TW: I personally picture it being Seven or Eight but it could really be any of the classic Doctors.
The next morning (or what passed for morning in the TARDIS) found the group in the kitchen, eating a silent breakfast, everyone preoccupied in their own thoughts. After they were finished, they silently returned to the viewing room and retook their seats. No one said a word as the TV started the next recording.
In a dark building, a young woman is escorted by a red haired woman, both wearing rags. They reach a man dressed in old, mismatched clothes. The young woman calls him Uncle, saying she's afraid. Uncle says she should be, saying he wishes he could take her place before deciding otherwise, as it will really hurt. An Ood suddenly appears behind them, eyes glowing bright green. The Ood leads the young woman up onto a platform and she asks what will happen. The woman who had brought her into the room explains that someone called Nephew will drain her body of her mind and soul, leaving it empty.
"Drain her mind and soul?" Wilf exclaimed horrified.
A feeling that was shared by the other viewers.
"What the bloody Hell is going on?" Mickey muttered in horror.
"I'm not sure. But whatever it is, it can't be good," Jack said darkly.
The Ood grabs the young man's head and she says she's scared. The redhead says she should be as green gas shoots out of the platform. The young woman begins choking on the gas as the redhead says she'll have a new soul. "There'll be a Time Lord coming!" the redhead says.
"A Time Lord, they're putting The Doctor's soul in that woman," Martha said horrified.
"Close, but not exactly," Jane said with a grimace.
"What does that even mean?" Donna demanded as they all turned to Jane in bewilderment.
"It's complicated and you're going to find out in a minute anyway," Jane said grimly.
Although confused, the viewers turned back to the screen, wondering if it was possible for another Time Lord to still be alive.
On the TARDIS, The Doctor is telling Rory a story about a past adventure when Amy walks down the stairs. Rory asks her if she believes The Doctor's stories and she says she was there. Warning lights begin flashing on the console and The Doctor grumbles about how they never stop. Rory runs after Amy, knowing she's still thinking about what happened to The Doctor. She shushes him, making sure The Doctor isn't listening before saying they say him die. Rory points out it was 200 years in the future and Amy argues it's still going to happen.
The mood plummeted, all of them remembering The Doctor's death. Even knowing that, in this future, he had died already, seeing it was not easy on them. And, if Jane was telling the truth, there was still the worst to come, outside The Doctor's death.
They suddenly hear a knock on the door. The Doctor turns around as Amy and Rory walk over, Amy asking what that was. The Doctor tells her and Rory says they're in deep space. "Very, very deep," The Doctor says as there is another knock. "And somebody's knocking!"
"What the Bloody Hell?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"Interesting turn of events," Jack mentioned,
"That's one way of putting it. What could find the TARDIS while it's in deep space?" Donna wondered.
"I think we're about to find out," Martha said, narrowing her eyes as they all watched closely.
The Doctor opens the doors to find a glowing white cube floating outside. "Oh come here. Come here you scrumptious little beauty," The Doctor says as he holds out a hand. The cube flies inside the TARDIS, nearly hitting Amy. She jumps out of the way as it flies back towards The Doctor, hitting him in the chest. He falls on his back as Rory incredulous says it's a box. Amy asks what it is as The Doctor sits up, holding the cube in his hands. "I've got mail!" The Doctor heads over to the console, explaining to Amy and Rory that the cube is a Time Lord emergency messaging system, the wrapped up thoughts of a Time Lord that was sent through time and space. The Doctor is excited about the prospect of another Time Lord being out there.
"So he might not be the last one after all," Wilf said happily as the other past viewers looked at the screen started.
Save Jack, who looked uneasy.
"Maybe," Jack muttered lowly.
"What is it? Why do you look like a Sontaran just crashed your favorite car?" Mickey asked as they saw the look on Jack's face.
"Doesn't something about this feel…off? That this happened just as those people are preparing to summon a Time Lord's soul to that woman's body?" Jack pointed out and they took a moment to mull over his words.
"Jack's right," Donna said, deflating as the truth sunk in. "Maybe there is another Time Lord out there…but whatever's going on isn't going to be good."
"Doctor," Martha said lowly, a pit of dread beginning to form in her stomach.
Rory points out The Doctor had told them he was the last Time Lord. The Doctor explains there aren't any Time Lords left in the universe but they aren't going to the universe. He tosses the cube to Amy, pointing out the snake on one side. The Doctor explains it's the mark of The Corsair, who had it in every regeneration. "Didn't fell like himself unless he had the tattoo. Or herself, a couple of times," The Doctor says.
"Back up, you mean Time Lords can change genders?" Martha asked sharply as the past viewers were surprised by this new information.
"It's rare, but it does happen," Jane nodded.
"Just when I thought I'd seen it all, you throw me this curve ball Doctor," Jack muttered.
The Doctor had to the controls when the TARDIS suddenly rocks, a small explosion of sparks on the console. Rory asks what's happening and The Doctor explains they're leaving the universe.
"What?" Mickey asked as the past viewers looked confused.
"Dad explains later, just watch," Jane told them.
Amy asks how they can do that and The Doctor explains with enormous difficulty, turning a switch. The TARDIS leaves space through a portal, heading towards a dark planet. Once the TARDIS lands, the trio stands up, Amy asking where they are. The Doctor says outside the universe, where they've never been before. The lights in the TARDIS then go out. Rory asks if that's supposed to happen and The Doctor is surprised to realize the power is draining, which The Doctor declares is impossible. Hearing a sound, Rory asks what that is. The Doctor explains the soul of the TARDIS has vanished. The Doctor wonders where it would go. The scene changes to the woman from earlier. She sits up, gasping, gold energy leaving her mouth. The sound of the TARDIS taking off is heard. She holds out her hands, which seem to glow with energy.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey muttered as the past viewers stared at the screen in utter horror.
"They were never after The Doctor, they wanted the TARDIS," Jack said horrified.
"But what do they gain from putting the soul of the TARDIS into a woman?" Wilf wondered.
"I don't know Wilf. But it can't be good," Jack said grimly, wondering what their plan was.
The Doctor, Amy and Rory exit the TARDIS, stepping into what seems to be a junkyard. Amy asks The Doctor what trouble his friend is in as she takes in what seems to be houses. The Doctor describes the trouble as a bind and a pickle, calling Corsair distressed. Amy says he can just say he doesn't know. Rory jokes about the planet being the scrapyard at the end of the universe and The Doctor corrects him, saying it's outside the universe. Rory is confused how they can be outside the universe and The Doctor puts an arm around him. "Imagine a great big soap bubble with one of those tiny little bubbles on the outside," The Doctor says before admitting its nothing like that.
"He likes confusing us way too much," Martha said dryly.
"I'm sure half the things he says is just him messing with us," Donna said and Jack and Mickey both scoffed.
"It would not surprise me one bit," Jack said with a slight grin at his old friend's antics.
The Doctor comments on how the TARDIS is completely drained and Amy asks if they're in the bubble universe sticking to the larger universe. The Doctor says no then gives up, saying yes if it helps. The Doctor realizes the planet is full of rift energy and theorizes that the TARDIS will refuel just by being there.
"Wait, really?" Mickey asked in surprise.
"Why do you think I set up shop in Cardiff after I took over for Torchwood Three? I knew The Doctor would head there at some point to refuel using the Rift," Jack explained.
The trio then begins examining the planet, Amy and The Doctor agreeing it smells like armpits. Rory asks how all the junk got there and The Doctor explains it was sucked through the rift, comparing the universe to a plughole rather than a bubble and they've fallen down it. Suddenly, they hear a shout and the woman from earlier runs over, pursued by Uncle and the redhead as she calls The Doctor a thief. The woman runs over to The Doctor, rambling before kissing him, to Amy and Rory's shock. Uncle pulls her back and she laughs before Uncle and the redhead push her behind them. They awkwardly greet The Doctor as he asks the woman why he's a thief. She tells him he's stolen her, rambling and changing tense from past, present and future. The Doctor looks at her oddly as the redhead says she's off her head. The woman walks away as the redhead introduces herself as Auntie. Uncle warns The Doctor the woman bites. The woman then grabs The Doctor and bites into his neck.
"Okay, wasn't expecting that," Mickey said as the past viewers looked at the screen oddly.
"The soul of a TARDIS was never meant to be put into a human body. It's having some kind of effect on her mental state," Martha mused.
The Doctor cries out in pain before Uncle yanks the woman back. The woman rambles about biting being like kissing and Uncle says she's doolally. The woman disagrees, trying to introduce herself but not seeming to know her name. She then tries to kiss The Doctor again but he jumps back, avoiding her. He rushes behind Amy and Rory as Uncle and Auntie pull the woman back. She then rambles, saying the little boxes will make The Doctor angry. He steps out from behind Amy and Rory, asking about the boxes but the woman laughs, grabbing his chin. She then tells Rory that Petrichor is the smell of dust after rain. Rory says he didn't ask and she promises he will.
"Okay, that's…strange," Wilf said lamely.
"This whole thing is strange," Jack said and no one could disagree.
"What was that about little boxes?" Mickey wondered.
"The TARDIS can see the future, The Doctor's future," Jane explained and the past viewers looked stunned.
"No. You're serious?" Donna asked in disbelief and Jane nodded.
"It's how I was able to make these recordings, she can see his future and past," Jane explained.
"Blimey. There really isn't anything you can't do," Martha said in disbelief as she looked around the room.
Auntie calls the woman Idris, saying she needs rest. Idris agrees, saying she needs to see if there's an off switch before falling down. The Doctor and Rory catch her as Uncle asks if she's dead. Rory says she's still breathing.
"Something's wrong," Jack realized.
"Of course there's something bloody wrong. The soul of a TARDIS is inside a human woman, you think her body can handle that?" Donna pointed out as the truth washed over them all.
"She's dying. Her body is breaking down," Martha realized in horror.
"Lovely. Like they didn't have enough problems," Mickey groaned.
Uncle then turns to Nephew, the Ood with green eyes and tells him to take her away. The Doctor happily greets Nephew as Amy and Rory jump back in fright. Amy asks what that is and The Doctor says it's an Ood as he walks over to Nephew. Realizing Nephew can't talk; The Doctor glances down to his translation sphere and realizes it's dangerous. With Nephew's permission, The Doctor opens it as Auntie explains Nephew was 'broken' when he got here and was half dead. She then says House repaired him, just like he had repaired them all. The Doctor repairs the translator sphere and a man's voice comes over it, instructing them to send a message to the High Council on Gallifrey. The Doctor, Amy and Rory look around as the voice says he's still alive. Nephew turns off the translation sphere and Rory asks if that was Nephew. The Doctor, shaken, says the sphere is picking up something else.
"What was that?" Mickey asked alarmed, although he had a pretty good idea.
"A Time Lord distress signal," Jack said as a hollow feeling filled him. "Calling back to Gallifrey."
"But that's impossible. Gallifrey was wiped out too long ago," Donna said suspiciously.
"Which is why it's so amazing they're still around," Jack agreed, as suspicious as Donna.
"The Doctor seems to agree," Wilf noted as he saw the state of The Doctor in the recordings.
The Doctor says it's not possible before demanding Uncle and Auntie to show him who else is here. They claim it's only the four of them, plus House. Auntie tells Nephew to take Idris away.
"She's being separated from them," Wilf said uneasily.
"Of course. They can't let her tell The Doctor what's happening, it's a good strategy," Jack admitted reluctantly.
"Try to sound a little less impressed," Donna snapped.
As Nephew does so, The Doctor asks about House. "House is all around you, my sweets. You are standing on him," Auntie says as Uncle jumps on the ground. She explains that House is the world, asking if they'd like to meet him. Rory and Amy are confused as The Doctor says he'd love to.
"A sentient asteroid?" Martha asked in surprise.
"It's not the craziest thing I've ever heard of. Although I'm surprised by the state of it if it is sentient," Jack mused.
"So they work for House. Which means he's the one who wanted the TARDIS in Idris," Mickey noted.
"But why? What does he want?" Donna wondered confused.
"Spoilers," Jane said with a tight smile.
Uncle and Auntie move away, gesturing The Doctor forward as Amy asks about the voices. The Doctor explains they were Time Lords, meaning there are lots and lots nearby. The Doctor follows Auntie and Uncle and, although shocked, Amy and Rory follow after him. In a tent, Idris is lying in a cell, trying to figure out her name. She rambles, wondering why her name seems so happy and sad at the same time. Auntie and Uncle lead The Doctor, Amy and Rory into the room where they performed the ritual at the beginning of the recording. They gesture to a vent and The Doctor leans over it as it glows green. The Doctor realizes the asteroid is sentient and Auntie lists all they do for House. Amy dryly notes they smell his armpits and they look at her sharply. "And do my will," a deep voice says.
"Bloody Hell!" Mickey exclaimed as the past viewers all jumped, even Jack.
"It can bloody talk?!" Donna almost shouted.
"Apparently," Jack said in surprise. "I miss the days when all I had to deal with were Weevils."
The voice says they are most welcome as Amy, shocked, asks if that's the asteroid. The Doctor confirms it is as The Doctor places his hand on the ground, calling House like a sea urchin: hard outer surface with a big 'squashy, oogly thing inside'. House confirms this, addressing The Doctor as a Time Lord. The Doctor asks if House had met Time Lords before and House says many travelers have come through the rift, and he 'repairs them when they break'. The Doctor asks if there are Time Lords here. "Not anymore. But there have been many TARDISes on my back in days gone by," House says.
"So even before the Time War, the Time Lords never left the asteroid," Jack noted suspiciously.
"That all those Time Lords were never able to figure out a way off the asteroid in all that time seems unlikely," Martha noted uneasily.
"Unless House wouldn't let them leave," Mickey pointed out uneasily.
"So we know this is a trap, right?" Donna asked.
"Of course it's a trap. But why House would go to all this trouble, I haven't been able to figure out," Jack mused, wondering why House was calling Time Lords to the asteroid.
The Doctor says there won't be anymore, as he and his TARDIS are the last. House calls this a pity, as the Time Lords were kind. House offers to let them stay as The Doctor walks over to Nephew, not seeing Uncle and Auntie speaking with House's words. Once he stops, they exchange a look.
"It can talk through them?" Wilf asked alarmed as the past viewers looked alarmed by this.
"Apparently. Just what is he?" Jack wondered suspiciously.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Even the TARDIS doesn't seem to know what House was," Jane shrugged.
Rory asks if they're really going to stay here and The Doctor says it seems like friendly planet, asking House if he minds if he 'pokes around'. Auntie says to go look, saying House loves them, placing her hand around Amy's cheeks before letting go. There is a soft whooshing sound. The Doctor tells Amy and Rory they're going to see the sights. As they walk off, Uncle, Auntie and Nephew exchange uneasy looks.
"What just happened?" Mickey asked as they past viewers looked uneasily.
"I'm not sure, but I think Auntie did something to Amy," Martha noted.
"More like House did," Jack said darkly.
"Oh bloody brilliant," Donna groaned.
In the cage, Idris is rambling, first saying gibberish, then wondering if fish have fingers. "Like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motorbike," she says before blinking. She wonders why she's saying that before beginning to call for 'her thief'. As she screams, The Doctor pauses as he seems to hear this.
"She's losing it," Mickey muttered.
"Like Donna said, the soul of a TARDIS was never meant to be in a human body. It won't last long," Jane sighed.
"The Doctor needs to find her, fast," Jack said grimly, worried about the TARDIS.
Rory asks if they can go once the TARDIS refuels but The Doctor says no, as there Time Lords here and they need him. Amy reminds him what he did to the others and The Doctor argues if they're like Corsair, they're good and he can save them. Amy argues they won't take it well but The Doctor says he can explain why he had to. Amy accuses him of wanting to be forgiven. "Don't we all?" The Doctor asks.
"Oh Spaceman," Donna said softly as they all stared at the screen sadly.
"We all want forgiveness. It's just not always possible," Jack muttered softly, once more thinking of Steven and Alice.
"The one thing he wants most is the one thing he'll never have," Wilf said sadly. "It hardly seems fair."
"Because it's not. Unfortunately, it's not something that can be changed," Martha said with a sigh. "It's something The Doctor just has to live with, as unfair as that is."
Reluctantly, Amy asks what he needs from her. The Doctor says he left his screwdriver on the TARDIS in his jacket. Rory says he's wearing it but The Doctor says it's in his other jacket. Rory is surprised he has two as Amy promises to go get it but warns The Doctor not to get emotional, as that's when he makes mistakes. The Doctor agrees. Amy gives The Doctor her phone, telling him she'll call from the TARDIS. She tells Rory to look after him before walking off. The Doctor tells Rory to look after Amy and, after a moment of uncertainly, Rory heads after Amy.
"Bloody Hell Rory," Donna groaned as Martha slapped her forehead.
"Yeah, not one of Rory's better moments," Jane winced.
"Letting The Doctor off alone while he's walking into a trap? This is a recipe for disaster. What were you thinking Rory?" Jack said grimly.
"I don't think he was," Martha sighed miserably.
As she nears the TARDIS, Amy becomes annoyed as Rory runs up behind her. Rory says The Doctor will be fine, as he's a Time Lord. "That doesn't mean he knows what he's doing," Amy says as she opens the door. She and Rory head into the TARDIS. A green mist then surrounds it. Inside, Amy calls The Doctor, asking if his screwdriver is in his jacket. He says it's around somewhere as he pulls it out.
"Of course it was a diversion," Donna grumbled.
"I'm more concerned about the green mist outside the TARDIS," Jack noted as he narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't seem natural."
"Because it's not," Jane said darkly.
"And it's the same color as House," Wilf realized.
"So he's up to something. He's already drained the TARDIS of its soul, what else does he want?" Martha wondered and a dark look crossed Jane's face.
"A lot," Jane said and they all shot her confused looks before looking back at the screen, uneasy at what House would do next.
The Doctor turns on the screwdriver, telling them to have a good look. Amy and Rory look up as the TAARDIS doors close and lock. The Doctor pockets his screwdriver as Amy asks Rory if he locked the door. Rory says he didn't as he starts to look for the jacket.
"And now they're locked inside. This can only go well," Mickey said sarcastically.
"Not one of Dad's better moves," Jane agreed with a grimace.
"I'm more concerned with why House is locking the doors," Jack said as he narrowed his eyes. "Whatever he wants, it can only mean bad news for Amy and Rory, as well as The Doctor."
The Doctor is looking around when he hears a voice. Walking over to a curtain, he pulls it aside to reveal a cupboard. He scoffs at the idea of the Time Lords being in there but realizes the voices are coming from it. Opening it, he's shocked to see multiple cubes like the one he had received inside. The Doctor stares at the cubes as Uncle and Auntie walk up behind him. The Doctor compliments them on a job well done. "Really thought I had some friends here," he says.
"Spaceman," Donna said softly as they all stared at the screen, their hearts breaking for The Doctor.
"There never was another Time Lord. It was just to get The Doctor there," Wilf said sadly. "A trap."
"Whatever happens now, it's too good for any of them," Jack said icily.
The Doctor notes the Ood's translator sphere picked up the cries for help of long dead Time Lords. He turns around, asking them how many Time Lords have they lured here and what happened to them. Auntie fearfully says house is wise and kind. The Doctor snaps that he repairs them when he breaks, asking how House mends them. He scans them with his screwdriver. The Doctor notes Uncle's eyes are younger than the rest of him before knocking his hat off, noting his ears don't match either. He then points out Uncle's arms and legs don't match either, calling them patchwork people, who have been repaired so much there's unlikely anything left of what they used to be.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey breathed as the truth washed over them all.
"House lures Time Lords to the asteroid, kills them, cuts them up into pieces and then uses the pieces to 'repair' the others," Jack realized, all of them disgusted.
"Oi," Donna breathed looking ill.
"I think that sums it up. I've seen some awful things but this…" Martha trailed off, not having the words.
"This is beyond evil. It's nothing short of depraved," Jane said darkly.
Seeing the Corsair's mark on Auntie's arm, The Doctor grabs it as Auntie and Uncle tell him about the 'strapping big fella' it came from. They tell him which parts they got from him. "You gave me hope and then you took it away. That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it will do me," The Doctor says as they look at him fearfully. "Basically, run!"
There wasn't a single person who didn't feel a shiver of fear as they saw The Doctor in that moment. The Doctor was a man of principle and peace; sometimes you almost forgot that he was one of the most dangerous men in the universe if you made an enemy of him. But in moments like this, you remembered that loud and clear.
Auntie runs as Uncle tells The Doctor it's too late, as House is too clever. Uncle runs as Amy's phone rings. The Doctor answers it and Amy accuses him of lying to them. "Time Lord Stuff. I needed you out of the way," The Doctor says. Amy asks if they're not good enough for his Time Lord friends as The Doctor remembers Idris's warning about the box, wondering how she could have known.
"He's putting it together," Donna said in relief.
"Good. Then he start trying to figure out how to put the TARDIS back where it belongs," Martha said, trying to be optimistic.
"He still has House to deal with. And I don't think House is going to be an easy enemy to defeat," Jack noted uneasily.
"Well he did somehow, or we wouldn't be sitting here," Martha pointed out and Jack nodded, conceding her point.
Amy is confused as The Doctor tells them to stay where they are before hanging up. Amy looks at the phone in confusion as The Doctor runs up to Idris, asking how she knew about the cubes. She calls him her thief and he demands to know who she is. "It's about time," she says. As the green mist swirls around the TARDIS, Amy frets about The Doctor getting emotional and that it's bad. They hear a sound and Rory sees the mist out the window. "Yeah," he says as Amy turns to see it. "I think it probably is." Amy grumbles about hating being right.
"We all do," Jack said as they all eyed the screen uneasily.
"And here we go," Mickey muttered, knowing they were about to learn what exactly House was after.
The Doctor asks Idris who she is and she asks how he could not know her because they 'put me in here'. The Doctor argues they said she was dangerous. "Not the cage stupid. In here," Idris said as she put her hands on her face. "In here. I'm the…Oh, what do you call me?" She makes the sound of the TARDIS and The Doctor realizes she means she's the TARDIS. She agrees, rambling as she declares herself to be the TARDIS. The Doctor scoffs, calling her a 'bitey mad lady'. Idris rambles about how she was a museum piece when he was young. The Doctor remembers calling the TARDIS the most beautiful thing he had ever known when he first touched the console. "And then you stole me. And I stole you," Idris says. The Doctor, realizing the truth, says he borrowed her and Idris says that would mean he'd intended to return her.
"Like you were ever going to put the TARDIS back," Jack said with a grin.
"Knowing him, all of space and time at his disposal? Fat bloody chance," Martha laughed.
"At least he seems to believe her," Mickey said optimistically.
"Yeah, but what about Amy and Rory?" Wilf asked worriedly.
"What makes you think I would ever give you back?" Idris asks as The Doctor turns around. He marvels at the fact that she's his TARDIS and Idris calls him her Doctor, saying they've reached the part where he opens the lock. The Doctor, still shocked, pulls out his screwdriver and uses it to open the cage. She walks out and over to The Doctor. They stare at each other for a moment and Idris asks if all people are like this. "Like what?" "So much bigger on the inside," Idris says.
The tension broke momentarily as they all chuckled slightly.
"Now you know how we feel about you," Jack said with a laugh as he looked around at the TARDIS.
Idris rambles, trying to think of a word as The Doctor wonders why they would pull the soul of a TARDIS into a human body, wondering what House wants but Idris reveals House doesn't want her. "House eats TARDIS," she says, to his confusion. Idris explains it's something she heard The Doctor say in the future. Idris wonders about fish fingers as The Doctor asks when he says that and she says any second. The Doctor realizes House feeds on rift energy and a TARDIS is bursting with it, raw than processed. The Doctor begins craving fish fingers before getting back on track, arguing to eat a TARDIS would destroy you. "Unless, unless," The Doctor realizes. "Unless you deleted the TARDIS Matrix first," Idris finishes.
"So that's why he's been luring Time Lords to the asteroid, the TARDIS is his food source," Jack mused.
"Okay, but what's he doing to this TARDIS? Doesn't seem like he's eating it," Martha pointed out.
"Isn't it obvious? The Doctor told him there will be no more Time Lords," Donna pointed out.
"So now he's going to do something with the TARDIS to try and locate more food," Mickey realized.
"Brilliant," Martha said dryly.
Idris explains you can't delete a TARDIS Matrix without blowing a hole in the universe, which is why House pulled her from the TARDIS and placed her into Idris. Seeing the look on The Doctor's face, Idris realizes he was about to say all that but notes he doesn't have to now. Realizing he sent Amy and Rory into the TARDIS, The Doctor pulls out Amy's phone, frantically trying to call her, telling them to get out of there.
"A little late for that Boss," Mickey muttered as they looked at the screen uneasily, worried about Amy and Rory.
On the TARDIS, Amy answers the phone, telling The Doctor something is wrong. Rory is trying to open the doors but they won't budge. The Doctor tells Amy House is after the TARDIS and they need to get out. The green mist is seen going into the TARDIS roof.
"He's going to take control of it," Donna realized with a start.
"Can he even do that?" Martha wondered.
"As long as the TARDIS is without a soul, there's nothing stopping him," Jane said grimly.
"This could not get worse," Mickey declared and Donna was too worried to scold him.
Amy argues The Doctor locked them in but he reveals he unlocked it. "You stupid well haven't!" Amy snaps before the TARDIS is plunged into darkness for a moment. Amy tells The Doctor she doesn't like this as he reaches the TARDIS. He tries to use his screwdriver to open the doors but it doesn't work. Not receiving an answer from The Doctor, Amy hangs up the phone as the inside is plunged into darkness again. "OPEN THIS DOOR!" The Doctor snarls. Amy tells Rory to hold her hand as The Doctor beats on the doors, calling for Amy and Rory. He steps back as the TARDIS begins to take off, watching helplessly as it vanishes.
"And now Amy and Rory are alone with a hijacked TARDIS. This is bad," Martha said horrified.
"Doctor, you better have a plan," Jack muttered.
The Doctor calls Amy on her phone, asking if she can hear him but receiving no answer. "I really don't know what to do," The Doctor realizes. He smiles as he calls this a new feeling. He smacks himself before running off.
"Well he really doesn't seem to have one," Wilf pointed out, a bit surprised.
"That's usually when he does his best work," Jane said confidently.
"For Amy ad Rory's sake, I hope you so," Jack muttered.
As the TARDIS heads towards the portal from earlier, Amy and Rory hold hands inside. Rory tells her whatever happens, they're still together and in the TARDIS, so they're safe. "You're half right," House's voice suddenly says and they look around wildly. House says they're in the TARDIS, musing on why he hadn't done this half a million years ago. He asks Amy and Rory why he shouldn't kill them now.
"So we've reached the part where House is going to taunt Amy and Rory with how he can kill them at any moment," Jack noted grimly as the past viewers tensed.
"Why do all the evil aliens want to taunt everyone?" Donna groaned.
"Because people like them get their kicks from it. They want to show everyone how powerful they are," Martha said darkly. "But at least that will keep them alive until The Doctor can figure out a way to get everything back to normal."
"Which will be a comfort to Amy and Rory, I'm sure," Mickey said dryly.
The Doctor runs back to Idris, saying the TARDIS is gone. She asks if its eaten but he says it was hijacked. The Doctor wonders why as Auntie and Uncle begin taking their possessions, saying they need to go. The Doctor demands to know where they're going and Auntie says they're dying and it's time for them to 'pop off'. Uncle says he's against it but shrugs. Auntie says this is the Doctor's fault, as he told House his TARDIS was the last. They reveal House can't feed if there are no more TARDISes.
"Oh sure, blame him. It's not like you worked for an evil monster or anything," Donna grumbled angrily.
"I'm really not sure they have the mental capacity to understand exactly what they're doing. They seem…mentally challenged, at best," Martha mused.
"More than likely House took advantage of them and they were too dumb and scared to say no," Jack noted.
Donna grumbled under her breath but didn't say anything else. Because it was more than likely Jack and Martha were right, but she didn't have to like it.
Auntie says House is heading back to The Doctor's universe to find more TARDISes. The Doctor says he won't but Auntie says House will think of something. Auntie suddenly hunches over with a groan. The Doctor rushed over to Auntie, checking her over. She's dead. Uncle says he feels fine, standing up before falling to the floor, dead as well.
"Well that was unexpected," Mickey said as the past viewers looked confused.
"They just…died?" Wilf said in disbelief.
"House was keeping them alive so they could bring him TARDISes. But House doesn't need them anymore," Jack noted, not sure whether to feel sad or not.
"I'd feel sorry for them, but they were helping House," Martha noted, conflicted.
"They're dead now. It really doesn't matter one way or the other," Jane pointed out.
"Guess not," Donna muttered.
The Doctor shouts that they just can't die and Idris says they need to go where she landed. He asks why and Idris says they'll be there in three minutes. She starts to run out of the room before she suddenly groans. The Doctor asks what's wrong and Idris asks how long these bodies last. The Doctor quickly scans her and realizes she's dying.
"It's starting, her body is breaking down," Martha realized in horror.
"Brilliant. So now he's on a time limit as well," Donna groaned.
"This really cannot get worse," Mickey muttered.
"It can always get worse Mickey," Jane sighed. "So much worse."
Idris snaps that she doesn't belong in a flesh body and could 'blow a casing' any moment. Seeing his face, Idris tells The Doctor not to get emotional, pausing as she notes it's what the 'orangey girl' says. She tells The Doctor to focus. "On what? How? I'm a madman with a box without a box! I'm stuck down the plughole of the universe in a stupid old junkyard!" The Doctor snaps. The Doctor then gets an idea. Idris asks what and he says he's not. She asks what he's talking about and The Doctor explains it's not a junkyard, it's a TARDIS junkyard.
"With all the pieces of the TARDISes that House has eaten," Donna said as they all realized where The Doctor was going with this.
"So what, Boss is going to build a TARDIS out of the broken pieces of other TARDISes?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"They don't have time for that. Building a TARDIS took Time Lord Engineers months," Donna dismissed, remembering this tidbit of Time Lord knowledge.
"But Dad can use the pieces to build enough of a TARDIS to get him onto the TARDIS," Jane explained.
"That's mad," Martha said in disbelief.
"Just mad enough to work. Just The Doctor's style. I like it," Jack said with a smirk.
The Doctor urges Idris on, starting to run off when he pauses, asking if she has a name. "Seven hundred years, finally he asks," Idris says dryly. He asks what he calls her and she says he calls her sexy. "Only when we're alone," The Doctor says embarrassed. She points out they are alone. "Oh. Come on then, sexy," he says before grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room.
"Should River be jealous?" Martha joked as the tension broke slightly and they all laughed.
"Knowing River, she'd just tease Dad about it," Jane shrugged.
On the TARDIS, House muses he had so much to learn about his new home but notes Amy and Rory haven't answered his question. Rory asks about the question and House tells then to tell him why he shouldn't kill them. "Well, because…Rory, why?" Amy asks fearfully. Rory doesn't answer for a moment as he and Amy exchange a fearful look. After a moment, Rory says killing them quickly wouldn't be any fun. Amy looks at Rory incredulously as Rory says House needs fun, pointing out he kept Auntie and Uncle alive to make them suffer, saying he had a PE teacher just like House. "You need to be entertained, and killing us quickly wouldn't be entertainment," Rory says. "So entertain me. Run," House says. Amy and Rory quickly head up the stairs.
"That was either really smart or really clever, I can't figure out which yet," Martha noted.
"Knowing House, he probably always intended on hunting them. He just wanted to see what they would do," Jane said darkly.
"Beings like House do seem to get off on psychologically torturing their victims before killing," Jack noted grimly.
"Spaceman, whatever you're going to do, hurry," Donna pleaded worriedly.
The Doctor and Idris roam the graveyard, The Doctor using his screwdriver. They head towards the edge of a cliff, overlooking the remains of the TARDISes that House had destroyed. The Doctor asks if Idris is thinking what he's thinking. "I'm thinking that all of my sisters are dead, that they were devoured and we're looking at their corpses," Idris says sadly.
"Well when she puts it like that…" Mickey said awkwardly.
"In a way, she's like The Doctor, the last of her kind," Wilf noted sadly.
"Poor TARDIS," Donna said sadly, feeling bad for her.
"I think that sums it up Donna," Jack said wearily, relating to the feeling all too well.
The Doctor apologizes, saying he wasn't thinking that. Idris says he was thinking he could build a working TARDIS console out of broken pieces of a hundred different models and he doesn't care if it's impossible. The Doctor argues it's not impossible if they're alive. "Amy and Rory need me. So yeah, we're going to build a TARDIS," The Doctor says before heading into the TARDIS graveyard.
"Never underestimate The Doctor when people he cares about are in danger," Jack mused.
"Usually the worst mistake you can make," Jane agreed, almost shuttering as she thought of when The Silence had taken Amy.
Amy and Rory are running down a corridor on the TARDIS when House asks if they're having fun yet, enjoying the sensation of having them run around inside him. Amy suddenly screams, nearly falling into a hole that opened up in front of her. Rory pulls her back as House warns them to be careful, as he's turned off the corridor anti-gravity. Amy and Rory carefully use the walls to climb around the hole to the next corridor. Amy jumps inside before helping Rory in. They then run down the corridor.
"That was a close one," Martha noted uneasily.
"I have a feeling it's just getting started. With the TARDIS at his disposal, there's no limit to what House can do to Amy and Rory," Jack said darkly and the past viewers looked at the screen uneasily.
"Hurry Doctor," Donna said uneasily.
In the TARDIS graveyard, The Doctor and Idris bicker, The Doctor saying he knows what he's doing and Idris calling him a nine year old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom. She accuses him of never reading the instructions, which The Doctor denies. Idris asks him what the sign on her door says but The Doctor argues that's not instructions. She says there are instructions at the bottom, asking him what it says. "Pull to open," The Doctor says. She asks what he does and he says he pushes. She lectures him about how police doors open and he snaps he can open his front doors anyway he wants. She asks him if he realizes how childish he sounds and he snaps she's not his mother, which she counters that he's not her child.
"Oi! Would you two stop bickering like an old married couple! Amy and Rory need you!" Donna snapped angrily.
"After seven centuries, I guess they have a lot of issues to work through now that they can finally talk," Martha mused.
The Doctor angrily says she's not reliable. She accuses him of not being reliable and The Doctor argues she doesn't always take him where he wants to go. "No, but I always took you where you needed to go," Idris says.
"So wait, you mean all those times the TARDIS took us to the wrong place it was because it knew he needed to go there?" Martha asked in disbelief.
"The TARDIS is smarter than I thought," Mickey muttered in surprise.
"Huh. Feel kind of bad about all the jokes about The Doctor being a bad driver now," Jack mused.
"At least you only joked behind his back," Donna muttered, wincing as she remembered teasing him about it.
The Doctor admits she did before excitedly asking if it would be amazing if they could always talk. Idris points out she's not constructed that way. "I exist around all time and space and you talk and run around and bring home strays," Idris says. She doubles over, almost falling and The Doctor catches her. He asks if she's oaky and Idris says one of her kidneys has already failed, to The Doctor's alarm.
"They're running out of time," Jack said as they all eyed the screen uneasily.
"Well then they better bloody well stop wasting it!" Donna snapped worriedly.
Idris says they need to finish the console and he notes it won't be easy or safe without a proper shell. Idris reveals she has only 18 minutes left in this body and the universe they're in will reach absolute zero in three hours. "Safe is relative," she says. The Doctor says they need to get a move on, beginning to drag the piece of TARDIS he'd been working on. On the TARDIS, Amy and Rory are running down a corridor. Amy runs through a door but it closes before Rory can follow her. Hearing Rory's shout, Amy turns around and is horrified.
"And now House is separating them. This really is getting worse," Mickey said with a groan.
"He's playing mind games with them. Like Rory said, he wants entertainment," Jane said darkly.
"And beings like him always seem to get their kicks out of torturing people," Donna said in disgust.
They both begin beating on the door, trying to open it. Rory begins trying to open it as, on the other side, Amy hears a voice calling out to her. She turns around and runs down the corridor to find Rory sitting on the floor. Getting up, he demands to know where she's been. She says she just lost him but Rory reveals it's been hours.
"What? Is that even possible?" Martha asked in surprise.
"Says the woman who's on a time machine from another planet. Anything is possible on the TARDIS. Just not sure what House gains from separating them for hours," Jack mused and Jane grimaced.
"Wait for it," she said darkly.
Amy realizes its House, messing with the TARDIS. She leads him down the corridor but once again, Rory is locked out by the door.
"Oh Bloody Hell!" Mickey snapped as they all groaned.
"They need to come up with another plan or they're going to keep getting separated," Martha said with a sigh.
"Which will get them nowhere," Jack said grimly, hoping they could find a way out of this until The Doctor could get there.
The Doctor and Idris are constructing the TARDIS console when Idris asks if he knows why she chose him all those years ago. The Doctor says he chose her, as she was unlocked. "Of course I was. I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And you were the only one mad enough," Idris reveals.
"So the TARDIS wanted to get away from Gallifrey as much as The Doctor," Martha mused.
"They truly are kindred spirits," Wilf said in surprise.
"What a pair they make," Donna said with a slight laugh.
The Doctor rushes over to her, showing the console and asking what could go wrong. A piece then falls off the console. The Doctor says this always happens before grabbing a piece of equipment.
"Not exactly instilling confidence Boss," Mickey muttered.
"Considering he's with the person who probably knows him best, have to disagree," Jack said. "Those two always find a way out of these things. And we know they did, so whatever they're about to do works."
"I really hope you're right Jack," Martha muttered, not feeling very confident.
On the TARDIS, Amy is walking the corridors, looking for Rory. Hearing someone call out to her, she turns around, finding an old man with beard and hair grown out all over his head. Amy is stunned to realize its Rory.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey breathed as they all stared at the screen in horror.
"That's why it took longer. So Rory would…" Martha trailed off, horrified.
"This is how House gets his kicks?" Donna asked horrified.
"Apparently," Jack said darkly.
"Good Lord," Wilf whispered.
Rory demands to know how she could leave him. Shocked, Amy asks how long he's been here. "Two thousand years I waited for you! And you did it to me again!" Rory snarls. Amy apologizes, saying she didn't mean to leave him. Angrily, he lungs for her. Amy jumps away, falling on her back. She asks what he's doing. "They come for me at night. Every single night, they come for me and they hurt me. Amy, they hurt me over and over and over," he sobs. She begins to crawl towards him and he angrily demands to know how she could leave him. She jumps up; backing away in fear as Rory angrily asks how she could do that to him before the doors close on him again.
No one said a word, watching the screen in shock and horror. To see Rory reduced to something so bitter and angry was not easy for any of them to watch.
Jane grimaced, thinking of Appalachia. It was like House was taunting Amy without her even knowing.
In the junkyard, Idris places a hanger on the console before she and The Doctor places what seems to be a red rope around it. The Doctor tries to turn it on but, to his dismay, it won't go. Idris feels her face as The Doctor gets to work, saying he's going to divert all power to the thrust. However, there is a small explosion of sparks.
"Great, so Boss's luck with TARDISes doesn't depend on the model, he's shotty at it on all of them," Mickey groaned and Jane smiled, freeing herself from her dark thoughts.
"Wait for it Mickey," she said mysteriously.
Idris asks what's wrong. "It can't hold a charge. It can't even start. There's no power!" The Doctor snaps. Noticing Idris is looking at herself in the mirror as she plays with her lips; The Doctor moves it away, saying he's got nothing. "Oh, my beautiful idiot. You have what you've always had. You've got me," Idris say. She puts a hand to her lips and the tips begin glowing with energy. She puts it to the console and it rocks as it begins to take off. A sphere of energy surrounds them before they vanish with the console.
"It just needed a bit of Time Lord power," Jack said in relief.
"Now they can get back to the TARDIS, get rid of House, and hopefully undo what happened to Rory," Martha said, trying to be optimistic.
"Let's take it one step at a time, it's probably not going to be that easy," Mickey said as he narrowed his eyes.
On the TARDIS, Amy cautiously moves down a corridor, seeing 'kill Amy' painted in red and black on the walls. Rounding a corner, she finds a body, long since decayed, leaning against the wall. Realizing its Rory, she wails in despair.
"No," Donna whispered as the past viewers stared at the screen in horror.
"Rory," Martha said horrified.
"All that they went through to find each other again…it was all for nothing," Wilf said in horror.
"Just wait," Jane assured them, having had the same reaction the first time watching it herself.
Amy sinks to her knees as she sobs, apologizing to Rory. Behind her, Rory, young again, walks up behind her. "Amy?" She looks behind her wildly, shocked to see him. Turning back to old Rory, she finds his body is gone, along with all the writing on the wall.
"What?" Mickey asked as the past viewers went from horrified to confused.
"House," Jack realized almost instantly. "It's messing with Amy and Rory's minds."
"That vile!" Donna snarled angrily, not having an insult that felt good enough.
"House is evil. Let's leave it at that," Martha said darkly, as angry as Donna for what Amy had been put through.
Amy quickly rushes to Rory, throwing her arms around him. Rory says House is messing with their heads and they run down the corridor. The Doctor and Idris follow the TARDIS throw the portal, Idris saying they've locked o but the shields will need to lower when they're close enough to phase inside. The Doctor asks if she can get a message to Amy, as the telepathic circuits are offline. Idris asks if Amy is the pretty one. On the TARDIS, Amy and Rory are climbing a ladder when Rory cries out, grabbing her head. He tells Amy he's getting a message.
"Apparently the TARDIS likes Rory," Donna amused as Mickey snickered.
"I can see that," Jack said with a flirtatious, slightly perverted smirk.
"You would," Martha said in exasperation.
Rory sees Idris, who greets him as 'Pretty'. Rory wonders who she is when The Doctor appears in his message, saying it's a telepathic message. The Doctor tells Idris that's Rory and she tells Rory to go to the old control room, saying she'll put the route in his head. She explains to him how to lower the shields as The Doctor realizes Rory is the pretty one. Idris explains they have 12 seconds before the room goes into phase with House and she'll send him the passkey when he gets there. She wishes him good luck before the message ends.
"Well, at least now they have a plan," Donna said optimistically.
"House won't make it easy for them though. They need to do this fast. And be very lucky," Jack said grimly. "And luck has never been something we companions are known for."
"Well now is as good a time as any to start," Martha said.
Rory explains it was 'that mad woman' and The Doctor, telling Amy they need to keep going. As they fly the console, The Doctor asks how they can lower the shields with House in the control room. Idris says she directed Rory to one of the old control rooms. The Doctor says the old control rooms are all deleted or remodeled but Idris reveals she achieves them and there are about 30. The Doctor protests he's only changed the desktop a dozen times and that she can't archive something that hasn't happened yet. "You can't," Idris says.
"Would you stop whining and just be grateful! This is not the time Spaceman!" Donna snapped.
"You know The Doctor, can't handle something if it contradicts his beliefs," Jack shrugged.
"Tell me about it," Martha said dryly.
On the TARDIS, Amy and Rory are running when Amy suddenly stops, thinking the lights have gone out. But Rory says the lights are fine as its revealed House is tricking her.
"He can take away their sight as well? You know what, of course he can," Donna said, not even surprised.
"Brilliant time for him to pull this trick," Martha groaned as they all tensed.
"Looks like it's up to Rory now," Wilf noted.
"Come on Rory," Mickey said softly.
Seeing a green glow up ahead, Rory tells Amy to stay there before walking ahead. She complains about hardly being able to see as Rory rounds the corner. Rory cries out and Amy calls out to him. What seems to be Rory says he's fine, telling Amy to come towards his voice. She begins following Rory's voice, asking what happened. Rory's voice claims he just banged his head as Amy passes Rory's unconscious form on the floor.
"And today is apparently not that day," Jack said with a sigh as they all groaned.
"Well, a girl can hope, can't she?" Martha asked dryly.
Rory's voice tells Amy to reach out her hand. She does, grabbing a hold of Nephew's beard. He opens his glowing eyes and Amy screams. She backs away as Rory runs up behind her. He grabs her, directing her towards another direction and they run, Nephew following them. "Again! You're doing it you sexy thing!" The Doctor says as he and Idris continue to fly the console. Idris asks if that's her name and he says it is. They are then thrown against a wall as the console spins out of control.
"Stop flirting with a machine and get to Amy and Rory Spaceman!" Donna snapped.
"I think they're about to do that," Jack noted.
"I bloody hope so," Donna grumbled as they all watched tense.
On the TARDIS, Amy says she can see now as Rory says it was Nephew doing that when they reach a locked door. Rory says this is where Idris said to go. Rory suddenly cries, putting a hand to his head as he receives another message. Amy puts her arms around Rory as he sees Idris. "Crimson. Eleven. Delight. Petrichor," she says. Rory wonders if they say it. He does but nothing happens.
"And that was as helpful as a Dalek," Mickey said sarcastically.
"They're missing something. But what?" Martha wondered uneasily as they felt the tension rising.
Rory tries to pry open the door as Amy remembers Idris telling Rory what Petrichor meant when they first met. Amy realizes it's the meaning, not the word. Rory is confused as Amy realizes the TARDIS interface is telepathic, so they think the words, not say them. Rory see Nephew round the corner, warning Amy as she begins whispering the words. Images are seen as she speaks: a red cape, a birthday cake, Amy laughing at her and Rory's wedding reception, and a drop of water hitting dust. The doors open and they rush inside.
"Oh thank heavens," Wilf said as they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"This is getting too close for comfort," Martha muttered as she put a hand to her chest.
"Tell me about it," Donna grumbled.
They inside the control room previously used by The Doctor as Amy wonders what it is.
"Oh that room," Jack said as everyone but Wilf and Jane eyed the screen wistfully.
"We had some good times there," Martha mused.
"The best," Donna agreed with a sad smile.
Amy turns on the lights and Rory quickly begins lowering the shields. In the console, Idris informs The Doctor that the shields are lowered. They begin heading towards the TARDIS as House asks how Amy and Rory found the control room. He says he'd hoped they would join Nephew as his servants. "But you two are nothing but trouble," House says as the door opens and Nephew walks in.
"Hurry up Spaceman!" Donna snapped as the past viewers looked at the screen uneasily.
House orders Nephew to kill them. They back away as Nephew nears them before Rory cries out, grabbing his head. Idris tells him they're coming, so to get out of the way or they'll be atomized. Rory asks where they're coming through and Idris tells him she doesn't know. Rory sarcastically thanks her as Idris tells The Doctor it won't hold. Amy and Rory hide behind a pillar as The Doctor's make-shift console begins to materialize in the control room. The Doctor and Idris fall onto the floor once it has.
"Ask and you shall receive," Jane quipped as the past viewers almost collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Amy greets The Doctor and he gets up, the two hugging. "Not good at all," Idris says. The Doctor then helps Idris to her feet as she wonders how humans walk around. The Doctor tells her to hold on before telling Amy that Idris is his TARDIS, awkwardly explaining she's also a woman. Amy is stunned, asking if he wished really hard. Embarrassed, he tells her it wasn't like that as Idris stands up, introducing herself as Sexy, embarrassing The Doctor.
"You sure about that Boss?" Mickey joked as the past viewers all laughed, letting the tension break for a moment.
The Doctor it's not like that as House says the environment has been breached. House orders Nephew to kill them and they look around. Nephew isn't there. Amy says he was standing where The Doctor and Idris materialized and The Doctor reveals Nephew was redistributed. Rory asks what that means and The Doctor says they're breathing him, to Amy and Rory's disgust.
"Ew," Martha said as the past viewers all looked a little green, save Jack.
"There are far more disgusting things out there," Jack shrugged.
"I really don't want to know," Donna declared.
The Doctor sadly calls Nephew another Ood he failed to save as House greets him, saying he didn't expect him. "Well that's me all over, isn't it? Lovely old unexpected me," The Doctor says as he begins walking around the room. "The big question is how to dispose of you. I could play with gravity," House said and the four of them fell to the floor as the gravity increased. The gravity returned to normal and they sat up. Idris slumped over and Rory moved to check on her. "Or I could evaporate the air from this room and watch you choke," House says as they all begin gasping as the air leaves the room. The Doctor warns House he doesn't want to do that.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with, you faceless coward," Donna sneered.
"Okay, now you're sounding like him," Martha said as she looked back and forth between Donna and Jane.
"Probably an effect of the Time Lord knowledge that was in her head," Jane mused and Donna rolled her eyes.
"Beginning to hate that," Donna grumbled.
House asks why he shouldn't kill them and The Doctor says he won't be able to help him. The Doctor points out House doesn't have the thrust and he's the only hope House has of getting into his universe. The Doctor bargains that he'll help him if he promises not to kill them.
"He can't be that daft," Donna said as she, Wilf Martha and Mickey stared at the screen in disbelief.
"No, but he is that smart," Jack mused. "If we know one thing about The Doctor, it's that he almost always has a plan. I'm guessing this is part of it."
"Really hope so. Otherwise, there's nothing anyone can do to stop House," Martha muttered uneasily.
Amy asks if he's serious and The Doctor says he is. Rory tells The Doctor Idris is burning up and he and Amy moved over to them. The Doctor assured Idris it'll be over soon. Idris says she always liked it when he called her 'old girl'.
"She doesn't have much time left," Martha said uneasily.
"Whatever you're going to do Doctor, do it fast," Wilf pleaded softly.
House promises not to kill them and The Doctor claims he trusts House. The Doctor tells him to free up thirty percent of TARDIS rooms and he'll have enough thrust to make it through the portal. "Activate sub-routine sigma nine," The Doctor says. House wonders why The Doctor would tell him this and he says they want to get back to their universe as badly as House. "And I'm nice," The Doctor adds. House then decided to delete this room first.
"The Doctor had to know he would do that. So why tell him?" Martha wondered, not understanding and Jane smiled slightly.
"Just a minute."
Amy and Rory look at each other alarmed as House wishes them all goodbye. The room flashes as, outside, the TARDIS stops spinning, exiting the portal. At the console, the group appears and The Doctor reveals that won't work. The Doctor says it's a failsafe; living things from deleted rooms are automatically taken to the main control room.
"Okay, so he survived that. But that still leaves them with House and a dying TARDIS matrix," Donna muttered.
"Well House was stopped somehow, so let's watch and find out," Jack said as they all watched, curious as to how The Doctor got out of this one.
House points out they are in his universe now and he can kill them anywhere. He tells The Doctor to fear him, as he's killed hundreds of Time Lords. "Fear me. I've killed all of them," The Doctor says. Idris whispers something in Rory's ear as The Doctor declares House has won, asking him to allow them to congratulate House on being a worthy opponent, He begins to clap, Amy quickly following his lead. As Idris seems to die, The Doctor declares House has defeated the TARDIS matrix. He tells House to look at her as Rory says Idris has stopped breathing.
"So why doesn't Boss seem that alarmed," Mickey muttered, as confused as Donna.
"Because he knows something House doesn't. No one knows a TARDIS like Dad," Jane said with a smile. "Just a few seconds more and it'll make sense."
The Doctor says a human body can't live with the TARDIS matrix inside and House asks if The Doctor thinks he should mourn her. "No, I think you should be very, very careful about what you let back into this control room. You took her from her home," The Doctor says as orange energy rises out of Idris's mouth. "But now she's back in the box again and she's free." Realizing The Doctor's plan, House pleads with him to stop it as the energy heads over to the console. House cries out as The Doctor laughs. "There's my girl, look at her go. Bigger on the inside!"
"Of course. If the human body died in the control room, the matrix would have nowhere to go but back into the heart of the TARDIS," Jack laughed as he realized The Doctor's plan.
"Meaning House gets pushed out, with no food," Donna realized as they all began to smile.
"No more than he deserves," Mickey said darkly.
House pleads with The Doctor to make her stop as The Doctor says he may be the size of a planet, but House is small on the inside. The Doctor tells the TARDIS to finish House off and the lights go out before House cries out in pain once more. The lights come on, the TARDIS returned to normal.
"And that's the end of him," Martha said, feeling a little vindictive.
"And it still too good for him," Donna said darkly.
"Doctor? Are you there?" he turns to see Idris standing, glowing with energy. "It's so very dark in here." The Doctor walks over to her, saying he's here. "I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word but so sad. I've found it now," Idris says. The Doctor asks what word. "Alive. I'm alive," she says. The Doctor says alive isn't sad but she says it's sad when it's over. Idris says she'll always be here but this was when they talked and now it's come to an end.
"They spent so much time together…but they were never really able to communicate," Martha said as they stared at the screen sadly.
"To love someone so much, but not be able to talk to them…I really can't imagine it," Donna said softly.
"I don't think it's something any of us can relate to," Jack noted, all of them feeling sad for The Doctor.
"There's something I wanted to say to you," Idris says. "Goodbye?" The Doctor guessed lowly. "No. I just wanted to say hello," Idris says. "Hello Doctor. It's so very, very nice to meet you." They both begin to cry, The Doctor saying he doesn't want her to go. Idris leans back, the sound of the TARDIS taking off being heard. She glows brightly, Amy and Rory having to avert their eyes before she vanishes. The Doctor stares at the spot where she vanished sadly. "Where?" he says before he sniffs, turning back to the console. Amy and Rory watch awkwardly as The Doctor stares at the console sadly as the TARDIS begins moving again.
"Oh Spaceman," Donna said softly as they all stared at the screen, their sympathy going out to The Doctor.
Later, The Doctor is under the console, putting a firewall around the matrix. Rory asks how it's going and he says he's almost done. Amy asks if he'll make her talk but The Doctor says he can't. Rory asks why not and Amy says it's spacey-wacey. The Doctor begins to give a long winded explanation when Rory grabs a wire and it sparks. "Yes, it's spacey-wacey!" The Doctor snaps. Rory apologizes and says Idris kept repeating something at the end. The Doctor asks what she sad. "The only water in the forest is the river," Rory says. "She said we'd need to know that someday."
"Huh?" Donna said as the past viewers looked confused.
"Spoilers," Jane said with a smile. "It'll make sense in a few recordings."
That had confused her as well upon her first viewing. But once learning who River was, she understood what the TARDIS had been trying to tell Rory.
"Really beginning to hate that word," Martha muttered almost to herself.
Rory says it doesn't make sense and The Doctor says it doesn't yet. Seeing Rory's face, The Doctor asks if he's okay. Rory says no, he watched her die, confused on why he's letting it get to him, as he's a nurse. The Doctor calls this being alive, which is the best thing there is.
"Without death, life would have no meaning," Wilf noted and Jack smiled tightly.
"Right you are Wilf. Right you are," Jack said softly, a hollow feeling filling him.
The Doctor says it'll be two more minutes and asks the TARDIS where they should take the kids this time. Amy notes it's always the two of them, long after the rest are gone. "A boy and his box off to see the universe," Amy notes. "You say that like it's a bad thing. But honestly, it's the best thing there is," The Doctor says. The matrix sparks and The Doctor says House deleted all the bedrooms, offering to make Amy and Rory a new one. Amy asks if they could lose the bunk bed and The Doctor declares bunk beds are cool.
"Now bunk beds? Okay, why could I not have met this version of you Doctor?" Jack asked with a laugh.
"Seems like it would have been a lot more fun with him around, as much as I love our Doctor," Donna agreed with a laugh.
"Well, to be fair, I think being with you lot helped prepare Dad so he could be this version," Jane mused.
"Perhaps. We carry our experiences with us and eventually, they make us the best versions of ourselves," Wilf said wisely.
"Indeed they do Wilf," Jack said as he nodded at the older man.
Seeing Amy and Rory are annoyed, The Doctor says it's their room and to walk until they find it. Amy and Rory head up the stairs, Rory pausing to ask if The Doctor has a room. Amy drags Rory up the stairs as The Doctor puts tow wires together. They spark and the TARDIS is shown jolting in space. After finishing his work, The Doctor is shown at the console. "Are you there?" he asks. "Are you there?" Not receiving an answer, The Doctor calls himself silly and says it's time to head to the Eye of Orion or wherever they need to go. The Doctor is shocked as the level is pulled by itself. He smiles, saying hello before laughing as the TARDIS begins taking off.
"Well that one was…interesting," Jack said as the screen went black.
"We don't really get one that explores the TARDIS as much again, so interesting is probably the best word to describe it," Jane nodded.
"You two really have been through a lot, haven't you?" Martha said as she looked around at the TARDIS. "You want to save him as much as we do, don't you?"
The TARDIS didn't respond, but they all got a feeling Martha was right. Silently, they turned back to the screen as the next recording started.
And that's the end of that one. It's an overrated episode IMO, but still a great one.