Chapter LII

Mira's POV

She was walking next to Romana, behind the Doctor and- the Doctor. Behind him. Both had shoved their hands in the pockets of their trousers/jacket. As if it wouldn't been weird and awkward enough to meet another version of him – the same him, just from another time – no, he had to be a different man. Not that he hadn't made insinuations of him having been another man in the past. But dammit, who could have guest that he had meant it so literally? Why hadn't he told her earlier? Not that he had any obligation to do so, but still, he could have told her. Was it some sort of taboo in his society? Or was his decision to not tell her based on some bad experience in the past? Hopefully he would stick to his promise to answer her questions later. How much of him – his memories, his personality - remained when he changed like that? This other Doctor was different, even though she could still see him, the one she knew, in his former self. At least now that she knew. If she was honest to herself, she wouldn't have guessed that he was him, even though he seemed strangely familiar. Maybe if she had concentrated more on him, on his mind, it would have become clearer, but she hadn't done that.

At least now she knew what set his former self apart from the Doctor she knew. It was him before the Time War, before he had lost everyone and everything. He was lacking the aura of darkness and sadness that she had come to notice over time that surrounded his future self.

And she had been right with another thing. The one with the scarf was actually younger. A lot younger. About half his age.

"Ah-ha! I'm right!" she heard the younger Doctor say. They were back in the building now and she realised that all were searching for that shaft – all but her. She just couldn't explain why she was so beside herself. Fine, it had been a bit much, meeting his past self and everything, but no reason for her to be that confused.

"Now, if the Daleks are looking for what I think they're looking for, we've got to get there first," he continued and looked around, before his eyes fell on the Commander and Agella. "We don't all need to go. Why don't you two go back to your ship and wait for us?"

The Commander seemed to consider for a moment what to answer. It was a weird people, Mira thought. They seemed to be alive, but they were seriously lacking emotions.

"No, Doctor," he finally said. "I will go back to the ship. Agella will go with you. We're as anxious to find what the Daleks are looking for as you are."

"All right. Come on then," the younger Doctor said.

She looked at her Doctor. He was standing in the background, his arms crossed and seemingly not too happy with the whole situation. Well, he certainly had had a hand in it, so now he had to deal with it; just like she.

The corridor they were walking down now was much darker than the other one they had been in before. It was more demolished and there were broken pipes and hoses covering the wall.

After a while Tyssan asked the younger Doctor, "How do you know how to get into this level?"

"Call it local knowledge gained a long time ago," he replied, and then turned to Romana, "You gave me quite a start back there, you know."

"You tell me," Mira said as she remembered the sight of the gravestone.

"Who would have guessed that I'll use the same trick, hmm?" the younger Doctor said and grinned at her like a little boy, obviously quite impressed with his future self.

"Not funny," was all she could manage to say. "Not even remotely funny."

"So, where do we meet then? And how?" he asked her, but before she could say anything she caught a warning glance of the other Doctor.

"Better ask yourself," she said, and just then she heard a whirring sound.

"They started drilling again," the younger Doctor said, "Now, listen, we don't have much time. And if I'm right, we should go this way." He pointed straight ahead.

"What is it we're looking for?" she asked. He could really tell them by now.

"Same thing as the Daleks," the younger Doctor replied.

"And hat would that be?" she asked, slowly but surely running out of patience.

"I'll tell you when I find out," he said.

"Great. Do that," she replied with a sigh of annoyance and then turned to her Doctor. "What are we looking for?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you," he said, all serious.

"What!?" she asked and stared at him whilst trying to figure out what to say next. A few colourful curses were on top of her list, but then she decided against saying anything at all. What for? He was obviously not willing or able to tell her, neither him nor his younger self. She just shook her head, turned around and followed Romana and the younger Doctor.

Not much later they reached an area that was covered in cobwebs and dust. It looked like no one had been here for centuries. They entered a chamber, the younger Doctor first.

"Just as I thought," he said as they all could see what was in there – or better: Who. It looked like a Dalek, cut in half. Or like some very special sort of wheelchair that looked like the lower half of a Dalek. A man was sitting inside it - at least she assumed he was sitting, for she couldn't see his legs. If he still had them, they were completely covered by the lower part of the chair. He looked incredibly old and almost mummified. Was he dead? Certainly. His eyes were closed, and yet they seemed hollow, as if he was blind. Between his eyes on his forehead was a bulb that probably once had been illuminated, but now it was as dead and blind as the whole creature.

Creature.

It – he – looked humanoid, but there was nothing human about him. Not anymore, she thought, and shivered.

"Who is he?" she asked quietly. "Are the Daleks searching for him?"

"Yes. Davros, the evil genius who created the Daleks," the younger Doctor replied, equally quiet. There was a certain tone to his voice, and suddenly she realised she knew nothing about the Time War, nothing what had happened before it, why the Daleks had attacked.

"He created the Daleks?" Agella asked.

"Yes. I could have stopped him," the younger Doctor said.

Suddenly, she felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped by a few degrees as she caught a look from her Doctor. Was he thinking the same as she did right now? Wasn't it tempting for him to try and change history? The history of his own people?

"This creature looks as though he's been dead for centuries," she heard Tyssan say.

"Yes. Curious the tricks time plays on one, isn't it?" the younger Doctor murmured, his eyes still fixed on Davros.

She looked from her Doctor to his younger self and back again. It couldn't go on like this, the whole situation was making her almost feel physically sick. It was surreal, never meant to happen and just wrong. She couldn't even explain what made it so wrong, because normally she said everything that happens was meant to happen. But now she could clearly feel how wrong it was.

She walked over to her Doctor, who was standing a few feet away, and whispered, "A word."

Then she turned around and walked a few yards back where they had just came from, hearing his footsteps behind her.

When she thought they were out of earshot she turned around. She was about to tell him her thoughts about this whole situation, but then something else crossed her mind.

"Why did you ask me about what I've told you in the spaceship? I mean, it was your past self I've told that. And even if it is just happening for you, you should know it, shouldn't you? This part had already happened then."

"It's- Well, it's complicated. Time isn't a straight progression of events, as you humans might-"

"Skip it. Just tell me why. Bad long-term memory? Or is there some law of physics regarding paradoxes?"

"Uhm..." he started and stared at her for a moment. "Well. Yes, it's a paradox. And no, no laws of physics, but Laws of Time. See, it's all in flux right now. This isn't supposed to happen-"

"But it is happening," she said, her voice softer now, "So how can you say it's not supposed to?" She wanted to reassure herself. She wanted him to assure her that it was all happening as it was supposed to. She didn't know if she could bear another part of her world being shattered. She needed something she could hold on, something to believe in, now that everything else was gone. But he didn't do her that favour.

"Because it shouldn't. It's wrong. And I will remember when the timelines are no longer in flux, but not now."

"Hm," she said, "Well, don't worry. I just suggested to blow up the Dalek control room when we go there anyway. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Davros. You said, you could have stopped him. Why didn't you? Maybe now-"

"Shh," he said, "I can hear us."

"What?" she said and looked past him to the entrance of the chamber. She had kept her voice down, so no one - at least no human – inside that chamber would be able to hear her. "How good are your ears?"

"Good enough to hear your heartbeat now."

"What? Dammit!" she said and instinctively took a small step back. It wasn't even that quiet here. And he could still hear it?

But she had to talk to him. Now. Maybe they were here for a reason. Maybe not. She didn't think he could prevent the whole Time War from happening, but maybe he could at least save Romana. Or someone else. At least she had to hear his opinion on the situation. They could go farther back into the corridor, but on the other hand, they most likely didn't have that much time.

There was one more possibility. It had worked once. Unintentionally, but it had worked nevertheless. At least one-way.

Without any further warning, she took his hands and concentrated.


Doctor's POV

She took him completely by surprise as he felt her warm and slender hands in his. Not a second later a thought began to form right in front of his mind's eye. Just like back when they had fought the Krillitanes and he had heard that one, single thought from her as he was holding her hand.

Can he/you hear that as well?

It was way clearer this time, because she was obviously focusing on sending it to him. Remarkably clear for a human. It was not that their minds were touching as it had happened earlier, it was mere telepathic communication now. He didn't even know if it would work both-way, so he just shook his head.

Can't you warn him?

He didn't even need to feel the soft and faded hints of emotions – compassion mostly, accompanied by an echo of his own sadness - that coloured this thought of her to know what she was talking about.

No, I can't

Instinctively, he was thinking and not speaking. He knew immediately that she had heard him as she winced and almost pulled her hands away from him.

"Would you mind keeping it down a bit? No need to shout," she whispered.

Sorry

He had tried to think more 'quiet' this time. He had forgotten for a moment that he was communicating with a human and how much stronger his psychic abilities were compared to hers.

But why?

I've told you. This isn't meant to happen. It's against all the Laws of Time. Altering the past could upset the stability of the universe. You must not tell me. Promise me that.

Can't you at least save someone? Save her? Romana?

Now the sadness that underlined her thoughts was slowly turning to despair. It was no longer an echo of is own feelings, it was clearly coming from her. And in her eyes he could see that she realised that for herself now. He slightly tightened the grip around her hands as he felt she was about to pull them away.

I can't.

He wished he could. He really did, more than anything else in the universe, but at the same time he knew there was no way. Just as he knew how tempting it was. And how tempting it must be for his former self.

Promise me you won't tell me.

She just looked him in the eyes. He had no idea what she was thinking right now. It would be easy for him now to get into her mind and see it, but that would be way beyond inappropriate. Outright disrespectful.

Mira, please.

She looked at him, then he saw her eyes focusing on something behind him. He didn't need to turn around, he knew who it was.

"Sorry to disturb you by- whatever you are doing. I'll guess I'll find out in time what it is, even though I have a certain suspicion from the looks of it..." his former self said. "Anyway, we should-"

He was interrupted by the sound of an explosion and he let go of Mira's hands. Well, he had waited for this to happen. Almost instantly Tyssan and Agella were running towards the source of the sound. It wouldn't end well for Agella, at least for now. But, after all, she was only a-

"Mira, wait!" he called after her, as she was following Tyssan and Agella.

"She's buried!" Mira yelled.

Not a moment later he was at her side, together with his former self.

"I know," he said and watched how his former self touched Agella's hand. Pretty much the only part of her that stuck out of the heap of debris. "There's nothing we can do now."

"Romana, I was right," his former self said with a slight grin on his face to his companion.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mira said and looked at him, then at his former self. "She's dead, isn't she?"

Tyssan spared him an answer as he said, "Doctor, they're breaking through."

Their heads flung around, but there was another sound. Davros. He was awake.

"So, the long darkness has ended and the eternity of waiting is over. The resurrection has come, as I always knew it would. Now, where are my Daleks?" he heard Davro's annoying, Dalek-like voice.

They were all on their feet again and running towards the chamber, his former self first, causing him to collide with Davros in his chair.

"Doctor!" Davros said in surprise.

"Davros, you don't look a day older and I'd hoped you were dead," his former self replied.

"Dead? I do not die! Mark this moment, Doctor. In the history of the universe, this moment is unique. Davros lives."

"Talking about yourself in the third person isn't quite a sign of mental health," he heard Mira say right beside him.

"Yes, well," his former self turned to her with a smile, "I'd really hoped his long rest would cure his megalomania." He turned to Davros again, "Have a Jelly Baby."

Davros just slapped them out of his hand as the sound of another explosion could be heard. His former self started to push the wheelchair with Davros in it.

"Where are you taking me?" Davros demanded to know, but he didn't get an answer.

They were walking along the corridors, hearing the sound of an explosion every now and then. Suddenly his former self shushed them. They could run into Daleks any second now.

"You will release me. You will return me to the Daleks," Davros tried it again.

"Shut up or I'll switch you off," his former self said.

"Maybe-" Mira started to say, but then she caught his eyes and remained silent.

"What?" his former self asked.

Right at this moment they almost ran into some Daleks, saving her an answer. His former self turned the chair with Davros around.

"Quick, back this way!"

And back they went.

He managed to get at Mira's side and whispered into her ear, "Promise me. Please."

She sighed and then said without looking at him, "Fine."

"Fine? Really? Look at me."

She eventually turned her head and said, "Fine. I promise."

He only hoped she would stick to it; it was clear to see that she didn't like it. Hopefully he had made his point clear enough. She must be able to grasp the implications of trying to change the past in such a way. On the other hand, he was anything but certain about how a human as old as she would act in this situation. It was a wonder that all the years and the power she most likely had hold hadn't gotten to her head by now.

After a while they reached another room with a blocked door on the other end.

"Tyssan, back down the corridor and check it," his former self said, before he turned to Romana. "You, give me a hand with this. And you, for you're here."

He was obviously meaning him. Mira was standing a few feet away, looking at the debris. It was way too heavy for her, she must have seen that. Well, no harm in helping himself this time he thought and helped them to remove the debris that was blocking the door.

"It's shifting, stand back," his former self said, and not a second later, as he and Romana had gotten out of the way, everything came down, almost burying his former self.

"Well, you didn't do that very well, did you?" his former self said to him.

"I didn't do it very well?" he replied indignantly. "Most of all, it was you. And you're supposed to say that to Romana."

"Am I? And it was me, so it was you, so you didn't do very well," his former self said accusingly.

Right now, Tyssan returned. "The corridor is full of Daleks."

"What? Then we're effectively boxed in," his former self said and started to walk around, thinking. "We're too exposed here. Come on, get him. Let's get under cover."

They were all following him once more, Tyssan pushing Davros.

As they passed a demolished door, his former self said, "Get that door up. Make some sort of barrier."

Then he went to a whole in the wall. He was able to look out, he could remember that. Tyssan, Romana and Mira were trying to close the door with a large metal plate. His former self barred it with a metal bar, saying "Good, good."

"That wouldn't keep out a determined mouse," Romana said sarcastically.

Oh he really missed her. She had always spoken her mind.

"Well, it's got to serve," his former self replied, slightly annoyed now. "Now, listen to me carefully, you two," he turned to Romana and Tyssan. "I want you both to get out through... Come over here," he waved them to the whole in the wall. "Good. Now, get back to the Movellan spaceship, tell them to mobilise a force and bring it here. It's vital we get Davros out of here before the Daleks find us. Off you go now."

"We'll be as quick as we can," Romana replied.

"Don't take too many chances. Come on, quick," his former self said.


Bored411, 10th Squad 3rd Seat: Thanks for reviewing :)

AzTec999: Thanks to you too for reading the whole story and leaving a review. I´m glad you like it :-) Maybe I´ll do some more previous and future (from the 10th Doctor´s POV) adventures, but next is definitely Martha. ;-)