3. One-Way Mission.

A short while later.

A small single-person space capsule appears in the Console room.
"The Tardis has made it for me to my specification," the Doctor says. "With this, someone can take the capsule to the very point of the Time convergence and clamp the natural Time Vortex closed."

"Is it safe?" Myriad asks.
"Of course it's not safe!" the Doctor bursts out. "I'm sorry, it's a one-way mission."

"Doctor, will the rest of us be able to get away from here?" Chloe asks, pointing at the screen where the numbers are racing, climbing fast.
The Doctor takes one look and sighs. "No. We can't. We already can't. So, it doesn't matter which of us goes in the Capsule, we'll all die anyway. I'll go! I insist!"
"No, Doctor, no!" Myriad blurts out, hugging the Doctor, desperately trying to hold on to him for all she's worth.

"No, I'll go," Chloe says.
The original Crystelle objects strongly, following her maternal instincts. "You'll do no such thing!"

Crystelle One steps forward calmly. "I'll go. It's time that what I do now makes a difference to the whole Universe. I won't last much longer anyway. This is my treat to the Universe, and I want to go out with a bang!"
She steps toward the capsule which automatically opens a neat scissor door for her to enter.

"Doctor," Crystelle One pauses before getting in. "Do clones go to heaven when they die?"
This is a rather heavy question for the Doctor at a moment's notice. He pauses for a second or two for thought.
"Yes," he says slowly, his calmness belying the urgency of the situation. "You are a complete being with feelings, a heartbeat, hopes, fears and a faith. Yes, clones do definitely go to heaven. You will meet the Supreme Creator Deity today without a doubt. We all will." He sighs, there are so many things he knows he needs to do in the Universe.

"Thank you, Doctor," Crystelle One says calmly as she climbs into the capsule. Her stomach is tight as she contemplates what she's doing, but if she showed it, the others might not let her go. She's faced many difficult situations before. Some of them flash before her eyes as she recalls them. She drags herself back into the present.

"Aim for the Time convergence," the Doctor says, "and press that button when you're there whether the Time convergence is open or closed."

They all watch as the scissor door closes with Crystelle One inside the capsule. It floats towards the Tardis doors which both open automatically for it to pass beyond the Tardis doorway. It powers onwards toward the visible convergence point with Crystelle One guiding it.

They are all so glad they don't have to go on that awful mission.


"Doctor, I can see a Dalek," Crystelle One reports on a communication channel.
"Where?" the Doctor asks.
"Beyond the convergence, when it's open. It looks very dead."
"So, it's the Daleks who've caused this?" the Doctor asks. "A huge experiment with Time!"
"It looks as if it went wrong for them," Crystelle One says. "Doctor, enclose that other Tardis, and Chloe, hug a Tardis pillar, hold the Tardis's consciousness hand and activate your Wristwatch Tardis. You might have a chance, rather a long shot, though, but better than just accepting your fate. I love you all."

They watch, spellbound, as the capsule approaches the Time convergence point. There's a brief bright flash of light and it's gone.

The Doctor glances around the group of them watching, there's not a single dry eye, including his own.
He snaps into practical action mode. "Now we must escape!" he says. "Or at least try. Though I can't see how!"
"Hasn't the capsule sorted it all out?" Myriad asks hopefully.
"Yes, but it will take time for the problem to sort itself out," the Doctor says, "and that's time we don't have. We're likely to be in a backlash from clamping that natural Time Vortex. We must get away now if we're going to try."

The Doctor taps in some co-ordinates and an instruction and pulls the dematerialisation lever. His Tardis encloses the other Tardis and it appears in the Tardis Control room.
"Chloe, could you follow Crystelle One's idea of hugging a Tardis pillar please?" He turns his back towards Chloe - he can't bear to just stand and watch her fail.

Chloe has little faith in the idea but walks to a Tardis pillar and hugs it. The pillar becomes squishy.


Chloe finds herself in the now familiar forest of tall tree-like structures of the inner Tardis reception area.

The lady of the Tardis consciousness is dressed for the occasion in a long black dress and walks slowly towards her. "I'm sorry, this feels like the end," she says. "I can't escape from this time warp. I dressed in black to mark our passing away."


Cheerful lot! .


She offers her hand for Chloe to hold.
"This might work," Chloe says. "It's only a chance." She knows it might be their only chance but can't see why or how it might work.
She by-passes the offered hand and hugs the lady in black; she thinks of home and activates her Wristwatch Tardis...


Nothing appears to happen. She's still hugging the Tardis consciousness.

"Well, it was a chance," the lady in black says.
"Just a chance," Chloe echoes with a sigh. "I wonder how long we have?"

The lady in black pauses and appears focussed in thought as Chloe steps away from hugging her, calculating how long they have left to live.
"Quite a while," the lady in black answers. "You're at home, though I've no idea how we got here."

"Crystelle One's last hunch," Chloe says in astonishment, yet also with some sadness as she's thinking of Crystelle One's supreme self-sacrifice.

She finds herself hugging a Tardis pillar. The others haven't had time to check where they are.

Chloe walks back towards them. Should she tell them, or wind them up? .

"Doctor I've really loved travelling with you and learning so much from you." She makes it sound like the start of a short farewell speech.
But she can't contain herself any longer. "But it's so good to be home!" she shouts. .

The Tardis Console monitor screen suddenly shows Crystelle's lounge. .

"Are we back in time for tea?" Chloe asks. She had been longing for tea time when she activated her Wristwatch Tardis. .


After their cup of tea, and many tears, Chloe approaches the Doctor. "Doctor, how could my Wristwatch Tardis work when your Tardis couldn't?"
"Ah, I've been thinking about that," the Doctor says casually, scratching his head as if he had no idea - just to briefly wind her up.
"And I have an answer. Tardises work in the Time Vortex which is powerfully affected by local time variations. Your Wristwatch isn't actually a Tardis, but it works using the Time Continuum, which is very different."

"Would the Daleks be hoping to trap Time Lord Tardises?" Chloe asks.
"Possibly, but they may have been hoping to destabilise Time in the Universe so that Tardises couldn't operate anywhere!"

"So, we saved the day for the Time Lords," Chloe says.
"We saved the day for everyone in the Universe!" the Doctor says. "But, as with all truly great rescues - no-one will ever know!" .

THE END


The previous episode in this series is called "The Master's Revenge" (ref. 37).

The next episode in this series is called "The House of a Hundred Doors."

I hope to add further episodes soon.


Sparse References.

Reference 12 Episode Crystelle Growth in this series,
where Crystelle enlists a DNA biologist, Devyon, to re-develop a primitive form of regeneration from Gallifreyan Library information,
where Crystelle acquired her Tardis (storeroom rescue).

Reference 13 Episode Crystelle Lattice in this series,
where Crystelle used a Cloning Machine for the first time.

Reference 29 Episode The Wristwatch Tardis in this series,
where Chloe followed instructions from Gallifreyan Library documents to create and miniaturise what she likes to call her Wristwatch Tardis.

Reference 37 Episode The Master's Revenge in this series,
where the Master tries to see what's of huge interest in Crystelle's house.


At points in the story where there is humour, an additional full stop is added. .

ANOTHER END