Part 11 - We Could Burn It All Down

Chapter 193 - The Magnitude of the Damage

A week went by with little activity on the Scarlet King's part. However, the High Aether of the Quintari had passed away. Edward had set about rallying people under the banner of avenging him, but Miles had distanced himself from it a little. He was sitting on top of the Empire State Building, dimension 7610, watching the world go by far below. Why did he and Gwen have to try and interfere? If they hadn't now, they could have saved Max from what had happened.

"You look like you need some company." Said Conall from behind him.

"How'd you find me?"

"Using my brain. And Twitter. For a dead guy you're very alive."

"Yeah well that's time travel."

Conall sat down on the edge of the skyscraper.

"I can see why you and Gwen liked it up here."

Miles didn't reply. The immortal sighed.

"What's on your mind, my sticky friend?"

"Just thinking about how all this is my fault. If we hadn't interfered and tried to take the Scarlet Crucible, Khahrahk wouldn't have read my mind and seen everything."

"Nope. That was dumb."

"That's all you're gonna say?"

"I could tell you to stop interfering, but then you'd say you made the mess so you have to clean it up."

"You know me too well."

"Shame about the Quintari, eh? That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't interfered either."

"What're you tryna do here?"

"I don't know. Just reminding you of everything you've screwed up. Now there's no Ardveer, what'll they decide about Empress Gwen?"

Miles frowned. He hadn't thought of that.

"They'll kill her."

"Uh oh. I smell a prison break coming up."

Miles scrambled to his feet and began configuring his watch to jump to another dimension. He stopped when it was ready.

"Why'd you make me realise that?"

"Maybe I just like chaos?"

"Chaos didn't stop the Scarlet King before."

"Are you talking about the Chaos King? Yeah…he'd be swatted like a fly."

"Never change Conall. And tell Teresa I'll bring a time machine and to get everyone ready."

"Will do. Have fun, Spidey."

The Doctor had returned to Gallifrey after the trip to retrieve Conall, and wasn't exactly pleased when Miles turned up at the front door of his TARDIS again.

"Here to get another Conall, I suppose?"

"Doctor, did you read up on the Scarlet King?"

"Of course not. I've had enough of all your petty little disagreements."

"Petty disagreement? You really don't know a thing about this guy, do you?"

"He's a big red thing that calls himself a king. What else do I need to know?"

"We're at war with him."

"I've fought in bigger wars than you will ever know, I've done worse things you will ever know. You cannot imagine the number of screams I hear when I close my eyes."

"I don't need to; I hear them when I close my own now I've screwed up so bad. The only difference is they're not dead yet for me. You're not the first person to kill someone, Doctor. If you sit here doing nothing, how many more will you hear when your little pocket dimension inside your TARDIS is the only thing left in existence? The Scarlet King will destroy everything, and once he's done that he's coming for you. You can fight with us now and maybe save some lives, or you can fight alone and die for nothing."

The Time Lord eyed the spider with pain and fury in his eyes. For a moment Miles thought he'd keep fighting. Instead he closed his eyes and nodded.

"I understand. I think. What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to help me save Gwen. The old Empress one."

"And start another civil war?"

"She's a daughter of A'Habbat, the line of the Scarlet King destined to destroy him. What people want doesn't matter when there's nothing left of them."

"Ah. I see how you're thinking. You think the war is already lost?"

"Does it matter? Maybe I can do something right and change that. Then I won't have to look at the stains of all the blood on my hands or hear all the screams because I messed with time."

"Fine. I'll help."

"Then I need you to help with something after that."

"What?"

"The destruction of the Daevite civilisation."

"You want to save lives by taking them?"

"Isn't that what happens every time someone stands up to someone?"

"What have the Daevites done to you?"

"What did Davros do to you?"

"You're smart, Miles. That much I will agree with. Now where do we begin?"

Gwen leaned back against the cold concrete wall of her prison cell and closed her eyes. A moment ago she could have sworn she heard the grating sound of the TARDIS, but she was likely going delusional and this time there wasn't an Ethereal Plate to blame for it.

"Gwen! Wake up!"

She was on her feet in an instant. Why was Miles here? Only the thugs guarding the cell should be able to get access back here.

"Why are you…"

"I'll explain later." He venom struck the cell door, knocking it off its hinges. "Come on."

She followed him hesitantly to the TARDIS. How the guards hadn't noticed the big blue police box in the middle of the prison was a mystery, but Miles dragged her inside and the Doctor slammed the levers down and the TARDIS dematerialised before that could change. Now safe in the time vortex, Miles gave the Time Lord a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Doc."

"Miles. Tell me what's happening." Gwen demanded.

"The Scarlet King's army wiped out Ardveer again as well as most of the Quintari. The High Aether's dead too, but so's the King's right hand man."

"I don't understand why you had to break me out of prison because of that."

"In my timeline…well not quite my timeline but…it's complicated. Anyway: there were two Quintari judges supposed to be at your trial, but now Ardveer's destroyed there aren't. So there's not enough people to change your death sentence. And there's nowhere for you to be exiled to."

"I was ready to face death. I have to pay for what I've done."

"I can't let that happen. You're too special."

Gwen frowned.

"Are you falling in love with me?"

"What? That's not what I meant. Although I lost my Gwen, you lost your Miles. Would it be so bad?"

"I still love my Miles. Clearly you have no loyalty if you gave up on yours so quickly."

Miles looked hurt, but shrugged it off.

"What I meant by you being special is you're a daughter of A'Habbat, the line of Khahrahk's kids who're supposed to destroy him."

"You're saying I'm related to that messed up Lovecraftian monster? You really know the way to my heart, don't you."

"I'm not trying to make you like me. This isn't about us. We need everyone we can get, and you're one of the strongest people I know. Gwen, maybe you can make up for the whole Empress thing this way. You don't have to die."

"From how helpless you make it sound, I'll be dead either way. But I guess I'd prefer to go down doing something right instead of with my head under an axe."

"That's all I'm asking. Now I just have to convince the others you can help and won't kill them all."

"What? You did this without telling anyone else?"

"Umm…Conall knows."

Gwen buried her face in her hands.

"Wow. What a great idea that was. I need a suit, too."

"Err…I'll figure that one out."

"You really are unbelievable."

Teresa had gathered Conall, Jacob, Edward and a squad of soldiers at the military base outside of Geneva, 9578. She'd briefed them on what to expect from what she'd managed to dig up about the Daevites, but it wasn't all that much. She wasn't particularly surprised the time machine Miles arrived in was the TARDIS, but she was extremely surprised when Gwen stepped out after him. The commander pulled her gun and aimed it at the former Empress.

"What the hell is she doing here, Morales?"

"She was gonna be executed. I had to help her."

"She's the single most wanted person in the multiverse and you broke her out of prison. I'd shoot both of you on the spot, but I imagine Jacob will start his shit talking again."

"Teresa, chill. She's not gonna hurt anyone. Except the Daevites."

Edward put his hand on Teresa's wrist and pushed the gun down.

"Miles is right: she's harmless without the Plate. And we need everyone we can get at the moment."

"You too, Edward? Whatever. But if you lay a finger on anyone who isn't a Daevite, I'll shoot you there and then."

Gwen nodded to say she understood.

"I'm glad we have an agreement. OK, people, let's get this over with."

Crossovers in this Chapter

- SCP Foundation
- Doctor Who