Watching the Doctor

by RedRobyn2

The Doctor is stranded in prison, dealing with the revelations of the Timeless Child and the memories of her time travelling, all alone. Until the Tardis decides enough is enough and gathers her and some of her more recent companions to help her deal with her past and make some amends by watching her adventures. Characters watch the show, set after Timeless Child/Pre-Resolution.

6. Spyfall Part 2

Hello everyone,

Thanks again for all the support, I really love hearing all your comments.

Just to warn you I typed this one out quicker than i normally do (as busy at moment) and am now very sleepy so sorry for any mistakes/spelling mistakes etc

As normal, next part will be up next weekend - we're getting close I promise.

Thanks for everything

Robyn

---

No one spoke as they waited for the next episode to start, screen still displaying the words 'Spyfall Part 2', all on edge with the mess of what was going on. They had the current companions in a crashing plane, the Doctor alone in an alien realm and the Master planning to take over the world and refusing to share secrets. They all wanted to know what happened, even the fam, as they weren't sure what had gone done between the Master and Doctor which had made her so upset.

[Alien realm]

DOCTOR: Hi, Doctor. Oh! Hi. How are you doing? Good. Just talking to myself to prove I'm still alive. I was wondering. What would you say to the others if they were here? Don't panic.

[Aeroplane]

GRAHAM: Yaz! Hold on!
(But they can't hold on. Ryan falls and spots a small plaque with his name on it.)
RYAN: What?
DOCTOR [OC]: Of course, I'm usually saying it as much to myself as I am to them.

"I'm not sure if I wanted to know that or not." Ryan looked confused, they all kind of knew that she wasn't always as calm as she pretended but still it was nice to think that one of them stayed calm and reasonable.

Most of the other people in the room were occupied by the plaque, hoping that it would save the current companions from the unfortunate situation the were in.

[Alien realm]

DOCTOR: Always a good reminder when you're alone, in the unknown, all hope lost.

The companions just all looked at the Doctor who was determinedly watching herself on screen, pretending to analyse the alien surroundings. She really wasn't happy with what everyone was about to see, and they were getting closer and closer to the reveal of her 'true heritage'. She was terrified and furious and almost every ugly emotion in-between, she didn't know how everyone would react and she wasn't excited to find out. But it's not like she had much choice.

[Aeroplane]

(There are other small plaques further along. Ryan Sinclair and a left arrow.)
RYAN: No way.

[Alien realm]

(She tries the sonic screwdriver.)
DOCTOR: Won't work in here. Why not? Could be a clue. A clue to what?
(A bolt of energy zips past.)
DOCTOR: What was that? Interesting. Useful, maybe. Another! Even better. What are you? Pathways? Signals? Synapses? I could be inside something. Oh, I hope it's not a liver. I hate being inside livers. People always get so offended. What are you doing in my liver again?

That drew her some strange looks. "How many times have you been in someone's liver to know that?" Rose asked exasperated.

The Doctor shuddered slightly. "Too many." Everyone looked at her bemused but decided not to question it further, it was the Doctor – she was a professional at getting herself into weird situations.

ADA [OC]: Hello? Hello? Hello?

[Aeroplane]

(And the next plaque.)
RYAN: 4C seat pocket.
(Which contains a handy piece of paper entitled - How To Land A Plane Without A Cockpit - with diagrams.)
RYAN: No way. Hey! Hey! I've got a plan.

"Okay that's far too convenient." Amy declared before turning to the Doctor. "How did you manage that?"

"I have a time machine remember?" The Doctor grinned, ignoring the complaints of her three current companions (who definitely remember how she almost forgot about the plane). She just offered them another grin which they just rolled their eyes at.

[Alien realm]

(Running.)
DOCTOR: Can you hear me? I'm trying to find you, somehow. Ah!
(A young woman in early 19th clothes - just pre-Victorian.)
ADA: Please be assured all this will pass. I shall be recovered momentarily.

"Who is that?" Donna exclaimed, exasperated and frustrated with all the secrets. Everyone else also looked confused, they didn't exactly expect to find someone else in the weird alien realm, let alone someone dressed like they were from the 19th century.

The Doctor smiled, with just a hint of sadness. "You'll find out." Donna just sighed dramatically at that announcement. The Master just raised an eyebrow at the Doctor who grinned smugly at him, he knew perfectly well who her latest human friend was and she may have only been around a short time but she was very annoying.

[Aeroplane]

GRAHAM: Open panel in floor.
RYAN: What does it say next?
GRAHAM: Connect the cable to your phone.
(He does, and the Doctor appears on a screen nearby.)
DOCTOR [on screen]: Welcome aboard.
GRAHAM: You are kidding! How's she doing that?

The Doctor just grinned wildly and sang, "Time Machine!" fondly. Graham just shook his head at her, he'd been far too busy panicking about the crashing plane like a normal person at the time.

The Master rolled his eyes, annoyed at how she was running his brilliant plans to kill her favourite little pets. The Doctor sensing his train of thoughts (he wasn't sure if she actually could hear his thoughts or if she just knew him too well – he didn't want to know the answer to that question) glared at him for a minute before purposely turning back to the screen.

DOCTOR [on screen]: I realise you have questions.
GRAHAM: Where are you? We're going to die!
DOCTOR [on screen]: First of all, you're not going to die. Second of all, don't talk back to the screens. Obviously, I'm a recording and I can't hear you. Third, don't panic. Especially you, Graham.
GRAHAM: I'm not panicking!
DOCTOR [on screen]: Yes, you were. And I did just say don't talk back to the screens.

Everyone in the room laughed at that, even Graham. Both Ryan and Yaz nudged him fondly, they'd definitely been too busy panicking to appreciate it at the time, but they were safe now and could see the humour in the situation. Graham was a bit too predictable at times.

GRAHAM: Eh?
DOCTOR [on screen]: Haven't got long. The bomb in the cockpit knocked out the signals from the computer to the engines. But the computers in this aircraft aren't in the cockpit, they're under the cabin floor. Ryan, the app should have opened.
RYAN: What app? Eh?
(Phone - Hiya Ryan! Opening - Piloting Made Easy.)

"That sounds like a very useful app." Bill said cheerfully, turning to grin at the current companions while Nardole rolled his eyes and the Doctor grinned nodding her head.

RYAN: How was this installed on me phone?
DOCTOR [OC]: Use it to communicate with the engines via the aircraft wiring. By the way, you have shut the cockpit door, haven't you? That's vital. Cockpit doors are designed to be incredibly robust.
GRAHAM: I'll do it!
DOCTOR [on screen]: Now pay attention. Do this fast. I'm worried you might lose me if there's a power surge.
RYAN: Lost her.

"Well, that's just typical." Martha shook her head, the other companions seemed to agree with her.

YASMIN: Press the cursor up! We've got to stop this plane from going down!
RYAN: Up, up, up!
(Graham gets the cockpit door closed, then the plane tilts up.)
GRAHAM: Too many ups! Level out! Level out!
(He goes sliding on his back down the fuselage.)

The room broke out into laughter at the comedic, almost cartoony, sight of Graham sliding down the plane aisle.

[Alien realm]

DOCTOR: When you say recovered, what do you mean?

"Oh, back to the Doctor." Clara muttered, analysing the screen, curious to see who the Doctor had met and how they had escaped.

ADA: The paralysis will fade.
DOCTOR: You don't look paralysed.
ADA: Not in this realm, but in my earthly aspect.
DOCTOR: Right. What's your name?
ADA: I am Ada.
DOCTOR: And what do you think this realm is, Ada?
ADA: I believe it to be my mind. Though I have not met another here before.
DOCTOR: Then what do you think I am?
ADA: I presume you are a consequence of my thoughts.
DOCTOR: No. I'm the Doctor, and I'm very real. But you've been here before?
ADA: Many times. When the paralysis subsides, I find myself fully back in my body, restored in the physical realm. If you are real, do you have your own solution for egress from here?
DOCTOR: No exit strategy.
(Some energy bolts crackle around.)
DOCTOR: Before I leave, I need to work out what this place is. Oh! Those fragments of light or energy, why are they surrounding you?
ADA: They are always here with me. They place a word in my mind. Kasaavin?
(One of the light creatures appears.)
DOCTOR: Ada, step away.
ADA: Do not be afraid. This is my guardian.
DOCTOR: This is their realm. This is where they're from. But how did you bring us here? Unless... You can't be. But you must be. What, gateways? We go through you and arrive in your realm? I say realm. It's not a planet, not really a void. A separate dimension? Are we beyond our... my universe?
ADA: Little of what you are saying makes sense to me, but I am concerned you'll be marooned here. When my guardian has returned...
DOCTOR: They're not your guardians.
ADA: I can offer you my hand. We may leave this place together.
DOCTOR: I don't think that will work.
ADA: How will you know if you do not try? Decide, Doctor.
(Ada holds out her hand, the Doctor takes and they both vanish.)

"At least you're not in the creepy alien place anymore." Rose decided, gaining nods of agreement from most of the rooms occupents.

[Aeroplane]

GRAHAM: You got us level, Ryan. Good lad.
RYAN: I can fly a plane! Can't ride a bike, but I can fly a plane. Hey, look. Barton must have programmed in a flight pattern before he left the cockpit. Looks like this app's keying into it.
YASMIN: How did the Doctor do this?
GRAHAM: No idea. But now we've got to stay on a plane without a cockpit till it decides where to land.

"At least that's one less thing to have to worry about, but it means you'll probably have trouble meeting you when you land." Mickey said, turning to watch the current companions' reactions.

"Yeah, it meant we didn't have the chance to mess anything up but trouble was absolutely waiting for us." Yaz nodded I vague agreement, sharing a look with Graham and Ryan – their time on the run was short but definitely memorable.

[Master's Tardis]

(The homestead is whirling through the Vortex - rather like Ashildr and Clara's Tardis is an American Diner...)
MASTER: You should've seen me. I was great! She did not have a clue.

The room collectively turned to glare at the Master who just preened like a peacock, very smug and unapologetic. The Doctor was the only one not glaring at him, she was till glaring at the screen (analysing his Tardis) but she didn't manage to prevent the vague feeling of hurt-anger-frustration-pain going across their still partially open mind link. She clamped down on it as soon as she realised she was transmitting and shut the bond as tight as she could, refusing to look at him or accept his attempts to reopen the link at the minute.

BARTON: This better work.
MASTER: Final calibrations, and then we'll be ready. All our efforts will come together in a moment of beauty.
(The silver figure in the case from Barton's office is there.)
MASTER: We'll all have what we want.
BARTON: So you know, I don't appreciate last-minute changes of plan as I'm about to take off.
MASTER: A little chaos is a wonderful thing. Allowed me to swat those flies.

The room glared at the Master again for that comment who just rolled his eyes this time. If they were going to garae at him every time he did something or made a comment, it was going to get very tiring very quickly.

(Barton's phone beeps.)
BARTON: I've just been notified. My plane's about to land at its programmed destination.
MASTER: They can't have survived.

This time it was the Doctor who looked smug while the Master glared at her for ruining his perfectly laid plans (like normal).

BARTON: You told me everything was foolproof. What's gone wrong?
MASTER: Watch your tone, Mister Barton. I'm not your employee.
(An alarm goes off. The Master bangs his head against the console.)
MASTER: How has she got there?
BARTON: What's happened?
MASTER: Nothing I can't deal with. I'll drop you at your plane. You sort out her friends, I'll deal with the Doctor.

"Plan not going as well as you would like?" The Doctor decided to try her luck by prodding the Master (not literally, though that was tempting too), backed up by her former companions. Jack looked particularly happy that she was making life difficult for the Master. The Master just ignored her but she managed to spot his annoyance before he schooled his expression.

[The Royal Gallery of Practical Science]

(A scientific exposition is in full sales mode.)
DOCTOR: Ah. I'm getting 19th century? Early, with a touch of mid. Top notes... London. Steam? Why am I getting steam?
MAN: Nations shall cower in fear as my steam gun fires one thousand bearings per minute.
MAN 2: See the mouse survive inside our revolutionary diving bell!
AMERICAN: Touch the magneto. Powerful shocks.
MAN 3: The perfect modern defence, a grenade for the home. Intruders repelled with force.
ADA + DOCTOR: It worked!

"So, you're stuck in the 19th century with no way home. This keeps getting better and better." Amy said. "At least you're not still in that creepy place though."

BABBAGE: Miss Gordon, are you recovered?
(He helps her up off the floor.)
ADA: I am. Thank you. Me too.
DOCTOR: Thanks for asking.
BABBAGE: Madam, this gallery is full of the extraordinary, but your apparition just now was... impossible. How did you do it?
DOCTOR: Er... I am bound never to reveal my secrets. Go about your day, knowing that you may tell people you were privileged to witness the Marvellous Apparating Man! Lady. Apparating Lady! Every time.
(The people applaud.)
DOCTOR: The year, right now, would be what?
BABBAGE: The year, madam, remains 1834.
DOCTOR: Yes. (steps aside to soliliquise) Marooned in the 19th century. Hold on in there, fam.

[Airfield]

BARTON: And there was no one on board?
GROUND STAFF: No, sir. It appears the craft landed itself via automation. Sir, we have had this conversation before. If you're going to be testing these sort of systems, we really need to be kept fully in the loop. I'm going to have to do some tricky smoothing-over with the Civil Aviation Authority.

[Hangar]

(Ryan, Yasmin and Graham are hiding, watching and whispering.)
YASMIN: How'd he get here so quick?
RYAN: I dunno.

"Well at least that was explained." Yaz sighed mostly to herself. Looking back, they had definitely been lucky to avoid Barton. The uncomfortable looks on Graham and Ryan's faces said they agreed.

GRAHAM: Where is here, anyway?
(Ryan checks his phone.)
RYAN: Britain. We're home. Almost. Essex?
GRAHAM: Essex. That is my manor. We are golden. What do we do, though?

"At least you are on familiar turf." Rory said, gaining nods of agreement form many of the others in the room. Small silver linings despite being in serious trouble.

YASMIN: Figure out what Barton and O are planning. That's what the Doctor'd do.
GRAHAM: Yeah.
YASMIN: If she was here.
GRAHAM: No, she'll be all right, Yaz. Just got to believe.
YASMIN: You didn't see that place.
RYAN: Hey, still got access to Barton's diary. He's giving a keynote speech in London tomorrow night.
GRAHAM: That is where we have got to get to.
RYAN: Yeah, without him knowing we're still alive.
YASMIN: So let's get moving.

"So, to summarise; you are on your own being chased by a madman allied with a creepy alien race but you are on home turf with the starts of a plan." Clara declared. "That sounds familiar." That drew some laughs from people, something similar had definitely occurred to all of them at some point.

[Airfield]

(Barton makes a call.)
BARTON: I need tracking intel on three people. As soon as you can! These are their names.

"And the universe like to remind us that things can always get worse." Amy nodded resigned.

[The Royal Gallery of Practical Science]

ADA: Now we are safe, Doctor, will you reveal a little more concerning how you came to be
(The Doctor touches the magneto and gets a shock.)
DOCTOR: Ow!

The room turned to look at her. "What exactly were you expecting to happen Sweetie? You really need to stop messing with things." River shook her head exasperated with her wife's habits but when faced with the Doctor's put and sad eyes gave her a lovesick smile. She really had missed her wife, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be having a serious conversation later, several conversations from the way everything was going at the minute.

ADA: ..in that place and, indeed, who you are?
DOCTOR: I'm a traveller in Space and Time. I was in the middle of dealing with a planet-threatening conspiracy two centuries from now when I was attacked by an old enemy and exiled to the place where I found you. Oh!

"I really don't think anyone is just going to believe that Doctor, you sound absolutely insane." Rose shook her head.

Donna snorted before adding. "She is insane!" That drew several nods of agreement and laughs from the group.

"Hey! Actually, that's probably true but anyway I thought Ad might believe me as we came from the Kasaavin's realm." The Doctor started to protest before deciding they were right about the insane part, she still tried to explain her reasoning.

(The Doctor picks up the grenade, then hands it off to Ada.)
ADA: I am not a fool, Doctor.
DOCTOR: And I'm not treating you as one. This conspiracy involves those creatures you think are your guardians. They're in alliance with a renegade from my home planet and a 21st-century tech inventor. 186 years from now, they're assassinating spies, and I am stuck here without my Tardis, and I need to find my way back before...

"I'm not sure continuing the explanation is really helping." Yaz watched the pair on screen. She really wanted to know what had gone down between the Doctor and the Master when they weren't with them. Whatever had happened had upset the Doctor and knocked her off her groove for a while plus what had happened with the Cybermen.

(Enter the Master, looking more like a Mister Hyde than anything else.)
MASTER: Ladies and gentlemen! See the incredible shrinking device! Want to be smaller, ladies? You can!
(He zaps a nearby woman into a tiny doll. Panic ensues.)

"What is that thing?" Martha asks horrified, glaring at the Master who bared his teeth at her in an amalgamation of a shark's grin.

However, before he could go on any rambled speech about his toy the Doctor answered first, to his obvious annoyance. "His TCE - Tissue Compression Eliminator. Does what it says on the tin. He used it a long time ago, haven't seen it for several centuries if not millennia." She mused with a grimace; it hadn't exactly been her favourite of his weapons – not that she liked any of them. Jack was the only one that seemed to know anything about it – likely because of Torchwood and UNIT files.

MASTER: Who's next? You, sir.
DOCTOR: Go, Ada. You too. Go!
(The Master holds out the miniature people.)
MASTER: Ah, the happy couple.
(And throws them away.)
DOCTOR: I said go.
MASTER: Do not move! Hands on heads. Hands on heads!
DOCTOR: Let them go, and you can have me.
MASTER: I've got you anyway. Did you just move? Did you move?
WOMAN: No!
MASTER: Oh, my mistake. Sorry. Sorry. (he shrinks the woman) When I kill them, Doctor, it gives me a little buzz. Right here, in the hearts. It's like... How would I describe it? It's like... It's like knowing I'm in the right place, doing what I was made for.

"You're completely unhinged." Martha practically spat out at him. It was moments like this that made it easy to remember he was the being that had tortured her family and destroyed the Earth for a year and she hated the reminder. Mickey curled his arm around her to offer comfort, they spent long nights discussing the Year that Never Was and he knew how much it still weighed on her mind all these years later.

Jack's knuckled were white with how hard he was clenching them and the rest of the room was glaring fiercely at the Master, watching him kill people ruthlessly was a stark reminder of his true nature despite how he behaved in the room with them. He was just leaning back in his chair, grin full of teeth, seemingly unaffected by their glares.

DOCTOR: What do you want?
MASTER: Kneel. Kneel, or they all die. (she kneels) Call me by my name.

Jack launched himself off his seat before anyone could stop him, eyes dark and anger prominent. He looked ready to punch the Master's smug grin off his face. The Doctor leapt to her feet, moving between the pair, her back to the Master as she tried to stop everything coming to violence (not that she didn't want to punch the Master – she absolutely did – but it wouldn't help anything).

She put her hand out gently to Jack's arms staring him down silently as she stopped him from reaching the Master. His eyes softened upon seeing her but his fury at the Master was still easily noticeable. He was furious at the Master for so many reasons, it wasn't helping that the secret the TARDIS wanted to show them, the secret that had the Doctor so distressed, was linked to him. Watching him make her kneel like that was just the last straw.

"Jack please." The Doctor asked softly, trying to steer him gently back to his seat next to Rose. Her words seemed to take all the wind out of his sails and as he let her guide him back to the sofa, she got a glimpse of the rest of her companions' expressions. They all looked furious, in a way she very rarely if ever saw. River made her way to her feet to join the pair still moving, unnoticed by the Doctor, her expression matched Jack's, furious with the Master and fed up off all the secrets.

As they moved back to the sofa, Jack seemed to have a silent conversation with Rose who was watching their approach carefully. She moved off the sofa, shifting to a beanbag close to Martha, Mickey and Donna's sofa. Jack and River shared a nod before pulling the Doctor down between them on the sofa, keeping a hand on her arms either side of her.

"Hey!" The Doctor complained but she wasn't given the opportunity to escape and made the mistake of looking at the River and Jack who were wearing similar pleading looks which she couldn't resist. She sighed but resigned herself to being stuck between the pair for some time.

She could see the Master watching from the other side of the room, now in direct line of sight, expression deceptively blank. It surprised her slightly, she expected him to be smug about her companions' reactions to making her kneel but he was schooling his expression. She pushed a feeling of curiosity-question-surprise at him but got nothing back. She was about to give up trying to get a reaction for the moment but as she settled on the sofa, making herself more comfort, with Jack and River still in touch with her – although the grip had turned to gentle comforting hands on her arms for now- she managed to catch a feeling of anger-jealousy-frustration-annoyance from him. It puzzled her for a second before she noticed his glances at Jack and River's hands on her and everything became clear – he was jealous of them being so close to her. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, she wasn't clear how to feel about his jealousy and purposely schooled her face, turning purposely back to the screen.

DOCTOR: Master.
MASTER: Beg your pardon?
DOCTOR: Master.
MASTER: Can't hear you, love.
DOCTOR: Master.

"You know I love it when you say my name, love." The Master projected across their mind link, a feeling of smugness prominent, he'd clearly recovered from (or hidden better) his bout of jealousy.

She hesitated, unable to decide what she wanted to answer with or even if she wanted to answer. She could feel the concern of River and Jack on either side of her, both knowing that she could communicate with the Master through their link. "Why?"

Her answer seemed to confuse him. "Why what, darling?"

"Everything. Why are you doing this? Why make me kneel?" The questions poured out, unsure of what she meant herself.

"I love the chaos. The destruction. It calms the anger almost as much as yo-." His thoughts abruptly cut off, as he took a dep breath to stop himself getting so worked up, eyes a pit of madness. She could have almost sworn that he was about to say 'almost as much as you do'. He refused to answer any of her attempts to re-initiate contact. Ignoring all the furious glares from her companions and her almost concerned one, he stared at the screen.

The Doctor did her own ignoring attempts, not knowing how to or wanting to deal with Jack and River's inevitable questions and concerns. The pair knew more about her and the Master's relationship than probably almost anyone else in the universe (not including several people from Gallifrey but they were all dead, she thought bitterly, so they didn't exactly count anymore) and she knew they were worried for her but it just made her want to shuffle in her seat, unable to deal with the emotions and concern, feeling undeserving of it all.

MASTER: When I arrange for your death, I expect you to stay dead. How did you escape? How did you end up here?

The Doctor focussed on the Master. "You try to kill me almost every time we meet and it never takes. Why did you think this would be different?" She hesitated before continuing. "Especially knowing what you know." Neither of them really knew how many regenerations she had, how many the Time Lords had 'gifted' her after Trenzalore but now, knowing about her 'true heritage' neither of them had any idea how long she would, could, live.

"I'm allowed to be hopeful that it will take." The Master grumbled.

"I thought I was the hopeful idiot." The Doctor decided to push her luck, despite Jack squeezing her arm to tell her to quit while she was ahead. He hated the Master but couldn't deny that the Time Lord still made him nervous at times – being tortured and killed over and over for a year would do that to someone.

The Master didn't answer, turning back to the screen with the twitch of one eye. The Doctor couldn't hide a grin but gained a nudge from River as a warning. Honestly, she wasn't going to survive between the two of them, especially knowing what was coming.

DOCTOR: Ah, you don't know. You're not in control of these creatures. I bet you don't even know what they are.
MASTER: They're called the Kasaavin, and we have interests in common.
DOCTOR: You, Barton, and a race you barely know? That's one uneasy alliance. Trust each other, do you?

Bill perked up, having noticed what the Doctor was doing. "You're acting as a distraction and getting him to tell you information at the same time. Well done, old man." The Doctor grinned at the young girl, who grinned back.

The Master grumbled slightly to himself. He'd been far too busy gloating and celebrating his victory over the Doctor that he didn't notice he'd been giving up information and what the Doctor's latest little human had been up to.

(Ada is moving, slowly.)
MASTER: Oh, completely. By the way, I bring news from home.
ADA: Down, Doctor!
(The steam machine gun rattles.)
MAN: This is not designed for use by a young lady!
ADA: Nothing is. And yet I find myself more than capable.

"Oh, I definitely like her." River grinned, as did most of the other women in the room, Doctor included.

(One of the bearings hits the Master in the right upper arm.)

"I like her even more now." Jack laughed, happy to see the Master get put in his place and for the chance for the Doctor to escape his clutches.

ADA: All of you, out!
DOCTOR: Ada, I really do not approve.

"Doctor." Came from several of the companions almost in sync. Martha was the first to continue. "He'd killed several people and was absolutely going to hurt more, let alone what he would do to you. Ada injured him, nothing serious and it gave you the chance to escape which you desperately needed."

The Doctor was about to protest but was beaten to the punch by Clara. "She's right and you absolutely know it you idiot. Don't even think about denying it." The Doctor just sighed, knowing they were right but still not happy about it.

MASTER: Run all you like, Doctor. You won't get far without a Tardis.
(Ada pulls the pin on the grenade.)
DOCTOR: Don't have a Tardis.
(Ada bowls the grenade at the Master.)
DOCTOR: Do have an Ada.

"Oh, so the steam gun thing was bad but a grenade is okay?!" Nardole grumbled from his place on a beanbag.

The Doctor just rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up Nardole."

River elbowed her in the side. "Be nice, he's right." The Doctor just muttered to herself, she hadn't really meant it and Nardole knew that.

[Street]

RYAN: It's hard not to stand out in this gear.
GRAHAM: Yeah.
YASMIN: We've been on a night out. We're just coming home, that's all. Nothing weird about that.
(Their phones ring.)
BARTON: Hello, friends. Or should I say plane thieves? What, did you think I wouldn't be able to track you? We have your numbers, e-mails, GPS. I even know how many more stamps you need for a free coffee. So close, Ryan. Or should I say Logan? Look up.
(Their images appear on an advertising screen saying Wanted. Do Not Approach. Report any sighting to your local police or call Crime Prevention on 0800 999 999)

"Oh, that is really bad. They know you were lying and everyone is now after you. Just because things couldn't get worst." Amy declared, things were just getting worse and worse and the Doctor wasn't even in the right century to help. Ryan, Graham and Yaz just shared a look.

BARTON: Your passports have been revoked, your bank cards are frozen. We have a record of everyone you know - friends, family, colleagues, everyone you ever followed on social media. Of course, we have cameras everywhere, and now you're wanted for hijacking. Go on, go off-grid. See how long you last.
(Ryan drops his phone and jumps on it.)
RYAN: Hey, smash your phones now.

"Smart." Bill nodded approvingly; she'd watched enough movies to know that getting rid of their phones was the best idea. Ryan grinned, proud of himself for not panicking straight away.

BARTON: Aw! Yasmin Khan is phoning her mum.
(Graham stomps on his phone.)
GRAHAM: He don't half go on.
NAJIA [OC]: Yaz?
YASMIN: Hello. It's me. Listen, don't listen to anything you hear.
(Ryan grabs her phone and smashes it.)
YASMIN: Ryan!

Ryan sighed, turning to Yaz. "Sorry Yaz." They may have needed to smash their phones but still he had just grabbed it out of her hand while she was talking to her family.

"No, it's okay Ryan. I understand and you did the right thing. I think I just panicked a bit and wanted my family to know what was going on. I should have been better prepared with my police training but I just panicked."

Ryan squeezed her arm in comfort and Graham turned to her. "Don't beat yourself up love, it was a terrible situation and none of us were prepared for it. You're allowed to panic, no matter how much training you've had, it was still pretty scary." Yaz offered a small smile but didn't say anything, letting the video continue.

RYAN: You're not hearing. We have to go dark.
GRAHAM: Run.

Martha and Jack grimaced, shooting sympathetic looks at the three. "I hope you did better than we did on the run. Got caught pretty quickly and only Martha escaped." Jack said.

"To be fair, we went to them they didn't technically find us." The Doctor debated, gaining identical looks from Martha and Jack that said 'really'.

[Babbage's home]

BABBAGE: Surely we must alert the authorities?
DOCTOR: The authorities won't be any help.
ADA: Besides, what would we tell them, Mister Babbage?
BABBAGE: I have no concept, Ada. I cannot explain any of what I have seen today.
DOCTOR: Babbage? Charles Babbage?

"Has it really taken you this long to realise?" The Master questioned, smug that she hadn't figured it out immediately.

"Oh, shut up. You didn't even know who she was." The Doctor rolled her eyes at him. The rest of the room watched on confused, barring the fam and River who knew/had figured out who Ada was.

BABBAGE: Yes.
DOCTOR: So this must be...
BABBAGE: My Difference Engine.
DOCTOR: Your Difference Engine!
BABBAGE: Oh. You...you know of it?
DOCTOR: Er, just in passing.

The room laughed at that. Sometimes it was difficult being a time travel, especially when it concerned things you weren't supposed to know about.

(She sets the lovely brass cogwheels inscribed with numbers moving.)
BABBAGE: As yet unfinished. It will count and perform quadratic equations.
DOCTOR: If you're Charles Babbage, then you're not just any old Ada. You're Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke, one of the great minds.

"Wait Byron? We met him during the chaos with the Lone Cyberman. That's his daughter?" Yaz asked curious, the Doctor had told them about Ada but she hadn't realised that Ada was Byron's daughter.

"Yep." The Doctor grinned.

"Wait you met Byron?" Clara asked, intrigued.

"Are you jealous? I think you've made out with plenty of literacy geniuses, you don't need to add Bryon to that list." The Doctor grinned.

"Doctor, I've always wondered. That poem he wrote, 'Darkness', I think. Was that about you?" Jack asked, looking as if he already knew the answer. The Doctor just blinked at him.

"What makes you think that?"

"You tend to leave an impression on everyone you meet and the last line of the poem is 'She was the Universe'. It does suggest your influence." Jack continued, raising an eyebrow, the rest of the room watched entranced by the conversation.

Ryan, Graham and Yaz shared a glance. "He did seem a bit obsessed with you at the end Doctor; I wouldn't be surprised." Yaz added with a shrug, for once the Doctor seemed speechless.

ADA: I am Ada Gordon, madam.
DOCTOR: 1834. Of course you are. Well, maybe one day, who knows, you might meet a nice Earl. This changes everything! This isn't an accident. Ada Lovelace in Babbage's house? You're clues. You're important.

"Always with messing up history, honestly sweetie." River sighed; fake exasperation clear in her voice as she smiled at the Doctor.

She ignored the Doctor's retuning comment of, "it's not like you're any better."

BABBAGE: I'm delighted to hear it, madam.
DOCTOR: Yes, it's not good news. What's that?
BABBAGE: This is the Silver Lady. A revolutionary piece of engineering. But, like all great ladies, she is as much for decoration as for purpose.
(The figurine that Barton and the Master have.)

"Okay so that's the thing Barton had, so clearly important in all of this." Martha said, trying to peace everything together, like most of the room who weren't apart of the adventure.

"Got it in one, Martha." The Doctor grinned, proud.

"But you're not going to tell us what it does are you?" Martha grinned back. The Doctor just grinned wider and looked back to the screen.

DOCTOR: How did you come by this?
BABBAGE: It was a gift, delivered by a young man who said it was a token of appreciation from his master.

The room turned to look at the Master, a mix of glares and expressions that clearly said 'really?' He just preened under the attention.

DOCTOR: Was it. What does it do?
BABBAGE: It... moves. And on occasion, projects.
(The Doctor looks at the notes and sketches in Babbages book, which includes a light creature.)
DOCTOR: On occasion projects something like this?
ADA: M... Mister Babbage, you have seen the same form.
BABBAGE: Madam, those are my private notes.
DOCTOR: The Master and the Kasaavin. What are they doing?
BABBAGE: Er, do you understand her, Miss Gordon?
ADA: Not in the least, Mister Babbage.

The room laughed. "Well at least that's normal." Donna announced, drawing more laughter.

DOCTOR: Ada, when was your first paralysis?
ADA: I was 13 years old. That is when I was first transported to the place where we met, and I first saw an apparition.
DOCTOR: And over the years, the paralysis recurs with the same effect?
ADA: Yes. No doctor has ever been able to diagnose the cause.
DOCTOR: Well, this Doctor may be able to. An apparition, from this machine.

"Getting a bit confident there, Doctor?" Amy grinned teasingly. The Doctor just rolled her eyes at the Scot, but couldn't resist smiling.

BABBAGE: Correct.
DOCTOR: So, they take you, Ada, multiple times from here and they study you in their dimension, which means they can't be in this dimension for long. But maybe they gain an ally, a mastermind who builds them a machine which stabilises them in this world long enough for them to send spies and to spread their work and start a plan. 'Cause I've seen the map in his hut. Multiple Earths. Except not. Not multiple Earths. Multiple time periods. These creatures aren't just alien spies on Earth, they're spies through Time, through history, starting with you.

"Honestly that's a relief. Time I can deal with, the whole multiverse thing is far more confusing." Bill declared, Eyebrows had made her write several essays on the multiverse and similar theories and she still didn't understand all of it.

Most of the room seemed to agree with her, they were all mostly used to time travel and space travel at this point, other realities were a bit out of their comfort zone. Mickey, Rose and the Doctor shared a glance remembering their time on another world – it hadn't gone particularly well the first time and Mickey had eventually returned home and now Rose was the one stuck in another reality.

(The Doctor sonicks the figurine.)
ADA: What are you doing?
DOCTOR: The man from the Adelaide Gallery will be coming for me. I need to get back to where I came from, find my friends and figure this out.
(A Kasaavin appears.)
DOCTOR: And I've only got one way out of here. The same way I came in. If I use my sonic on the Silver Lady, I might be able to force this creature to throw me back to the 21st century. I hope.
ADA: If this is your plan, it is fraught with risk.

Rory sighed. "Aren't all her plans?" His question was rhetorical, the answer was clearly yes, but his wife felt the need to grin like a maniac and shout 'Yes' to the rest of the room, causing an outbreak of giggles.

DOCTOR: Where there's risk, there's hope. Deep breath.
(Ada takes the Doctor's hand.)
DOCTOR: Ada, no!
(And they both vanish. Babbage drinks a large brandy.)

Jack grinned. "Love his answer to dealing with the unusual."

[Building site]

(For a new housing estate.)
GRAHAM: No one living here yet. No CCTV, no neighbourhood watch. The one on the end. Go on.

"Very clever, well done you lot." The Doctor grinned at her current companions. They'd told her what had happened to them while she was gone but hadn't gone into lots of detail and she'd been a bit focused on the Master's parting message.

The rest of the room (bar the Master) seemed to agree offering nods and words of congratulations/smart thinking to the pride of the three current companions.

(Inside a breezeblock shell with plastic sheeting at the windows and some handy work benches to sit on.)
YASMIN: What if the Doctor doesn't come back? What if we never see her again?
RYAN: We keep going. Stop Barton. Get rid of those creatures, whatever they are.
GRAHAM: Ryan's right. We carry on doing what the Doc would want us to do.

The Doctor sighed, taking a deep breath before looking at the three of them. "I'm sorry for worrying you all but I'm really proud of you. You did amazing. For the record though, yes, I'd love for the trouble to be dealt with but what I'd really want? I'd really want for you to all be safe and happy."

The three exchanged glances before turning to the Doctor as one. "Thanks Doc, it's great to hear. For the record though? We'd want you to be safe and happy as well." The Doctor offered a small smile at the group before turning back to the screen deep in thought. She was rarely ever safe, the way she dealt with (avoided) her emotions was by putting herself in dangerous situations so she wouldn't have to think about her feelings. And as for happy? She was happiest with her friends and family but that had been so hard lately, she couldn't remember the last time she was truly happy, with no other worries.

RYAN: I'm sorry, did you just say, Ryan's right?
GRAHAM: Yes, I did. Enjoy the moment, son. You won't hear it often.
RYAN: And that O guy. If the Doctor knew him, how come she couldn't recognise him?
GRAHAM: In the outback, he said that he knew the Doc when she was a man. And that first night we met, she told me and Grace that she'd been through er... something called... regeneration. Like her whole body had changed.
YASMIN: We've spent all this time with her and we don't even know where she's from.
GRAHAM: Yeah, not for want of asking, though. Eh? I mean. And we will ask, when we see her again, which we will, cos she is safe somewhere, of course. Right?

The Doctor shifted uncomfortable in her seat; she never really told her companions much about herself but she hadn't told these three anything at all really. It was only in this room, watching these videos that they had learnt so much about her and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The three seemed to sense her turbulent thoughts. "It's okay Doc, we understand that you don't like to talk about yourself, just maybe try and tell us some stuff before we end up in these kind of situations, okay love?"

"Thanks Graham and I'll try, no promises but I'll try." She paused, scanning the rest of the room's occupants. "That goes for everyone. These videos are going to show you plenty about each other, yourselves and lots about me so if you have a question – ask. I can't promise I will always answer but I'll try. I'll try." She received several solemn nods and small smile in return.

YASMIN: Right.
RYAN: Right.
YASMIN: You know what she'd ask now? What do we have at our disposal?
GRAHAM: Well, I've er... got to admit I did keep a couple of those spy gadgety things.
RYAN: Me too. Hey, are you wearing the laser shoes?
GRAHAM: I might be.
YASMIN: Why didn't you use them on the plane?
GRAHAM: What, in a confined space like that? You're having a laugh, in't ya? That wouldn't have been very smart, would it? And besides which, I forgot to read the instructions.
YASMIN: Graham!
GRAHAM: Well, we was in a rush. What could I do?
RYAN: Rocket cufflinks. To be fair, I didn't read the instructions on those either.
GRAHAM: You doughnut.
RYAN + YASMIN: Doughnut?
GRAHAM: Yeah, the pair of you. Right couple of doughnuts. But there's no one I'd rather be on the run with.

The three grinned at each other, happy with their little family they'd made. The other companions also smiled, happy to see their interaction and that being on the run wasn't getting them down.

"At least you're not defenceless, as long as you can figure out how to work the tech." Mickey grinned at the group, who grinned back in answer.

(Kasaavin come out of the ground outside.)

[Bombsite]

DOCTOR: What? No.
(A small propeller aircraft flies overhead. The Doctor and Ada are lying on the ground.)
DOCTOR: Ada. Are you okay?
ADA: Are we safe?
(Bombing in the background. A woman runs up.)
NOOR: Don't move. I said don't move!
DOCTOR: We're not hostile. We're here by accident.
NOOR: What are you doing out here? What are you wearing?
ADA: What are those noises?
DOCTOR: Where are we? And when?
NOOR: Don't you know?
DOCTOR: Just landed. Concussion. Humour me.
NOOR: Paris, 1943.

"Well, that's still not the right century, but you are closer." Rose commented with a fond shake of her head for the Doctor's anticks. Of course, she decided to try and use the Silver Lady and Kasavvin to jump though time, and of course it didn't work completely. That was just the Doctor's luck. The Doctor grinned at her, seemingly knowing exactly what she was thinking.

(German shouting.)
DOCTOR: Oh, no.
NOOR: It's a patrol. Inside, quick. We're not safe out here.
(They run for cover. The German military car stops and a very Non-Aryan officer steps out.)
MASTER: I know you're here! I will find you!
(His gizmo beeps.)
MASTER: Especially you, Doctor. Coming, ready or not.

The room glared at him in syn, which he was getting very annoyed at. Honestly, he hadn't even done very much worthy of being glared at yet – he'd just killed several humans and hunted the Doctor down.

"First of all, very quick on finding me. Second of all, really? Did you think I could hear you? We're not playing hide and seek." The Doctor asked bemused. The Master just shot her an annoyed look, they both knew exactly what he had meant no matter how much she was denying it.

[Building site]

(A Kasaavin enters the house shell.)
YASMIN: Did you just say something?
(And another.)

"Not good. Straight back into trouble." Rory sighed. He really should just expect that at this point.

GRAHAM: Ryan, come on!
(One blocks the bottom of the stairs.)
GRAHAM: :Out this way. Come on, up here!
YASMIN: Quickly!
(They get out through a window onto the scaffolding then down the ladders.)
GRAHAM: Come on, quick! Come on, Yaz!
(Their escape is blocked by a line of glowing figures in front, and another behind them.)
RYAN: The shoe, Graham!
GRAHAM:What?
RYAN: Just stomp your foot, or something!
(A laser hits a Kasaavin, who reacts.)
YASMIN: Again!
(This time a lamp post falls.)
YASMIN: You've got to aim better.
GRAHAM: What do you mean? I didn't read the instructions!
YASMIN: Dance, Graham, dance!
(He turns round, and another Kasaavin is hit.)

"I am so glad that we stole all that spy stuff." Graham said drawing nods from Ryan and Yaz. The rest of the room were trying to hide smiles and giggles behind their hands with varying success – it was quite a sight seeing Graham shoot the lasers plus Yaz's comment. The three current companions were the first to start laughing, looking back it was a bit funny now they weren't in any real danger.

[Hangar]

(Barton enters. The Silver Lady is on display, and an older woman is tied to a chair.)
BARTON: Beautiful, isn't it? Dates back to the 19th century. What, not going to say anything? This cannot still be about me moving to the States. I text. I e-mail. I tried to friend you on Facebook, and you refused. And trust me, I never use Facebook unless forced.
MOTHER: Why am I here?
BARTON: I'm in the country. I thought it would be nice for us to see each other. Thanks for coming. MOTHER: I didn't have a choice.
BARTON: I keep wondering, does she know? Does she realise that I'm one of the most successful men on the planet? I've changed the world. What do I have to do to get you to say well done?
MOTHER: Well done. Are we finished?
BARTON: No. I wanted to see you on the last day.
MOTHER: On the what?
BARTON: So that you could be the first.
(Kasaavin surround his mother, lancing energy into her head. She screams. He smiles.)

"Okay, he's officially lost his mind. Did he seriously just kill his own mother?!" Rose asked angrily, hands waving in the air to emphasise her point. The room seemed split between being sad for the death and angry with Barton for being the cause. He'd been a bit crazy throughout the videos but he seemed to have just gone total power-hungry psycho.

[Paris apartment]

(Banging on the door, then the Germans enter. Noor is sitting at a desk by the window.)
NOOR: Yes?
(A trooper throws some of her papers on the floor. The Master enters.)
NOOR: You're new.
(The Doctor and Ada are hiding under the floorboards, with a radio transmitter. The Master stamps his foot and the troopers fire their machineguns at the floor. Noor doesn't flinch. The Germans and the Master leave, a door closes. Noor gets up, moves a small rug and removes floorboards.)

"You were there!?" The Master practically growled, annoyed with how close he had been, he'd known he could sense her. The Doctor grinned smugly back at him but didn't answer – clearly, she had been, they were watching the video.

The rest of the room were nervous with how close things had been, glad the Doctor and Ada were safe.

DOCTOR: You are a life-saver. Got some interesting stuff under the floorboards here. Wireless radio equipment. As issued by the British Special Operations Executive. Very distinct, very large and very difficult to hide. You're not Parisian. You're a British spy. I know that face. Code name Madeleine. Real name Noor Inayat Khan. First female wireless operator to be dropped behind enemy lines. Very nice to meet you. I'm not where I wanted to be, but I can work with this. Ada, wait till you hear about Noor. She's as impressive as you. You grabbing my hand must have thrown us off course, spat us out here.

"Sweetie, as endearing as your excitement is, maybe you shouldn't go spilling someone's life story to them, you aren't supposed to know those things and it's only going to make her more suspicious, honestly." River sighed, exasperated by her wife (as usual), said wife just pouted (though she would deny it). She been excited to meet Noor and had just started rambling.

The room ignored the Master's grumbles of, "and now she has two new little human pets", from his place across the room.

ADA: I should like to come out from the floor now.
NOOR: Oh.
(A little later.)
NOOR: Who are you? How do you know so much about me? And why are you both wearing such strange clothes?
ADA: That soldier's voice. He was in the Adelaide Gallery. How can he be here?

"So, many questions and the Doctor's answer will probably only leave them with more." Clara grinned fondly, that was how it usually went with their adventures. The rest of the room nodded and laughed, agreeing easily. Juts when you thought you were about to get an answer form the Doctor she would leave you with more questions.

DOCTOR: He's in league with the Kasaavin, those creatures of light. I'd hoped to get back to their home dimension, where we met, and then to the 21st century. But we ended up here instead, which is, you know, 19th century to 20th, it's progress. But the Master tracked me down, and now he wants me dead, whereas I am a big fan of being alive. Ada? Are you all right?
(Ada moves a shutter aside and looks out of the dirty windows towards the Tour Effiel.)
ADA: I have always wanted to return to Paris.
NOOR: It's not at its best. Nightly bombing raids. Millions dead. They promised us war at this scale would never happen again, and yet here we are.
ADA: This isn't the first time?

"Right, she doesn't know about World War I even. That's not going to be fun to explain." Bill grimaced.

NOOR: Who are you people?
DOCTOR: We're your allies, I promise.
ADA: This is the future. A world on fire.
DOCTOR: These are the dark times. But they don't sustain. Darkness never sustains, even though sometimes it feels like it might. I need to turn this to our advantage and get the Master off my trail. He's masquerading as a German soldier. That's a low, even for him. Code name Madeleine, what equipment do you have here?
NOOR: Only my radio equipment. No gun. No cyanide pill. I'm a pacifist.
DOCTOR: Snap! Strong position to take during wartime. Two pacifists and a 19th-century descendant of Byron against the Nazis in Paris and an alien invasion across multiple dimensions. That's a big to-do list. (sigh) I have an idea. And you two brilliant people are a big part of it.

"That sounds like a really weird film." Yaz chuckled, gaining a few other splatters of laughter from around the room.

"Glad you have a plan, Spaceman, but stop confusing the poor girls and get on with it. Let's just hope it's a good one for once." Donna said, gaining a noise of protest from the Doctor about how all her plans were good ones, and more laughter from around the room.

[Countryside / Khan home]

(Yasmin is using a public telephone box.)
SONYA [OC]: Hello?
YASMIN: Sonya, it's me.

"No offense but I'm pretty sure phoning who I presume is your family is a bad idea when you are on the run." Rory pointed out awkwardly.

"Don't worry. The Doctor isn't the only one with a plan." Yaz grinned, Ryan and Graham had similar expressions beside her.

SONYA: Where are you, idiot? What sort of trouble have you gone and got yourself into?
YASMIN: Shut up. I'm fine, but I can't talk long. Tell Mum and Dad not to worry.
(But they are being tracked by VOR to telephone number 01632 960470.)
SONYA: Oh, yeah, cos that's going to work. Your name's all over the news. Have you gone rogue?
YASMIN: Shut up and listen. I'm with Graham and Ryan. We're fine. There's just been a bit of a misunderstanding. If anyone comes to the door and wants you to go with them, just refuse. Stay in the flat and don't let anyone in. Keep yourself safe. I'm worried they'll come for you. I've got to go.

"Troubles found you but at least you've warned your family." Martha sighed, she'd sone exactly the same when she'd been on the run but it hadn't gone well for them, she just hoped it went better for the latest companions.

The Doctor, Mickey and Jack all offered her soft smiles, asking silently if she was alright, this video was clearly bringing up some bad memories with all the parallels. Mickey reassuringly squeezed his wife's hand in comfort, gaining a small thankful smile in retun.

(A black Range Rover screeches to a halt and three armed men get out.)
MAN: Down! Get down! Face down on the floor!
RYAN: All right.
(Graham comes up behind the bad guys.)
GRAHAM: Sorry, gents, it's you who's getting down on the floor.
(Laser shots make them duck. Graham is balancing on one foot, the other shoe showing off the three lasers in the heel.)
GRAHAM:This is the most advanced laser shoe known to man. Ain't worth the resistance, lads. Guns down and on the floor. Don't make me do the old soft-shoe shuffle.
(They comply.)
RYAN: Your boss thinks we're stupid. She made the call knowing that you'd come for us. And now we're taking your phones and we're going to raid your GPS. How's that for smart?

YASMIN: Ryan, don't tell them the plan.
RYAN: Oh, yeah. Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Come on, let's go.
(Yasmin drives them away.)

A cheer went up around the room, happy for the current companions' victory and escape. The three were grinning proudly, happily soaking in the applause.

[Paris apartment]

(The Doctor is repeatedly tapping four dots on Noor's morse key.)

"The drums." It was a statement not a question from Jack who was watching the Doctor anxious, everything about this was reminding him about the Year and whatever secret had driven the Master mad had clearly also affected the Doctor, badly. He shared a look with Martha who was the only one who would truly understand his concern about the drums, she was wearing an equally worried expression.

"Yes, only way to get his attention. Besides, it's also a double heartbeat. Our heartbeat." The Doctor gave Jack a sad look, full of understanding and apologies which didn't calm his nerve at all.

NOOR: That's not a code.
DOCTOR: Not to you. If this works, I'm going to need you to find something for me. This is a very personal code. The rhythm of two hearts.
(The Master hears it in his underground bunker. He takes over from the resident Morse code operator and replies.)
DOCTOR: That got his attention. He's not so far. I can sense him. [OC] Contact.
MASTER [OC]: Contact. Old-school.

"You're telepathic?" Graham exclaimed shocked. He thought back to every time in the room that the pair seemed to have a silent conversation with a new light – they probably had been having a whole conversation that no one else was privy too.

"Oops, did I not mention that? Sorry. Touch telepaths. Don't worry I don't make a habit of going poking around in people's heads." The Doctor grinned sheepishly but cast an apologetic look at Donna. "Besides, it's how we communicate half the time on Gallifrey. I think we spent more time in each other's heads than our own sometimes as kids." The Doctor smiled sadly, caught in memories. The companions shared a look but let the video play on without anymore questions, now wasn't the time.

DOCTOR: You're not the only one who can do classic.
MASTER: So, how are you holding up without a Tardis, or your friends or a hope? A fugitive in time?
DOCTOR: All right. You've come all this way. You've got me cornered. I'll meet you. No troops. No soldiers. Just us.
MASTER: Where?
DOCTOR: Where do you think?

"Really hoping your plan works Doctor." Jack said, watching her next to him worriedly. He didn't like the thought of her alone with the Master, no one did.

[Tour Eiffel viewing platform]

(Air raid sirens, searchlights.)
DOCTOR: It's cold up here! It's worse than Jodrell Bank.
MASTER: Did I ever apologise for that?
DOCTOR: No.
MASTER: Good.

"What happened at Jodrell Bank?" River asked through her teeth, full of worry for the Doctor. Like Jack, she was especially nervous about the Doctor being alone with the Master, especially with whatever secret the pair were hiding.

The Master and the Doctor shared a look, the former almost daring the latter to explain. She sighed turning to River, her expression stoic. "Nothing important."

"Doctor-."

"River please, it doesn't matter." River looked ready to push some more but stopped on seeing the Doctor's pleading expression. She sighed, reluctantly nodding. She made a mental note to find out later, she wasn't dropping the subject completely, just for now.

DOCTOR: How's the shoulder?
MASTER: Painful.
DOCTOR: I don't like what you're wearing. Or the company you keep. How have you managed that? You're not exactly their Aryan archetype.
MASTER: Tiny Teutonic psychic perception filter. Learned it at school. Lets people see what they want to see.

"Which you would have also learned about if you had paid any attention and didn't constantly skip class." The Master raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"You can't really say anything, you skipped with me half of the time too. Neither of us were exactly model students." The Doctor snapped back at the Master arms crossed.

"At least I passed first time." The Master smirked.

"Yeah. Yeah. I remember. You passed with flying colours, highest marks ever. Romana was very jealous." The Doctor huffed back, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What are you two talking about? Who is Romana? I think you mentioned her earlier as well." Amy asked, curious. They had all been watching the bickering enemies in a mix of curiosity and finely concealed anger/worry but Amy was still the only one brave enough to ask, or more likely the only one unattached. She'd never met the Master before all this, unlike most of the room (barring Rose and Mickey – but he'd heard plenty of stories to know to be wary).

The Doctor shared an un decipherable glance with the Master before answering. She had said she'd try to answer their questions. "The Academy. School. The Master passed with the highest marks ever whereas I passed with 51% on my second attempt. I was terrible at school; really annoyed my teachers, never did my homework, constantly skipped class etc." The Doctor grinned, she had hated the Academy but there were some good memories from the time, especially looking back now, most of them were to do with her friends ad general rebellion.

"As for Romana. There was a period where I was working for Gallifrey in one of my younger incarnations and Romana was sent to make sure I completed a specific mission. She decided to stay with me and travel, see more of the universe." She chuckled to herself as she continued. "That really annoyed Brax. She became Lady President of Gallifrey before the war. I don't know what happened to her after." She frowned, what had happened to Romana? She knew Rassilon had removed her from power during the war and that she had survived but she hadn't seen her on her last visit. With Gallifrey destroyed, presumably she was dead like all the others. And what about Brax? He had definitely been exiled a one point but had he been on Gallifrey when the Master destroyed it? The Doctor refused to look at the Master, she didn't want her suspicions confirmed.

The companions glanced at each other but decided it was better not to ask. Being here, seeing these videos, they were learning more about the Doctor than most had ever before. And like normal, the answer to one question only lead to more questions.

DOCTOR: I'm assuming it was you who hijacked the MI6 car.
MASTER: That was fun.
DOCTOR: And assassinated C.
MASTER: Mandraffian laser rifle. One shot. I've still got an eye for it.
DOCTOR: Why were the Kasaavin assassinating spies?
MASTER: Earth's intelligence services started to realise their presence.
DOCTOR: So, what, you brought the Kasaavin to Earth?
MASTER: They were already here. I just persuaded them we had interests in common. The Kasaavin are embedded across the whole of this universe, spies from another dimension. As I said to Mister Barton, think of them as Russia, but bigger. Sleeper agents everywhere, waiting to be activated, amassing information in case they need to attack. And, I mean, you know me. I can't help myself. I have to stick my oar in.
DOCTOR: What have you done?
MASTER: Suggested a better plan.

"You're seriously just telling her everything?" Rose asked perplexed. Villains loved to talk about their plans, yes but the Master seemed too smart to just tell his biggest enemy everything.

The Doctor spoke before the Master could answer. "He loves to gloat about his plans. Really loves the sound of his own voice."

"Almost as much as you do, dear." The Master shot back, unwilling to admit that the Doctor had outsmarted and tricked him on this occasion (like usual).

[Hangar]

YASMIN: Over here!
(They run to Barton's mother.)
GRAHAM: Is she alive?
YASMIN: No. What's she even doing here?
RYAN: Where's Barton? This is where his guys were supposed to lead us, and he's not here.
BARTON [on screen]: Well done overpowering my people. But did you really think they wouldn't tell me? I have a significant announcement to make, and you, my friends, are two steps behind. As usual.
YASMIN: We know all about you. We know some of your DNA isn't human.
GRAHAM: So what are you, part alien?
BARTON: You really don't understand who I am. I build things. I test them. So I let them test a tiny part of me. And now it's time for the global roll-out. I'm proof of concept.
RYAN: What concept? What did they try?
BARTON: Look after my mum.
(Call ended.)

"You're getting some answer as well but Barton seems too confident for it all to be over." Clara theorised, worried about the group on screen like most of the room. They hadn't gotten to spend much time just chatting with each other yet but everyone seemed nice and they were looking forward to having a proper talk, once they knew how they had got away safely.

GRAHAM: He killed his own mum.
YASMIN: And left her here.
(Ryan walks over to the Silver Lady.)
RYAN: That machine was in Barton's office.

[Paris apartment]

(Noor is tapping out Morse code.)
ADA: What are you doing?
NOOR: Communicating a message back to London, just as the Doctor asked. Why are we trusting her?
ADA: I have seen extraordinary things with her. She's wise and unafraid, and I believe in her. What is this contraption she's left us with?
(A mobile phone.)
NOOR: I don't know. I've never seen anything like that before. So, are you ready to brave the night?

The room turned to look at the Doctor. "Did you seriously give them a mobile phone? Please tell me you at least explained how it works, old man." Bill shook her head, fond exasperation clear in her voice. The Doctor's sheepish shrug and grin was all the answer anyone needed and they all practically sighed in sync. The Doctor was incredibly smart but sometimes she was a complete idiot.

[Paris street]

ADA: How does that fit here?
NOOR: She did say, look for something anomalous. Use the device.
(Ada opens the phone and presses a button. It dials.)

[Tour Eiffel viewing platform]

DOCTOR: Oh! Must change the ringtone. Sent it to voicemail. Probably just asking if I've had an accident in the last five years.
(She keys her sonic screwdriver behind her back.)

The Master started to mutter to himself, ignoring the Doctor's smug grin. How had he not noticed that? Seriously, how had he just bought that? He knew to expect trickery when it came to the Doctor, he'd gotten far too overconfident and it had caused him to fail.

DOCTOR: They hate it when you give them a list, though, don't they?
MASTER: Why didn't you die when the Kasaavin attacked you?
DOCTOR: Me and Yaz, both time travellers, fizzing with artron energy, and my DNA not matching the rest of humanity, we confused them. And I don't think they're as stable in this dimension as they'd like to be. What deal have you made with them?

Yaz watched the screen, relived to finally have an explanation on why she survived the Kasaavin, Ryan offered a comforting msile, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She manged to give a slightly shaky one back.

MASTER: I showed them and Barton what was possible. They helped me lay a trap for you, and I raised their ambitions. Of course, ultimately the Kasaavin are just the mechanism. They... they don't have my vision, you know?
DOCTOR: And what vision is that?
MASTER: Maximum carnage.
DOCTOR: I don't understand.
MASTER: No, no, I know you don't. But you will. And of course, the best thing is everyone loses except me. Barton and those creatures do the dirty work, and once they're done, I get rid of them, having destroyed your precious human race in the process. Win-win-win.
DOCTOR: When does all this stop for you? The games, the betrayals, the killing?
MASTER: Why would it stop? I mean, how else would I get your attention? When did you last go home?
DOCTOR: What do you mean?

"Don't glare at me like that. I know you; you wouldn't have gone back without prompting after your last disastrous trip." The Master smirked.

"What do you even know about it?"

"Admittedly not as much as I would like. I know you went back and didn't get the best reception, I heard rumours about Rassilon and a firing squad. Then they tried to make you president again, you shot someone, then stole Clara and another TARDIS." The Master raised an eyebrow in question, he really didn't know nearly as much as he would like about her return and was secretly hoping it would be shown so he could find out the details. He hated not knowing something, especially concerning the Doctor.

"Unfortunately, I think you will find out more." The Doctor grimaced before continuing, getting angrier as she spoke. "Maybe I would have gone back again, you don't know that. Maybe I would have wanted to visit my friends or family. You also didn't have to give me false coordinates in that graveyard." The Doctor glared darkly at the Master, remembering her anger and frustration when she had discovered Missy and stopped the Cybermen only to be given fake coordinates. She was decidedly not thinking about her friends and family that were almost definitely dead now, even if they had survived the war. She had spent so long thinking them all dead and when she had finally saved them and been able to go home, she had put it off thinking she had all the time in the world. Then the Master destroyed it again and she would never know. The Master huffed at her, both knew she wouldn't have gone back for quite a while, but decided not to continue the argument.

The rest of the room watched on confused by the exchange, they also wanted to know the details of this supposed trip to Gallifrey. Clara watched on with dark eyes, she knew better than anyone (aside from the Doctor) what had happened and she was still furious and upset about it. Even if the Doctor had gotten her memories back now, she'd still forgotten and she'd still been tortured for 4.5 billion years (and Clara still didn't know as much about that as she would have liked).

MASTER: I took a trip home, to Gallifrey, hiding in its little bubble universe. Not sure how to describe what I found. Pulverised? Burned? Nuked? All of the above. Someone destroyed it. Our home, razed to the ground. Everyone killed. Everything burned.

The room watched the video, speechless and shocked by the Master's declaration. They were still hopeful that he was lying, but the pair's reactions now and in previous videos suggested he wasn't. River and Jack turned to the Doctor who was determinedly staring at the floor, and that was all the answer they needed, each moving closer s the Doctor was squished between their shoulder sot try and offer some comfort (for both her and them). It hurt everyone to think the Doctor had fought to save her home only to have it destroyed once again but they had no way to express any of their feelings and thoughts before the video continued on.

DOCTOR: You're lying.
MASTER: You should really take a look. Oh, wait, you won't be able to. I just thought I'd let you know before I...
DOCTOR: Can you hear voices?
MASTER: Why are there troops coming up the stairs?
DOCTOR: Oh. That's me, and one of Blighty's bravest radio operators. Very good at sending messages, particularly fake ones designed to be intercepted. Now, finish what you were saying!
MASTER: What have you done?
(He grabs her by the throat, leaning out over the railing.)

Jack and River both look ready to jump out of their seats again and attack him. The rest of the room looked similar, furiously glaring at the Master. She was so close to escaping but she was still in danger because of this madman. The Doctor grabbed a hand each of River and Jack's trying to calm them and stop them attacking the Master, it really wouldn't help the situation. And things were only going to get worse when they realised who had destroyed Gallifrey.

DOCTOR: Sent a message to the Brits telling them how valuable you've been as a double agent, sending Nazi information to the British.
(He lets her go and runs to the lift.)
DOCTOR: Facial perception filter? Very easy to jam. Now they'll see the real you. Good luck.
(She gets into the lift and closes the door, leaving him to face the troopers.)
MASTER: I believe there's been a misunderstanding. Can we talk about this? You've always struck me as such reasonable people.
(Barton arrives at an auditorium. The Doctor runs through Paris.)

The room seemed to take a collective deep breath, now that the Master was dealt with (for now) and the Doctor had escaped yet again.

[Paris street]

NOOR: Over here.
ADA: Is this what you meant?
NOOR: That wasn't here last week.
DOCTOR: I bet it wasn't. So arrogant. Didn't even change the appearance.
(The Australian outback homestead sitting in a courtyard.)

A thought struck the Doctor and a wicked smirk slid onto her face. She turned casually to the Master who was watching with poorly-hidden apprehension. "Did you break the Chameleon Circuit?"

The Master huffed. "I have no idea what you are talking about, I happen to like it like that."

The Doctor's smirk had changed into a full out grin. "You absolutely broke it you idiot." The Master decided not to provide an answer and turned back to the screen. That was all the confirmation the Doctor needed, she cackled. So many years of him mocking her for having broken it (not that she couldn't fix it, but she liked the police box and so did the TARDIS) and he had broken his. Karma at its finest.

DOCTOR: Okay, you two, my best secret agents, time to go lock-picking.

[Homestead]

ADA: Why is this house so important?
DOCTOR: This is not a house. It's a machine that travels in Space and Time. This is my way back to finding my friends and saving humanity. I know you think I'm mad, but give me five minutes and you'll think I'm the sanest person alive. Okay, that was an overstatement. I said the Master's arrogant, but arrogance can trip you up.

"At least you admit it." Amy teased.

(She sonics the console and displays light up.)
DOCTOR: I know what this is. A temporal map, showing every significant person in the development of computers through history, starting with you, Ada. This is the plan. See?
BOTH: No.

Bill and Yaz just said "Mood" in sync, drawing confused looks from the rest of the room, bar Ryan, who just nodded in agreement with the pair. The three didn't explain, ignoring the questioning looks they were being given.

ADA: Wh... what is a computer?
DOCTOR: Oh, forget you heard that word, otherwise I've just disrupted the whole of history. Again. Okay. Ah, my brain's fizzing. Good. The Kasaavin posted an agent on every person on that map, because that's what spies do, what Barton does. They gather all the data. Where does the DNA fit in? Kasaavin, technology, DNA. How are they all connected? Oh! Human DNA. That's what they were testing.
NOOR: How much of that did you understand?

"You are amazing at confusing people, honestly Doctor." Rose laughed, alongside most of the room at how confused she was making the pair.

[Auditorium]

BARTON: Thank you. Today, I'm here to say thank you to those of you all round the world who've made our achievements possible. To everyone who, over the years, has given us everything. We gave you pieces of plastic and circuitry and games, and you handed us - me, my company - total access to your lives. What you buy, where you go, who you text, what you text. Every thought and photo and post. Every credit card number, every birthday, every memorable place and all your mothers' maiden names. So thank you for carrying our cameras in your pockets, and putting our microphones in your bedrooms. For signing up your kids, handing them our devices. We told you, of course your lives are private, of course your data's safe. And you believed us. You kept clicking Agree. And now, we can do anything. I can send a text to every device on this planet.
(He presses a button his phone and phones bingle everywhere. Hakim, Najia, the screen in the hangar, everyone in the lecture hall.)
BARTON: Go ahead. Read it.
(The message is on screens on either side of him.)

[Hangar]

YASMIN: Humanity is over. You have three minutes to prepare. Prepare for what?

[Auditorium]

BARTON: Funny, right? Except, not a joke. We are way past peak human. We've created systems that are smarter and can run more efficiently than we do. So what's our purpose? We must be useful for something. Well, the data tells us we are. We can repurpose. Well, you all can. You know the most efficient type of hard drives on Planet Earth? Humans. Human DNA can store so much data. We're the perfect storage system, which means there are over seven billion potentially incredibly useful hard drives on this planet. All that's needed is to reformat the whole of humanity. Luckily, there's an app for that.

The room watched on worried, they knew Barton and the Kasaavin had been stopped, or they wouldn't be here but it was still scary to watch. Bill shivered slightly, "Yeah definitely going to be more careful on my phone now. That's just creepy." Several others nodded in agreement.

[Hangar]

(Process initiating, says a smart watch. The Silver Lady lights up and starts rotating.)
RYAN: Anyone feel like this is something we should be worried about?
(The place fills with Kasaavin, which then leap as energy into the Silver Lady and out of people's phones.)

[Khan home]

SONYA: Mum? I can't move!
(That girl is permanently attached to her phone anyway...)

[Auditorium]

BARTON: A handful of us will remain sentient in order to supervise, maybe even rebuild. But for the rest of you? Welcome to the end of your lives.

[Hangar]

YASMIN: Use your shoe on the machine.
(The lasers bounce off the Silver Lady's display case.)
GRAHAM: It doesn't make any difference.
YASMIN: Cufflinks!
(Those energy bolts bounce off as well.)

"At least you tried something." Martha offered, things were getting tense and their attempts to stop it clearly weren't working but at least they had tried. The three smiled, grateful for the acknowledgment and comfort.

MASTER: Move away. Now! I've just had the most infuriating seventy seven years of my life. Have you any idea how hard it is to live through the 20th century? The places I've escaped from. Still... just in time to watch you all pay.

The room turned to look at the Master who glared at them annoyed, before looking at the Doctor. Several of them opened their mouths to speak, but she beat them too it. "Before you say anything, I know. But he was limited in what he could do, he had to stay where he was until he got back to the right time and the end of the 20th century/start of the 21st has many versions of us both there so he didn't have much he could do. He wasn't a danger." The group seemed to take that as an explanation mostly, with only a few more worried glances from people like Martha, Jack and Clara who had seen the full extent of the Master's schemes and personality.

RYAN: What's the machine?
MASTER: Conversion and transmission. We're transmitting Kasaavin energy around the world all at once into every device, hitting every human being and erasing all their DNA simultaneously.
(Energy from the screen takes hold of Yasmin.)
RYAN: Yaz!
YASMIN: I can't let go of it.
MASTER: First her. Then you. Then you.
(The Silver Lady suddenly stops spinning.)
MASTER: Don't do this.

The room cheered again, half happy because clearly the plan had been stopped and half happy about the Master's utter annoyance about his plan being ruined by the Doctor yet again. The Master muttered away furiously to himself in the corner, shooting glares at the Doctor who just grinned back smugly then ignored him in favour of her companions (like usual – to his fury).

[Auditorium]

(The power goes off, including the phones. Barton leaves the stage rapidly, talking into his phone.)
BARTON: Extraction team in. Immediately!

[Hangar]

(The Doctor walks in, followed by Ada and Noor.)
DOCTOR: Sorry. I think that might have been me. And I'll admit, it was close.

The cheers started up again, everyone ignoring Nardole's mutter about 'unnecessary drama'.

[Khan home]

(Everyone else is released.)
NAJIA: What was that?
HAKIM: What do I keep telling you? Conspiracy.

Yaz just groaned. "He was insufferable after this. Everything is a conspiracy now."

[Hangar]

MASTER: No.
DOCTOR: Two can play at embedding things in history. I knew the Silver Lady was important, and that you built it for a reason, but I couldn't work out why. So I traced its movements through history. And when I saw that Barton now owned it, we stopped by his office. Middle of last year, using your Tardis, I built a fail-safe into that machine. Planted a virus. If it ever detected the massing of a Kasaavin army within its systems - total shutdown.

"Nice to see you've still got it Doctor." Rose grinned happily at the Doctor who just grinned back, before frowning slightly, eyebrows crinkling as she tried to work out if she had just been insulted or not.

(The Kasaavin return via the Silver Lady.)
MASTER: You're going to have to explain yourself to them, Doctor.
DOCTOR: Am I? Listen, you lot, I've rigged the Silver Lady to exile you back to your own dimension. This planet's off-limits. Oh, and you know that deal he made with you?
(Sonic screwdriver.)
MASTER [OC]: Barton and these creatures do the dirty work, and once they're done, I get rid of them, having were planning to destroyed your precious human race in the process. Win-win-win.
MASTER: Oh.
DOCTOR: That's your name. Don't wear it out. That's the trouble with modern technology. You never know when you're being spied upon.

"Ooh, burn." Bill grinned, happy to see the Master defeated especially by such a simple trick. She ignored the Master's glare; he was definitely still scary but she felt safer here surrounded by friends and protected by the Tardis.

MASTER: Don't... don't listen to her.
(They envelope the Master whilst saying his name.)

[Alien realm]

MASTER: No. Doctor. Doctor!

He glared at her; arms crossed. He had been furious with her for letting the Kasaavin take him, especially after trapping him on Earth for 77 years. She simply smirked, smugness radiating off of her.

"Just like the old days. You always seemed to get abandoned or betrayed by your so-called allies." She declared, with a smug tilt of her head.

"And just like the old days, it's your fault." The Master shot back snappishly, it had taken him far too long to escape the Kasaavin and it had not been enjoyable.

"No, they just find out that you were using them or were planning to betray you all along. I just tend to accelerate the end result." The Doctor shrugged, failing to hide her smug smile. "I also remember having to save you from your own 'allies' several times or from the trouble you summoned and then couldn't control, remember Kronos?"

"You will never let me forget that." The Master grumbled, it had definitely come up in several of their arguments and discussions over the years.

"Nope." The Doctor declared enthusiastically, always wanting the last word. The rest of the room watched on mostly perplexed barring a few with faint ideas wither from the Doctor's stories or UNIT's files.

[Hangar]

DOCTOR: What?
YASMIN: You have a lot of explaining to do.
DOCTOR: Like what?
GRAHAM: Like who are they? And are we being replaced?
DOCTOR: No. This is Ada, this is Noor. 1834, 1943. They helped me out. I'm dropping them back in a sec.
RYAN: How did you manage to save our lives on the plane?
DOCTOR: The plane. Oh, I forgot. Come on!
(The Doctor, Ada and Noor run off.)

"I can't believe you forgot about the plane!" Yaz shouted, exasperated. She was teasing slightly but still how could she forget? The rest of the companions seemed to be in agreement with Yaz, shooting the Doctor disbelieving looks.

"Honestly, Martian." Donna added loudly.

"Well, I'm sorry I was a bit busy getting chased through time as you saw." The Doctor protested which did nothing to help her defence as the rest of the companions just sighed or rolled their eyes at her.

[Master's Tardis]

(Making the plaques that Ryan found and the recorded message.)
DOCTOR: You have shut the cockpit doors, haven't you? That's vital. Cockpit doors are designed to be incredibly robust.
(And the instructions that saved their lives.)
DOCTOR: I love a laminator.
DOCTOR [OC]: Stick these in Barton's plane as it's being built then reclaim my own Tardis.

"Loving your priorities as usual Doctor." Clara rolled her eyes at the Doctor who grinned a bit sheepish.

[Paris apartment]

DOCTOR: This is where I leave you.
NOOR: Answer me one question. The fascists, do they win?
DOCTOR: Never. Not while there's people like you.
(She touches Noor's temple.)
DOCTOR: It's all right. I'm just removing me from your mind.
(She catches Noor and lays her on the bed.)
DOCTOR: Bonne chance.

The Doctor snuck a glance at Donna who had flinched slightly at seeing the Doctor wipe Noor's memories, she offered an apologetic frown at the ginger woman who nodded in acceptance. They seriously had to talk soon.

[Babbage's house]

(The Tardis materialises.)
ADA: Doctor, does this have to be the end? All the things I've learned, the advances, the machines. I would dearly love to see more.
DOCTOR: I'm afraid I need to do something about that.
ADA: What do you mean?
DOCTOR: I'm ever so sorry, Ada.
ADA: Doctor, what are you doing?
DOCTOR: Wiping the things you shouldn't have knowledge of. Including me.
ADA: But I want that knowledge. Don't take it away. Please don't take it a...
(The Doctor touches her temple and lays her down on a comfy chaise long.)
DOCTOR: Oh Ada, you don't need a preview. You'll figure it out before anyone. The first to see the potential in things like that, to work out what could be. What they can really do. Computers start with you. Sweet dreams, Ada Lovelace.
(The Tardis dematerialises.)

The Doctor winced as Donna had flinched harder that time, she hated wiping people's memories, especially after Donna and Clara, but Ada couldn't know about the future, it would have messed with history too much – even by her standards.

[Tardis]

MASTER [OC]: When did you last go home? You should really take a look.
(The Doctor resets the coordinates, and heads off through the Vortex to a barren world. Ruined buildings still have smoke rising from them. She doesn't step outside. Travelling again, her phone beeps. A hologram appears wearing a long dark jacket and checkered trousers.)

The room watched the screen appalled, it was one thing to hear it but to see it was something else.

"I'm so sorry Doctor. To have just got it back and then lose it again. That's horrible." Clara said, she may not exactly like the Time Lords but it was still the Doctor's home (or so she was aware). The Doctor just grimaced, eyes locked to the sight of her supposed home in ruins, her thoughts spiralling down darker. She was brought back to reality by Yaz.

"Doctor …" Yaz wasn't sure what she was trying to say. Sorry for all their comments? Apologies for her loss? Ask for an explanation for why she hadn't told them? The Doctor seemed to understand though and just smiled sadly, nodding at her.

MASTER [hologram]: Geo-activated. If you're seeing this, you've been to Gallifrey. When I said someone did that, obviously I meant I did. I had to make them pay for what I discovered. They lied to us, the founding fathers of Gallifrey. Everything we were told was a lie. We are not who we think, you or I. The whole existence of our species built on the lie of the Timeless Child.
(The Doctor gets a sudden headache and flashes of images.)
VOICES: The Timeless Child. The Timeless Child.

"Wait, Doc. Didn't those rag things on Desolation say something about that to you?" Graham asked. The Doctor nodded grimly. The Master smirked at her but it wavered too much for it to have its normal effect. They had both been burnt by what he had discovered and soon others would know about it too.

Surprisingly it wasn't Jack or River that snapped first it was Martha. Martha shot up to her feet, eyes dark and fists clenched tightly. "You! How could you?! Was it not bad enough destroying Earth and torturing the Doctor for a year but now you destroy your own people! Your own home!"

"Oh, Saint Martha you know nothing. Even you would take offense to the truth. You'll all hate them as much as I do when you discover the truth about what they did to your precious Doctor." The Master's smirk was back in full force, teeth obvious in a shark grin. Then a pillow hit him smack in the face, ruining the tense atmosphere he'd created and causing him to glare sharply at the culprit – a furious Doctor.

"Leave Martha alone. What Gallifrey did was horrible but they didn't all deserve to suffer for it. The majority of them were innocent." She glared at him, only looking away to check on Martha who was being calmed by her husband and Donna, but still glaring at the Master, as was most of the room.

The Master scoffed. "You know full well none of them were innocent." They glared at each other, neither wanting to give in. The Doctor looked away first, deciding the argument wasn't worthwhile at the minute; the video wasn't over and she wasn't sure what she could say to defend them without bringing up too many old memories.

Plus, she had to stop River and Jack from doing anything stupid, the rest of the room had more self-control. Both other time traveller's hands were white with how hard they were clenching their hands into fists and both were watching the Doctor intensely.

"What does he mean Doctor? What did they do to you?" Jack managed to grit out between locked teeth, expression furious, River's matching on her other side. Their former comforting presence was starting to feel suffocating.

"I can't tell you Jack, I'm sorry. You'll find out soon though. You all will." The Doctor sighed.

"Doctor-." River started, equally furious and worried.

The Doctor just smiled sadly. "Spoilers, sweetie."

MASTER [hologram]: Do you see it? It's buried deep in all our memories. In our identity. I'd tell you more, but... but why would I make it easy for you? It wasn't for me.
(Later, having picked up the rest of the 'fam'.)
YASMIN: You okay? You're really quiet.
RYAN: Yeah. You have been for days now.
GRAHAM: They're right. Five planets, you've barely said a word.
DOCTOR: I'm fine.

"We're so sorry Doc. We were a bit pushy and harsh with you and you were grieving your home. We were poking our noses where they didn't belong and far too soon after all the trouble." Graham apologised, the other two nodding along apologetically.

"No, it's not your fault Graham. I didn't tell you what happened or much about me. I just figured if I kept you at a distance you would be safer. I'm sorry too." The Doctor sighed, smiling sadly as she explained to the three. They offered back their own sad smiles. They understood more about her mood over the time now and they were thinking back on all their comments with a wince. There had been several rough moments leading up to the mess with the Cybermen and this just put them all in a new light.

GRAHAM: Why don't you ever share anything with us?
DOCTOR: I share stuff.
GRAHAM: Not about yourself, though.
RYAN: Yeah, you know everything about us.
YASMIN: And we know nothing about you.
GRAHAM: Mmm.
DOCTOR: Fine. What do you want to know?
GRAHAM: Who are you, Doc? I mean, really.

"She never really shares much about herself. You either have to corner her or you pick stuff up during adventures." Clara frowned, trying to explain a bit more to the current companions even though she still wanted to learn more about the Doctor. You couldn't push her or you would lose any ground and trust you had.

"I'm old. Many of my memories are too laced with grief and they hurt. Plus, I have lived a long life, it would take a long time to explain even a hundredth of the things I have done and seen and lost. I decided a long time ago that none of you needed to be burdened with all that." The Doctor tried to explain, eyes dark and swirling with age old grief.

"We get that Doctor but we're your family and you don't have to hide everything from us." Donna smiled softly, for once quiet and soft, as if talking to a scared child. The Doctor smiled sadly at her, stars she loved them all but it didn't make everything stop hurting.

DOCTOR: I was born on a planet called Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm a Time Lord. I can regenerate my body. I stole this Tardis and I ran away. I've been travelling ever since. The Master was one of my oldest friends. We went very different ways. Questions?
GRAHAM: Loads.
YASMIN: Can we visit your home?
DOCTOR: Another time.

"Sorry Doctor." Yaz winced, she had forgotten about her question. Now the Doctor's reaction made perfect sense.

"Like I said Yaz, no worries. You didn't know because I didn't tell you." The Doctor shrugged. "So, next video?" She received a round of nods from the room after the companions shared a glance. They knew pushing the Doctor wouldn't get them anymore answers and she was too caught up in her own thoughts to really say anything more. It was better to push on and hope the videos gave them more answers, hope the videos would show them this secret that had hurt the Doctor, that had made the Tardis bring them here. The secret that the Master had burned Gallifrey to ashes for.