A/N: "Fear has two meanings: Forget everything and run, or face everything and rise. The choice is yours." – Zig Ziglar

This is a very climactic scene and ends on a major cliffhanger.

Chapter 32: Face Everything and Rise

"We're getting close," I say after several minutes of walking through the sewers as I put my sonic screwdriver away, having gotten my bearings of the area from the last time I came through with Jenny. "At this point I know how to get to the ship without the sonic."

"Ah, so you've been on the ship before," Mom says with a nod as she follows closely behind me with her hand hovering over her holster in case any Daleks pop out unexpectedly.

I shrug. "Yeah, I…sorta got captured. At the time, I planned to get captured in Dad's place so he wouldn't have to come here. But it didn't seem to make much of a difference, since I…" I pause, feeling guilty about being responsible for the aliens finding and capturing Dad, especially when I didn't have any control of my 'mutt' form. Needless to say, if I had, I'd have lured them on another path away from Dad—literally anywhere else that wasn't Number 13, Paternoster Row. "Uh…since they got him anyway," I say instead. I also feel guilty for not attacking the aliens right when I saw them bring Dad into the ship as Jenny and I were escaping, as this would've prevented the War from happening and destroying Earth. "Anyway, the portal is just around this corner at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully Vastra, Strax, and Jenny are already there." We round a corner, and, luckily, I see the trio at the end of the tunnel, seemingly waiting for us. "Oh, good, they are! Hey, guys! Wait up!" We rush to catch up, our feet splashing loudly in the murky puddles.

"Nova!" Vastra exclaims upon seeing us. "Thank the Goddess you're alright!"

"You scared the hell out of us, Nova!" Jenny exclaims with equal relief. "We thought you weren't going to return! What happened? Why did you have us go without you?"

"You betrayed my loyalty!" Strax says angrily, his armor still dripping in water. I fight myself not to gag at the foul stench that is emanating off of him. "Because of this, I am saturated in this putrid stench! I should destroy you for this injustice!"

Yeah, like I give a crap—pun intended, I think, rolling my eyes. Instead, I say out loud, "Guys, chill! I'm totally fine! I'm sorry I abandoned you guys; it wasn't intentional, at least at first. I suddenly got held up in something, but I took care of it, so I'm here now." I then gesture to my mother. "On the plus side, Mom's here, so now we have an extra team member." Sort of, I say in my head, as it's unclear as to which side Mom is truly on. Honestly, I'm still under the impression that the Vokanari are speaking through Mom; in which case, we now have two threats to deal with. Lucky us.

"What exactly 'held you up,' may I ask?" Vastra asks with a raised eyebrow. She then turns to Mom and says, "On a side note, always a pleasure to see you again, Professor Song."

"Likewise, Madame Vastra, Jenny, Strax," she replies with a sincere nod.

"It doesn't matter," I say, shaking my head. "It won't be a problem anymore. Saving Dad is all that matters right now."

"Yes, I, too, am very worried for my husband," Mom says in agreement. "Nova brought me up to speed on your situation, and I'm here to help in any way that I can."

I raise a skeptical eyebrow at this, knowing her statement to be half-true. Not that I know for sure that the Vokanari have truly taken over her mind, but if they have—and there's a ninety-percent chance that they have—they are only here for one thing, and one thing only: my father. Of course, they made Mom say that to make it look as if there is absolutely nothing wrong about her, but I know different. Though, at the same time, that is something that I feel my real mother would say, but as I said many times now, who can really tell?

"You called her here?" Vastra says, though I can't tell if her tone is one of impression or disapproval.

"Uh…not exactly," I say, giving an uncertain sideways glance at my mother. "She…uh…"

'She was actually sent here by the Vokanari, because, apparently, they captured her and brainwashed her onto their side—again!' I want to say, but I don't know how; not just because I think they won't believe me but because I'm ninety-percent sure the Vokanari are listening. In which case, if they discover that I'm on to them, they'll make Mom turn on us and do something terrible to us; or worse, they'll do something terrible to Mom.

God, why didn't I tell them before? I chastise myself. I had planned to tell them with Dad as further proof of my 'mind-projection' ability when talking about Jenny's captivity, but I never got around to it, since our focus eventually stuck on Jenny and how to free her; that, and we never thought Mom would actually show up to help us, as at the time the chances of that happening were slim to none.

Seemingly sensing that I'm trying to explain her brainwashing without actually explaining it, Mom speaks up and says with a shrug, "I sensed that my husband and daughter were in serious danger, so I came to help."

Again…half-true.

"But how did you know they'd be here with us?" Jenny asks seemingly suspiciously. She frowns at Mom like she also senses something not right about her.

But I'm not going to let Mom—or whoever she really is mentally—off the hook that easily; not without a proper explanation. "Yeah, that's one thing I still don't understand," I say. "You didn't really say how you were able to find us here. You didn't just happen to find us by chance; knowing you, that's a longshot." Of course, if the Vokanari truly are listening through Mom—and, honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they were—I just said that to prevent them from getting suspicious of the fact that I know everything that they've done to her.

"I told you, sweetie," she says with a shrug, "I'm always able to sense where you are. It's not difficult for me to find your father, whether he calls me or not. And anyway, it doesn't matter how I found you. Your father is in serious trouble, as is the entire planet, and we need to help him."

"Right you are, Professor," Vastra nods in agreement, taking Mom's side. "We're wasting enough time as it is. We must proceed without further delays."

I sigh in irritation. Well, if we're letting Mom join us—and at this point we don't exactly have a choice—we might as well give her a role; of course, one that keeps her as far away from Dad as humanly possible. "Mom can help Jenny get everyone off the ship, while Strax and I find Dad," I suggest, and I pray to God that everyone agrees—for Dad's sake, as the Vokanari are obviously still determined to see him dead.

And, just my luck, they don't. Well, except for one person (no surprise, it would be him!). "It would be my honor to assist you, mighty Nova!" Strax says proudly before glaring at me and saying, "However, I still do not appreciate the fact that you betrayed my trust in you! Should I see you double-cross me again, I shall blow you to the end of the galaxy!"

"Noted," I say with a raised eyebrow, again not having a care in the universe about that.

"Ah, if I might make a suggestion, young one," Vastra speaks up, "I believe that you would be much safer with Professor Song than with Strax."

I sigh. Ugh, I knew she was going to say that.

"But, Madam—" Strax attempts to protest, but Vastra refuses to listen.

"Shut up, Strax!" she says, and I really wish she'd let Strax speak, as I believe he—even with his dimwittedness—may also sense something off with Mom. In all honesty, and I hate myself for admitting it, I feel much more comfortable right now with Strax than with Mom, anyway. "She is your mother, after all," Vastra continues, "so that makes her a better candidate. A mother should never have to be separated from her child."

"As should a wife never be separated from her spouse," Jenny adds with a smile toward Vastra, her spouse.

As true as Vastra's and Jenny's statements are, another thing I hate to admit is that River isn't actually my mother. Not completely, anyway. Physically, yes; mentally, no—well, mostly no.

"Go with your mother," Vastra encourages me. "Save your father together. He would be thrilled to be reunited with his family."

I sigh. "Fine. Let's go." Even though my statement must've sounded snooty to everyone, I didn't mean to sound that way; this situation is just very complicated, and I feel as if I'm completely out of options, which is the absolute worst feeling, especially at this time. If the Paternoster Gang knew of Mom's current condition, they'd take my side in a heartbeat and refuse to allow Mom to help me; and, of course, I didn't tell them when I should've, and I regret it immensely.

I push past the group and continue down the tunnel, where I see the entrance to the ship. "Okay, here's the entrance," I say as I approach the opening when I suddenly pause, seeing a strange shimmering in the wall to the left of the portal. "Whoa, look at that. The wall…it's shimmering." I kneel down and examine the shimmering more closely. "Are y'all seeing this?" Surely, everyone else must see it too, right?

"There is nothing shimmering on the wall, my dear," Vastra says, shaking her head. "It is just damp from the drainage."

I frown at this. What? How can you not see this? It's practically clear as day!

"No, she's right," Jenny says, disagreeing with her wife. "There is something there…or, there used to be. Did they cover it back up?"

"I see it," Mom says, and I realize that it must be for Time Lord eyes only. "It must be a perception filter. Use your sonic screwdriver, Nova."

I do exactly what she says, using my screwdriver, and, sure enough, the 'wall' disappears, revealing a hidden alcove with a strange object in the small space that appears to be wireless and pulses with energy.

"See?" Jenny nods. "I knew there was something there. They've hidden it."

"Whoa!" I say in amazement. "That's so cool; a hidden wall! What's that thing in the back? It looks like some kind of beacon."

"It's the device that keeps the force field active around the entire planet," Jenny explains. "The Shadow Demons must've set it up ages ago, before they kidnapped me."

"You knew it was here this whole time?" I frown at her, puzzled as to why she didn't think to tell me before, when we were escaping the ship the first time.

"I'm sorry, Nova," she says shamefully. "I honestly forgot about it. I was so anxious to escape that I didn't even think about it until just now."

"That's okay," I say, shaking my head. "We'll deactivate it right now. Hopefully this'll stop the fears once and for all." I stand up and prepare to sonic the beacon.

Before I do, Jenny speaks up again, placing a concerned hand on my shoulder. "Wait! Is this a good idea? What if sonicking it will do more harm than good?"

"We don't have a choice!" I say with a shrug. "The longer this thing is active, the more lives are being lost! We need to shut this thing down now!" I turn back to the beacon, ignoring any and all further protests, even from Mom.

"Nova, wait—" she says as I press the button on the screwdriver, willing it to deactivate the beacon; but, instead, it sends a shower of sparks into the air, blinding all of us.

Once the sparks settle, I glance back at the beacon. "Did that do anything?" I ask hopefully.

Vastra steps forward and kneels close to the beacon, which is still pulsing with energy. "No," she confirms in the negative. "The device is still active."

"What if we destroy it?" Jenny suggests. "You know, snap it in half, or something?"

"Allow me, Madam," Strax says, stepping forward. "If I die, it shall be an honorable death!"

"Strax, be careful!" Jenny says. "I don't want you to die too soon."

"Don't worry about me, boy!" the Sontaran assures her. "Nothing can penetrate through this armor!"

"Need I remind you that you once got stabbed in the back with a sword," Vastra points out as she stands up and steps back with the rest of us.

"That monk simply had lucky aim!" he shrugs, and I can't help but wonder why a monk would cause harm to anyone—unless it was part of some freakish cult, or something. "I've upgraded my armor since then to ensure that it never happens again!"

"There's no guarantee your armor will save you from electrocution," Vastra says in an obvious tone. "Perhaps we shou—"

Of course, the idiotic Sontaran decides not to listen to his friends and goes about touching the beacon, only to be shocked with an electric charge and pushed backwards by the sudden burst.

"Strax!" Jenny cries in alarm. "Are you alright?"

"Hands off, boy!" Strax growls, pushing her away. "I haven't been defeated yet!" He then raises his gun and shoots at the beacon, only for the beams to hit an invisible force field protecting the beacon.

I roll my eyes, groaning, "Ugh, it's protected by a force field?! Of course it is; why wouldn't it be?"

"Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way, eh?" Mom smirks, and I can't tell if it's an evil smirk or a genuine 'Mom' smirk. "This should be exciting."

Like any of it matters. "Let's go!" I say, losing patience, as I prepare to enter the portal and into the ship. I'm so sick of all this time we're wasting! No more!

"Not so fast, young one," Vastra speaks up, stopping me, making me groan again. "We shouldn't just waltz in there without knowing the numbers."

"Four," Jenny says. "There are four known operators. A commander, a lieutenant, and two crew members. All run the ship together."

"Actually, there might be three at this point," I correct her, suddenly remembering. "I may have killed one of them when I was captured; though I don't know which one I killed. It may have been one of the regular crew members." I then glance to Mom and see her shocked look on her face; or maybe it is a look of impression. "He tried to poison me!" I feel the need to confess. "I acted on instinct! I would've died—like, 'died,' died, as in 'no regeneration'—if I hadn't." Thank God I did act on instinct, or I wouldn't be alive right now, needless to say.

"You acted in self-defense," she shrugs in response. "That is completely acceptable." Of course, I don't admit that I killed some people on purpose, most being Vokanari members. Then again, a part of me actually does want to admit it, as I'd have the opportunity to rub it in Kovarian's face, should she, in fact, be listening. Yeah, suck on that, bitch!

On the other hand, she probably wouldn't care, as she can easily replace the members that were killed with the gazillion-plus others she recruited over the years. Still would be funny to rub it in her face, regardless.

"Five against three," I chuckle. "I'm pretty sure we have a good chance to end this quickly. We should act now. I can hear the War getting worse up top." At this point, I can hear the explosions getting louder with each passing second, which could be the telltale sign that the worst is about to occur.

"Yes," Vastra nods in agreement. "The Daleks seem to be increasing their firepower. There's not a moment to lose."

You mean, 'there's not a moment more to lose,' I think, seeing as we've lost enough time. More than enough time.

"I hope we're not too late," I say instead as we rush through the portal.

Once we enter the ship, a familiar warning bell rings out through the halls.

"Oh, they're 'welcoming us back' with that dreadful alarm," I snort with sarcasm, wincing from the deafening noise. "Wonderful." I sigh and point down the end of the hall. "Okay, I remember seeing the sickos carry Dad that way and around the corner. There must be a room somewhere over there where they're keeping him. The rest of you, do what y'all agreed to do, and maybe even find the TARDIS while you're at it. She must be somewhere on board." I can sense her close by, as well as Dad.

"We'll keep a lookout," Jenny assures me. "Don't worry about us, Nova. Go save your father."

"Come find us once everyone is safe and the Shadow Demons are secure," I say. "We'll take care of everything else."

"Better yet, if you find the TARDIS, meet us there," Mom suggests. "She'll protect you until we join you." I raise a suspicious eyebrow at this.

"We do not intend to leave anyone behind," Vastra says in an insistent tone.

"And if we have to?" Jenny asks nervously.

"Then the Old Girl's 'Fast Return Protocol' should activate and take you all home," Mom replies.

I shake my head. "Actually, Mom, let's not think about any of that. Nobody is getting left behind! We'll survive this together…for better or worse." I sigh, thinking of Hazel. "Okay…you all know what you came here to do, so let's do it! And remember, if you come across a Shadow Demon—and, Strax, I'm looking at you—do not kill them. we're only subduing them long enough until Dad decides what to do with them. Shoot to stun, not to kill. Take them to that room Jenny talked about, and keep them there until we come back with Dad. Good luck, everyone!"

"May the Goddess protect us all!" Vastra says in a hopeful tone, praying to her deity.

"We shall stand victorious on the field of battle!" Strax declares, making me laugh.

I turn, albeit reluctantly, to Mom. "Let's go, Mom!"

"Lead on, daughter!" she says with a smile, which, admittedly, looks more evil than normal, making me nervous, but I don't let it show. With that, we rush down the hall.

As we run, I pass a large window that shows the Earth—or what should be the Earth—below, but it doesn't look anything like the planet I know, with its unusual blood-orange sky and flashes of light from cities and towns exploding. The sight makes me sad, failing to hold back a whimper. All my life, I longed for a view of my home-planet from orbit above, but not like this.

Mom must've heard me, because she pauses and turns back to me, saying, "Nova, come on! Your father needs us!" And this time, she genuinely sounds like herself.

"I know," I nod sadly. "It's just…I've always wanted a view like this, but not like this. Earth looks so sad; in fact it doesn't even look like the Earth I know anymore."

Mom approaches me and reaches out to rub the back of my neck, but I instinctively pull away. She lowers her hand—but not before frowning at me, unsure as to why I'm refusing to let her touch me—and says apologetically, again sounding just like her normal self, "I understand. We'll turn it back to the way it was. By saving your father. Come." She gestures back down the corridor, and I nod and reluctantly follow.

We rush to a locked door, and I immediately use the sonic screwdriver to unlock it, and the door slides open with ease. The first thing I notice once I enter the room is a large machine that reaches all the way to the ceiling that flashes and pulses with energy, much like the beacon in the sewer, and I immediately get a familiar vibe.

"Wow!" I say in awe. "This must be what's causing all of this."

The second thing I notice is much more disturbing. Laying limply on a gurney in front of the machine, with several IVs and wires attached to his feeble body, is my father. A familiar computer monitor is displayed right next to him, showing his vitals, as well as disturbing images of the War on the surface of the Earth, except the buildings on the computer screen look different from the Victorian buildings; these ones look futuristic and otherworldly.

"Oh my god!" I gasp in horror. "Dad!"

I begin rushing to him when I suddenly pause, seeing one of the reptilian-eyed Shadow Demons emerge from behind the gurney, this time with his surgical mask absent, showing a twisted smirk.

"Not so fast, Time Ladies!" he says, his smirk widening. "Come any closer, and your Time Lord gets it!" Looking more closely at him, I can see he is holding that horrid syringe with the deadly yellow poison at Dad's neck, the needle hovering just centimeters from the exposed skin.

"Stick him with that needle," Mom says, immediately taking out her gun and pointing it directly at the alien, "and I'll put an Alpha-Meson blast right between your eyes!"

I immediately put my hands up in response. "No! Mom, don't! Put the gun down! I just want to talk! That's all!" I figure that would be much better than resorting to violence, as much as I want to beat the shit out of theses assholes for everything they've done, not just to me and Dad.

"I know what you're trying to do," the reptilian-eyed alien sniggers, "and it won't work!"

"I'm not doing anything!" I say honestly. "I swear, I just want to talk! I'm not looking for a fight!"

"Liar!" the alien screams at me. "That's what you and your foolish friends are doing! You're rounding us up as we speak, just so you can pick us off later!"

"No!" I shake my head. "That's not what I'm doing at all! Well, sort of, but no! I'm rounding you guys up so I can talk to you! Please, just put the syringe down and hear me out—Mom, seriously, put the gun down! I just want to say something! I want you guys to hear what I have to say!"

"The only thing I'm interested in hearing is the screams of everyone who has ever wronged us!" he growls at me. "Starting with this Time Lord! He is the reason why we no longer have a home, and he must pay for it! In death!"

"No! That's not true!" I insist. "He told me what really happened, but he wasn't the one responsible! It was you!"

"How dare you!" he yells at me, and he looks prepared to stick Dad with the needle right there and then.

"Please, just hear me out!" I beg. "Let me tell you the truth about what really happened!"

"I'm not listening to any more of your worthless prattling!" the alien shakes his head. "You Time Lords have mucked up enough! It's time I stopped you vermin once and for all! Consider this as payback for killing one of my own!" He brings the needle to Dad's neck, but I speak up again, desperate to stop him.

"I get it! I totally get it! This is all about getting revenge! Revenge on Dad for what he did, but he didn't do anything wrong! It was all you! You thought you were doing something good for your people, but it didn't work out the way you had hoped. What happened to your home-planet was an accident; I totally understand that. You just happened to bring in someone who was in a terrible war in the past, but you couldn't have known that this person would end up dreaming about it and make it come to life and destroy the planet. It was an accident! You didn't know that was going to happen! Even Dad didn't know it was going to happen until it was too late, but he tried to save your world, he truly did! And you know what, that's one of the things you and Dad have in common! Both of you thought you were doing what was right for your people, only it did much worse in the end, but neither of you knew what was happening until it was too late! But here—what you are doing right now—it's wrong! As a wise, old girl once said to me, 'revenge is not the way.' Nothing good ever comes with revenge; it only causes more suffering. Trust me, I've been there. I was almost there. When my father was brutally killed during our last adventure, I was desperate for revenge; so I went back to the person responsible, and I very nearly let her have it. Only at the very last second, just before I was about to strike the blow that would've ultimately killed her, I stopped myself, and I realized that what I was doing was wrong. If I had actually gone through with it, I would've become just like her; I would've been just like all the rest. But I refused to become anything like that, because that's not who I am. Seeking revenge would've made me cruel; it would've made me a coward, and I was never going to become that. I look at you right now, and I can tell you're not cruel, and you're certainly not a coward. You're a doctor. You heal and make things better. That's what you were always meant to be, not this. Please…open your eyes. Wake up from this delusion and come back to the Light. There is good in you, in all of you. I know it! Please…let him go. Instead of turning you all in, he can help you change for the better. We all will. Please, let us help you. Let us give you a chance to fix this. We'll fix this together. What do you say?" At this, I raise my hand as a way of encouraging him to take it, much like I did to my corrupt self.

The alien pauses for a moment as if contemplating my words. "I say…" he says, but my hopes are immediately replaced with dread when he frowns and speaks loudly to the ceiling, so the whole ship can hear, "Voice I.D.: Commander Taak. Activate Self-Destruct Protocol." The ship responds in a series of beeping noises, and along with it a monotone voice announcing, "Attention! Ship will self-destruct in four minutes!"

"What?!" I scream in absolute horror.

"You're making a big mistake!" Mom replies, raising her gun higher.

"As I said," the alien commander smirks again, "you Time Lords have mucked up enough! It's time you all were wiped out for good!"

"Why would you do this?" I say in absolute disbelief. "I gave you the chance to change!" More than that, I gave him the chance to be better, but he would rather die a coward!

"There is no changing what has been done to our planet!" he says sadly, and for a moment I could swear I saw a small tear run down his cheek.

"I'm not talking about your planet," I say. "I know you can't change what's happened to it. I'm talking about you! I hoped you would change your ways! Become better people! Become a doctor!" I glance down at my father as I say this.

"You're a fool to think that we would ever change our ways!" the commander sneers at me. "I'll die before I'd get that chance! You had your chance, but you failed, and now you get to die right here beside me! And the best part is, I get to take the last remaining Time Lords down with me!"

"Not before I get to take them down first!" Mom glares at him before the unexpected happens. She shoots him right between the eyes like she promised, and she does it without a second thought! The commander immediately falls backwards, dead, dropping the syringe at his side.

I can't believe what just happened! I am completely dumbstruck!

"Mom!" I scream in absolute shock. "What the hell!" That was not like her at all! Not by a longshot! She would never shoot anyone unless she had good reason for it, but there was absolutely no reason for what she just did! That was simply out of sheer anger and annoyance!

"Attention! Ship will self-destruct in three minutes!" the ship's computer announces through the loudspeakers. Not like that even matters right now; MOM JUST SHOT A GUY WITHOUT MERCY!

"Not like I'm concerned!" Mom responds to the ship, rolling her eyes. "Three minutes is plenty of time for a little chat. Wouldn't you agree, Nova?"

What the hell?! Why is she talking like that?

"Mom?" I ask hesitantly, unsure of why she is behaving this way. I position myself between her and Dad in case she tries anything. Her behavior is unlike anything I've ever seen from her and sends chills down my spine.

"Sorry, sweetie," she says, emphasizing her signature word like she's mocking it. "Your 'mummy' is offline right now. You'll have to talk to me instead. Which is perfectly fine, as we've never had the chance to meet one another yet. As the old saying goes, 'there's always a first for everything.'" She then smirks at me, but it is nothing like her typical 'Mom' smirk. "I must say, I've been waiting for this day for a very long time. I would've preferred we'd met eighteen years ago, but then again, it would've been a hassle having to train a toddler. God, your mother was a pain at that age."

That's when it hits me. This isn't my mother—at least, this isn't her talking.

"And what makes you think I would've been any different, Kovarian?" I snap back at her, emphasizing her name in a pointed tone, the name tasting bitter on my tongue.

"Ah, so you have figured it out," Mom—Kovarian—chuckles. "Well done. I thought I would've had to go through the painful process of introducing myself."

"Honestly, I'm glad you didn't have to," I say, crossing my arms defiantly. "I wouldn't have bothered listening, or even caring, for that matter."

She snorts at me. "Humph! You've got a lot of nerve, just like your mother."

"Dad says I take more after her than I take after him," I say before adding with a raised eyebrow, "which should make you afraid."

"Oh?" Kovarian says, raising her own—rather, my mother's—eyebrow. "And why should I be afraid of you?"

"Well, your so-called 'experiments,' for one," I explain. "I don't know what you did, but somehow you made my regeneration energy much more powerful than it should be. I can make things explode with it; hell, I even killed some people with it. Who's to say I won't use it to do the same to you? Second of all, if there's one thing you freaks have learnt about my mother, it's that she does whatever it takes to get what she wants. Hell, she'd even kill to get what she wants and not be afraid to do so." I don't mention that she only shoots when she has good reason to, unlike earlier. "And that's exactly what I am going to do. You took my human family and best friend from me and turned my own mother against me, and I'll make sure you never do it again! Like I told all you sickos time and time again, I will do whatever it takes to get them back, and there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop me! I will end you one way or another, even if I have to use up all of my regenerations to do it, however many I have left. I can promise you that."

A small part of me had hoped my words would've scared her, but of course it did no such thing.

"You're a fool to think that you will ever defeat us," she sneers at me. "We are many. You are just a child."

I shrug. "Maybe I am, but I've grown up. Maybe you should've trained me when you had the chance. Oh, wait…that opportunity got taken away from you because of my father! Now you know what it feels like to have something be taken away from you without mercy! Because of you, my mother had to endure all that pain of never knowing what it feels like to be loved by a true parent and, instead, was forced into the life of a psychopath. Because of you, my grandparents never had the privilege of raising a normal child—the child that should've been my mother all along. Because of you, I had to be hidden away from my own parents for fear of me being discovered by their enemies—of being discovered by you. You've torn my family apart long enough! I'll make sure it ends for good! Trust me, I know about the 'Silence will fall' prophecy, and I'm gonna make sure that happens one way or another. I intend to be the one to fulfill it! Watch out, Kovarian! A storm is coming, and it will destroy you!"

If those words haven't made her shit her pants, I don't know what will.

Just my luck, they haven't. "So be it!" she snaps at me.

I expect her to rush at me and attack me in that moment, but thankfully she doesn't, as Vastra comes rushing into the room from the hall.

"Professor Song!" she cries, seemingly out of breath. "We have a situation! The ship's self-destruct protocol just activated, and we have a little under three minutes to escape!"

"Attention! Ship will self-destruct in two minutes!"

"Two now," she corrects herself in response to the ship. "The problem is, the portal closed!"

As important as that is, nothing is more important than keeping my father safe from this psychopath in front of me. It almost feels as if Mom has truly turned to the Dark Side, which breaks my hearts into irreparable shards. I never thought I'd ever see her like this, and now that I'm seeing it right in front of me, it's just too horrible to be real, and it makes me feel like I can't trust her—my own mother—ever again.

"Professor?" Vastra questions, noticing our silence—pun not intended this time, as the woman taking over my mother is the leader of them all.

Despite everything, I can't help but feel obligated to act like everything is perfectly normal, even when everything is far from it. "Please tell me there's good news!" I growl, not taking my eyes off of my mother.

"The good news is, Jenny was able to rescue all the missing people just before the portal closed," Vastra says, totally oblivious to my current situation, "and I was able to find the TARDIS! You'd be surprised to hear that it is right next door to you!"

"Brilliant!" my mother responds, though I can tell that Kovarian is still in control, from the evil glare she continues to give me. "Get everyone inside the TARDIS, and don't worry about these people! We'll take it all from here!" With that, Vastra nods and rushes away to pass on the news to Strax and Jenny, leaving me alone with Mom/Kovarian once more. She smirks at me again, saying what I'm ninety-nine-point-nine-percent positive is a threat, "Sooner or later, you'll have to face me. If you want any chance of saving your precious family, even your mother, you'll turn yourself in. I'll make sure you do. If you don't, they won't last much longer, starting with your mother. I can kill her just as easily as anyone, with just the simple push of a button. I hope I've made myself clear."

"Crystal," I say, glaring back at her.

She nods in approval. "Good. Now, I believe I have a couple of 'Shadow Demons' to exercise. See you soon, Nova. Do not fail me. I will be watching very closely." She then gives a childlike wave before she exits the room with her gun in hand, her finger still on the trigger, leaving the door wide open.

For a moment, I think about following her, but I ultimately decide to stay with my father. I run to his side and attempt to wake him, gently caressing his cheek and hair. "Dad?" I whisper to him. "Can you hear me? It's Nova! I'm gonna get you out of here!" He doesn't respond, still remaining comatose. Surprisingly he isn't attached to a sedative machine like the other people; instead, he's attached to the typical IVs. The computer screen nearby continues to display the devastating War scenes; though now, it shows someone 'off-camera' shooting words into a wall—two words: NO MORE.

Having seen enough bloodshed—not just on the computer screen—I begin carefully but hastily detaching Dad from the wires and leads, all while looking up every two seconds to see if Mom (or Kovarian) will return. Once I detach the wires connected to his temples, the machine behind me—the thing that was causing all of this insanity from the beginning—explodes in a shower of sparks. I swiftly throw myself over Dad's body, shielding him from the sparks that rain down on us.

Once the ordeal is over, I attempt to wake him again. "Dad, come on! Wake up! We gotta get out of here! The ship's about to blow; we have two minutes! Dad!" I shake him hard, but he still doesn't respond, which is unusual, as he should be easily awoken by now, since he was never properly sedated. And what's worse, our psychic link is incredibly weak—much weaker than it should be. What the hell is going on? Why isn't he waking?

I gasp, as I suddenly hear two loud gunshots in the distance, and I realize that the gunshots came from none other than my own mother—rather, from Kovarian. From her killing the remaining Shadow Demons; again, without mercy! "Oh my god!" I exclaim in horror. Whoever this 'Kovarian' woman is, she's a fucking savage; definitely not one to be trifled with!

I attempt to push the gurney, knowing that to be easier to get Dad back to the TARDIS than just carrying him there, but the gurney doesn't budge. Frowning, I look down and notice that the gurney is bolted to the floor; not even the sonic screwdriver can loosen the bolts. "Seriously?!" I groan in irritation.

A loud explosion is heard from somewhere in the ship, which makes the room shudder, and I suddenly see various objects begin floating in midair; even my own body begins to feel weightless.

"Warning: systems: critical! Gravity failing! Attention! Ship will self-destruct in one minute!"

I sigh. Great, that would explain the sudden weightlessness.

The ship shudders again, this time making the room begin tilting sideways. I can't stay here any longer. I have to get out of here now!

Luckily, with the gravity failure, I can use that to my advantage. Since I can't move the gurney, I'll have to get Dad out the hard way. I slide my arms under his body and lift him up, bridal-style, which, under normal circumstances, would look really weird, but at this time I don't care; getting Dad to the TARDIS alive is all that matters right now. Luckily, he doesn't weigh that much, thanks to the gravity failure, and I manage to carry him as far as the door before there is another shudder, making the gravity suddenly revert back to normal.

I end up falling to the floor due to Dad's unexpected weight-change, but I manage to prevent him from knocking his head on the floor, keeping my arm between the floor and his head. Unfortunately, the gravity doesn't fail again, and I struggle to lift his body back up again. Even worse, the door unexpectedly slides shut and locks, blocking me from exiting.

"No!" I cry before I attempt to sonic it, but it does absolutely nothing. I am trapped in here with no way out.

As if things aren't worse enough, I begin hearing the telltale sound of the TARDIS dematerializing from the next room. "No!" I scream in absolute horror, sobbing uncontrollably. Even the sonic won't work on anything anymore. I feel completely powerless at this point. "Idris, you can't leave!"

'I'm sorry,' is the last thing I hear before I can no longer feel her presence anymore.

"Attention! Ship will self-destruct in thirty seconds!"

Thirty seconds! Thirty seconds left to live!

"No!" I sob, cradling my father in my arms, shielding him from the explosions around us. "Please! I don't want to die!"

All those other lives I never got to live!

All that training I never got to experience with Dad!

All those adventures we will never have!

I suddenly begin hearing loud bangs on the door, and my mother—and this time she actually sounds like my real mother—shouting through the door, "Nova? Sweetie, are you still in there? You need to get out of there! Open the door now!"

"Attention! Ship will self-destruct in twenty seconds!"

"I can't!" I call back to her. "The door is locked! I can't get out! Please, help me!"

"Sweetie, open the door!" Mom screams, continuing to bang on the door in a fruitless attempt to open it, but it is no use. At this point, it will probably never open again.

"I don't want to die! Please, I don't want to die!" I continue sobbing, clutching my father's body tightly and squeezing my eyes shut, preparing for end.

A/N: TO BE CONTINUED…or will it?