked her again, but now, there was no church to look after her. On a planet of eight billion people, she was truly alone.
There was always one thing she could do though. One way she could free herself from the pain. It was something she was considering a lot these days. One way that she could finally stop any of this from hurting her ever again.
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"So that's what she fears most of all," the child said in amusement. "Funny how you were the one that caused it to happen. I must say, I'm impressed, and I'm the literal embodiment of fear."
"I hate you," the Doctor stated plainly.
"Yes, yes," the child said dismissively. "See, Doctor, this is your greatest fear. I could torture you for an eternity, come up with all sorts of horrific fears to break your mind. Daleks, Cybermen, hell even the Quarks can be terrifying if used effectively enough. I may eventually wear you out, have you be a shell of your former self. But this... this is far, far more effective. All their suffering, all their pain, all caused by you. A poison upon their lives for which there is no antidote. How does it feel, Doctor? To be the greatest monster of them all?"
The Doctor said nothing. There was nothing the Doctor could really say, to be honest. The Nightmare Child was right. The Doctor was a monster, a destructive force of evil. The Doctor had caused all this to happen. It would be better if the Doctor didn't exist at all.
So maybe the Doctor shouldn't exist any more? That promise, that creed, maybe it should die, making way for a new person. Someone who could fight against this Nightmare Child, who could press the button and remove it from the universe at the cost of a single, insignificant planet. Someone who could do the right thing.
The Doctor had to die. The Doctor had to be killed. For the good of all. To save the entire universe, the Doctor had to be no more.
