Edited , as of October 2021:
I finished the latest chapter, but decided to clean up the grammar and spelling of the rest of the fic, before posting it.
"Bloody hell!?" Donna Noble exclaimed as the Doctor was spasming on the floor of his grungy TARDIS.
"My head!!!" The 10th Doctor screamed, "Have to- have to block it out!!!"
"Block what out?" Donna hadn't the slightest clue what to do. She was just a temp. She didn't have any medical training. Her skills lay in typing quickly.
Suddenly the Doctor sat up, looking completely fine... though a bit winded. "There, took a bit of work on my part, but I was able to set up some mental shielding... Wow my head hurts... Anyhow!" He jumped up to his feet and all but pounced on the TARDIS console.
"It was like some nitwit took a chainsaw to a fixed point." he stated as he frantically pushed buttons and read over readings. "Normally, not a big deal, just have to reset events. But that particular point was tied to thousands of others, which all simultaneously unraveled... the entire universe is in a state of decay... rapidly degrading at different time zones... I... I don't know how to fix this... It's never been so bad. Sure you have the odd decaying pocket, over a planet or sometimes even a Galaxy... but everything, quite literally... EVERYTHING..."
Donna laid a gentle hand on his back, "What do we do, Doctor?" not really following what he was saying, but knowing the universe was in trouble and it needed their help.
The Doctor buried his face into his hands. The hands moved to the back of his head, pulling at his hair. Before suddenly slamming down and striking the console. Sparks flew as the Doctor yelled, "There is nothing we can do! The Time Lords, at the hight of their power, couldn't compete with this!!!... Everyone is dead. The entire multiverse will follow and there is NOTHING. I. CAN. DO!!!"
"Now what kinda talk is that!!!" A new voice spoke from over the intercom. A female voice, "For supposedly being the best of us, you sure do give up easy."
"What?" The Doctor blinked, "No..." recognizing the voice, or rather, recognizing something IN the voice. "WHAT!?!"
"Bit of a theory of mine, no big deal, but if every moment is happening simultaneously then theoretically that means there is not only a lot of me floating about, but every theoretical version of me so, been dying to say this.
"Calling all Doctors, this is the Doctor speaking."
The Reapers had tracked back the source of the disturbance, to one specific space station. Although they didn't have the know how to pinpoint the exact cause of the disturbance... but that was not the goal.
The Library was progressing normally. There were no distortions or abnormalities within the time zone... it was as if a peace of the Time Vortex was still functional on this one little spot. So the Reapers captured it. The station already had an artificial environment, So moving it was rather easy when compared to the planets. The inhabitants were too busy to notice what they were doing.
Rassillion stood on the lead Reaper Vessel... though this was not the Rassillion that lived happily with the Trinity. This was not the Rassillion that would gladly sacrifice himself, for the good of his people. This Rassillion had been around for billions of years... and long since grown callus, left to his own devices. Left to rule alone, with no one who would dare question him... no one, but the Doctor.
The 12th Doctor stood next to him... strange how they had come to be united in this... the past Doctors would be too high and mighty to believe their plan "Moral". This Doctor seemed to understand there was no such thing as morality. It was a mythical concept developed by mortal sapients, trying desperately to imagine the universe was not as cruel and harsh as it was.
Missy, an older version of the Master, clung to the Doctor's arm. Her head on his shoulder... united at last, by their shared madness.
"Sure this will work?" Rassillion eyed the last Doctor.
The old magician rolled his eyes, "I hardly saw you come up with a better plan."
"The plan is not the issue." Rassillion assured, "It's your resolve."
The Doctor scoffed. "You needn't worry about my resolve, especially for something as simple as a planetary heart transplant."
"I'm more concerned with what happens after." Rassillion informed, "You do have a history, Doctor."
The magician sneered, "There's your problem right there... you still think of me as the Doctor. A hero of the people. As self proclaimed 'Defender of the universe'. I never really understood how my role as 'traveling adventurer' did more harm then good. I have long since stopped pretending to be the good guy... I'm the man who is at last willing to stain my soul, to truly protect this universe, and I've lost the need to be so colorful about it."
Rassillion smiled, "So I have heard, though I must confess, such news sounds almost too good to be true. You have always been a force of Good Doctor. Though throughout all your regenerations, you were unwilling to do what is necessary."
The Doctor eyed him, "Goodness has nothing to do with it."
Missy grinned happily, cuddling her Doctor... having finally forgiven him, after so many millenniums of fighting. Finally, they were on the same side again.
None noticed the lone Cybermen approach them. Or at least, none besides the Doctor.
"What do you want?" The 12th asked, not taking his eyes off the moon sized station, the Reaper they were on, was towing.
"We have arrived at our destination, My Cyber King." The Cybermen gave a traditional Cyber salute. Stomping both his feet, while hitting his chest.
The Doctor was still getting used to having an army. Though it was undoubtedly the best gift Missy ever got him. As she said, "armies were for people who think they are right..." and no one thought they were righter then the Doctor...
"Put it on Screen." The Doctor ordered.
Where they were once looking at the Library, being dragged behind them... now they saw a new world, which they were approaching.
Rassillion looked on the distortion with disgust. He hated Chrome. Hated the necessity of it. It was a world that existed in the same spot, all over the multiverse... fixed in this one spot... beyond his control... but no longer.
Early Time Lords feared it, because they didn't understand the origins of a world without origins. They had traveled back in time, to the very beginning of the universe. When no planets existed... yet Chrome was still ancient... those early Primitives fled like cowards. Terrified, on an instinctual level, of the world that had no beginning, of a world that was ancient before the big bang. Eventually, Time Capsules improved, and they were able to discover that there were universes before their own.
The universe would expand, die, collapse in on itself, then implode. Releasing clumps of atoms as space dust into the universe, which would expand, form planets and Stars, and start all over again. This Cycle occured dozens of times... and the Time Lords followed that moment to the very first time... to before the universe first expanded... and all that was there in that void... was Chrome. Needless to say this terrified the Time Lord's even more... as their still primitive minds could not comprehend such a world...
But Rassillion could. He, along with his comrades The Omega and The Other, had long ago unlocked the secrets of Chrome...
If Galaxies were organs, stars and worlds cells, and The Divines White Blood Cells, with life being nothing more then the bacteria of necessity... then Chrome... was the first cell to form in the womb. It's anchor to the soul of all reality...
And right now... Chrome was dying...
This fractured reality was tearing it apart. So when the Reapers requested his expertise, to create a type of life support for the universe, he had agreed... though he wasn't thrilled they were also working with Gallifrey... the Time Lords had kicked him off world... at the simple request of the Doctor... the one beside him, to be specific. Though this was long before the Time Vortex collapsed.
Rassillion was, in fact, one to hold a grudge. However, his revenge could wait. First, they needed to save the cosmos, everything else could come once the universe was stabilized.
Studying the screens, Rassillion saw that the Reapers were busy on other worlds. Some were dragging entire solar systems, of uninhabitable planets. While others took the worlds and tore them apart. Harvesting the lifeless worlds for resources. From there, the metals were separated out from the dirt, and then forged into an unrecognizable alloy. Something so dense, they could survive the next big bang. Next, the metal was pieced together to build a life support system, for Chrome. It was as big as a thousand galaxies, to keep Chrome alive.
Billions of Time Capsules, TARDISes as the new Generation of Time Lords called them... The Doctor really was far to influential with Rassillion's people. Regardless, the Capsules were assisting the Reapers in building their life support... with even greater numbers across the universe, doing the same, but with smaller Citadels. The size of a single Galaxy.
There were 42 of these, relatively, smaller Citadels. Each being used as the center of their own galaxy. Then hundreds of rings, orbiting each Citadel. With dozens of solar systems orbiting each. The Intelligence insisted, they could use this set up, as an interconnected form of life support for the entire universe... but it wasn't easy...
The various gods and god killers, with their armies of celestials and devils... they were swarming around the new galaxies they were building. Trying to claim them for themselves... This war was larger then the Time War itself... idiots. Fighting when they should focus on preserving the Cosmos.
Rassillion watched as the Reaper let go of the Library. With Time Capsules immediately grabbing it, in tractor beams of their own. They began floating the station towards Chrome, While the Reapers began connecting massive cables all over the planet, attached to the most massive Citadel.
Once that was complete, something that would normally take millions of years of construction, but in this mess of time taking only a few hours...
"The Citadels have all finished construction." Appeared a hologram of an older, Victorian, human. The Great Intelligence seemed to favor this form, when around the Doctor.
The Doctor looked back at him, before nodding his head, "Begin merging the Library with Chrome. Careful not to damage a single rock on the planet. Rassillion knows what that will do to the cosmos."
Rassillion smirked, hearing the Doctor still invoked his name. You can take the boy out of Gallifrey-
"Time Lords are beginning the procedure." The Great Intelligence informed, having already sent out the Doctor's orders, to the Time Lord work teams.
Missy smiled, "So what overly stupid, human trinket, gave you this idea."
The Doctor smiled back, "They call it a 'Pace Maker'. The Library, being the center of the disturbance, will preserve Chrome's planetary core, for as long as possible. I looked over the Reaper's designs, and the positions of their other stations.
"Their plan was for the 'Citadels' and 'Halo Rings' to act as additional cybernetic implants, in the body of the Universe. Basically, we are turning the main universe, itself, into a Cyborg. The various stations, all act as additional cybernetic organs. Even the new orbit of the planets, is carefully calculated, to optimize the longevity of our universe.
"All planets, and Stars, have been quantum locked. This will not only help the Universe, in this jumbled state, but will insure the survival of the trillions of different species, as well. This will insure our worlds will survive the next 'Big Bang'... might even end the Cycle of big bangs, as the black hole at the center of the Universe, will have very little to absorb. The Time Lords quantum locked that, as well, to preserve the multiverse. As it is an important organ in the cosmos, and we can't risk it disintegrating. As Black Holes inevitably do.
Rassillion smirked, then added, purely because he knew the Doctor wouldn't approve. "The Trinity, also, asked me to quantum lock 42 Black Holes. To insure the multiverse will continue. With the Stars being quantum locked, they can't turn into new black holes, and therefore can't eventually create new dimensions.
"From there, I decided to link each dimension to a different Galaxy of the main universe. That way those ideas will bleed back into their Prime Universe. Next I carefully separated the canon ideas, back into individual worlds, across multiple galaxies. For the Prime Universes anyway. The Reapers wanted to keep the worlds, that had merged within our own dimension, together. As they believe they will be easier to control."
The Doctor merely nodded, "That should stop all the universes that merged with our own. Too many dimensions merged into one world, who knows how that will effect their development, once reality gets started again."
Rassillion... smiled. Pleased to see the Doctor no longer had an issue with "Playing God".
Missy smirked, "The Civilization we are currently building could truly last indefinitely... Provided they don't all kill each other." she laughed at the idea of such bloodshed.
The Doctor smirked back at her. "Don't worry, I have an idea, for that, as well." looking back at the Cyberman. "We can truly create a world of indefinite peace. No more wars, no more violence... no more need... for a Doctor..."
He gently kissed Missy, before ordering, "Stay here, and keep an eye on everything for me. I need to go to the Library, and track just what caused all this. If I correct it. The universe will automatically snap back together, into this new shape."
Rassillion watched as the Doctor began his trek back to his TARDIS.
The 12th Doctor gulped as he saw what was the cause of the destruction... the thing they were suppose to restore to save the universe. No, to save the very multiverse. They were in the Main Universe and so what was happening here would bleed out into all dimensions...
A defining moment in the Doctor's life. Something necessary to his very being... yet a moment he wished he could change with his every atom... now... given the option of change...
So here he was, ground zero... the eye of the storm... it would be the last thing to die... but until then it was the only thing whole.
The Library... had been saved. He wasn't sure how... but Shadow and humanoid were walking around... in peace. The more The Doctor discovered, the more he feared he wouldn't be able to bring himself to correct this...
He was quickly gathering intel on just what happened here... A Time Lord had brought forth this Harmony... and he could guess who.
The procedure was clearly a success. The inhabitants weren't even aware they had been moved. They were just calmly building their society... a completely new destiny... with the Vashta Nerada thriving. They had become so... docile... peaceful even... They were even talking about how to handle "Tourist" to their planet. To allow space fairing races to use the Virtual Reality... Someone they called "The Medical Student" had finished "tinkering" with it, a few days ago apparently.
He also set up universal translators into the local interfaces, so that the shadows could understand the bipedal lifeforms.
This world sized station was filled with millions of people, once trapped in a virtual reality, but now free... and they were all existing in Harmony with the carnivorous shadows... even working with them to plant trees, that this "Medical Student" had given them... genetically modified trees growing every type of food imaginable... even the rare Flesh Trees. Which, as their name imply, grew a kind of meat. The plants were further modified to need only ultraviolet light to grow and survive. No need for water or soil, which helped on a space station.
Thankfully, the Station itself, produced Ultraviolet light, all on it's own. Even had an artificial sky. So burying it, deep beneath the crust of Chrome, would not affect the inhabitants. Nor risk the symbiotic relationship they were developing.
From what the 12th saw, the Flesh trees were the most common, planted in every gift shop, lounge, and roof... the Medical Student... had given this station the means to become completely self sufficient... yet the shadows were still willing to make bipedal lifeforms comfortable and help them flourish.
The Humanoids informed him, thinking he was just one of the people still out of the loop, that their leaders agree to tend the trees, and the station, in return for a place to live.
Many of the humanoids said they had decided to live here permanently. After all, everyone they knew was dead after over a Millennium in a virtual reality. They moved into the large hotel wing here, where entire floors were converted for farms.
The 12th looked at all this as he wandered the library... looking for-
He froze, coming face to face with this "Medical Student"... he couldn't help but smirk at the title the people have given him. Knowing him, he must be so pissed by being constantly condescended to. Probably didn't even realize it was a term of endearment.
Standing in this new room, the Doctor had just entered, was his 1st regeneration... it should have been the 4th... but here stood the 1st, looking at him with the naive trust of a child... it hurt his soul to see this face... the sheer horror that he would learn what 'The Doctor' would become... though he did find it amusing to hear River casually refered to that incarnation as "The Medical Student", imagining how she probably started that.
... that was right... River was here, alive and well... She had been talking with his granddaughter, from his first marriage... and in typical River fashion, she was already treating the child like her own... Rassillion, did he miss her... both the hers.
There was another woman, though the Doctor didn't recognize her. She introduced herself as a dimension hopper... and didn't realize the damage her mere presence could do to a fixed point... The Doctor wasn't too concerned with that at the moment.
"River?" The 12th swallowed the lump in his throat.
"It seems we mucked up a bit, Sweetie," River smiled as she gently flirted, in that morbid way of her's. "Guess we weren't supposed to save the natives, but I'll be damned if you think I'll let you undo that." She warned, with that seductive smile still on her face.
"That wasn't the fixed point..." The 12th tried to think of how to phrase this. "It's not what needs to be corrected to save the multiverse..."
River frowned, "I don't see what else it could be." She didn't like being wrong.
"You..." The Doctor frowned back, and she blinked at him. "You're what's wrong with the universe... you were supposed to die today... saving my life..."
River grew more grave, "I see... I suppose you need to correct that mistake." she looked away.
The Doctor grabbed her arm and looked straight into her eyes, "You don't get a vote," he growled.
Her eyes widened, then she whispered, too quiet for even the 1st to hear her... only the 12th could. "You were furious the last time I caused the multiverse to fall apart... did everything you could to correct it."
"That was me, dying to save the multiverse... but it can't have you... I sent you to your death once already, just by letting you come here... I refuse to do it again..." He gently guided a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't have it in me to say goodbye a second time... if the universe requires your death to survive... then I say let it burn..."
She gulped staring into his eyes and realizing, for perhaps the first time in all the millenniums they had known each other... the Doctor really did love her back...
"Uhm... hi..." A darked skinned, rather tall looking woman, got their attention from behind the Doctor. She had been following the Doctor since they both left their TARDIS.
The tall woman gave a shrug, "I'm thrilled you got to be reunited with your dead wife, but maybe we could find a way to keep her in the whole 'living' category, while still not letting the universe burn to nothing? That be great, thanks."
The 12th smiled, "River, I would like to introduce you to my apprentice, Bill Potts."
"Apprentice?" River smiled, intrigued.
"Well, this is my last life." The 12th shrugged. "Someone has to save the multiverse after I'm gone."
Bill blushed.
"She'll have help, of course," The 12th assured, "You need an army to replace someone as good as me, but Bill will lead them after I'm gone."
"Army?" River blinked.
"Let's not get into that right now." The 12th smiled. Not willing to tell her how far he had fallen since she died... not willing to tell her about his army of Reapers and Cybermen. "We need to get out of here before the other Doctors arrive."
The 1st Doctor spoke up, but not to them. He was looking at a random shadow and placing a bag in front of it, "Looks like we need to leave you now. These are more seeds to plant more trees."
"Thank you, medical student." The Shadows spoke, "We will not forget you, any of you, nor your kindness." before slinking off with the bag being dragged cross the ground, within the now moving shadow.
The 1st wanted to object to being called 'Medical Student', but there really weren't any additional seconds to spare and the shadows had already left the room.
The 1st just sighed, before standing tall. Trying to hold himself with the dignity so many of these future people were trying to deny him. Straightening his coat, he told his last face, "Well, I'd say it's about time we left. I know just what to do to restore the multiverse, while allowing the changes to persist."
The 12th grinned, a wide rock star grin. "So do I. Great minds, eh?" not realizing they were thinking of two different things.