Anastasia was climbing. She could feel every one of her limbs moving as she ascended. Left arm, left leg, right arm, right leg, repeat. Every foothold, every extrusion she could grab on, it all came like a second nature to her. She felt the adrenaline pumping through her, every foot she gained in height she gained in excitement, determination and nerve. Soon she had reached the roof, and she saw she was at her old house. It was a beautiful 19th century mansion, but most of it was in disrepair – the small part that was maintained was the part she and her brother lived in. But this wasn't right, how could she be here...?

No matter. She began to run along the roof, jumping over the parts of the roof that provided an obstacle along the way. She then stopped and surveyed the view, not there was much to see. Just scarred countryside and the distant smoke of Cyber-factories. It was something to break the tedium though, something to give her life purpose.

"Ana!" came the shout up from ground level. She peered over to see Dmitri there.

"Come down Ana," he shouted. "Come join me."

"Of course, Dmitri," she said, making her away towards the side before she suddenly froze. Dmitri would never react in such a way – he hated her climbing, he always feared she would fall and he would lose her. And besides, he was dead anyway.

She looked back at him and realised she was no longer on the roof. She was alone, in a dark void. The only one, the only one...

(-)

"Anastasia?"

She was suddenly startled and realised where she was. They were walking through the destroyed countryside, St Petersburg slowly coming into view. It was still the dead of night and they were moving carefully to avoid detection. They had not seen any Cybermen since they left the factory, but it was always best to be on their guard.

"Yes, sorry," she said, turning to the Doctor, who had been the one to startle her. Nikolai has further up ahead, scouting for any nearby Cybermen.

"You looked like you were lightyears away," he said. "Not that I can blame you."

"I was daydreaming," she said. "And yeah, I wish I was."

She expected the Doctor to scoff but he looked at her with interest before looking forward once more. "What were you daydreaming about?" he asked.

"Oh, you know. The past. My brother," she said softly.

"I see," he said equally softly. "The past can sometimes be very... attractive. Believe me, I know."

"It's not like that though," she said. "It's so vivid, like... like I'm back at home with him, back climbing." She scoffed at the last bit. "Yet, it's wrong..."

The Doctor seemed intrigued – she couldn't see his face all that well in the dark of course, so she couldn't see how genuine of an interest it really was.

"Interesting..." he said. "I'll add that to the list of things to find out about. It's getting rather long of course."

"Of course," she muttered.

"Why did you get good at climbing," he asked nonchalantly.

"Boredom, I guess," she replied. "I had nothing to do, we lived in a mostly broken house in a world ran by the Cybermen. It became second nature to me. My brother hated it though. He was terrified I would fall."

"There's always that risk," said the Doctor. "I know, I've been living a dangerous life for a long, long time."

"I was good enough that it could never have happened," she said defiantly. "He was just over-worried. Maybe with good reason for a lot of things, but not that."

"I occasionally think that," said the Doctor sternly. "That I'm good enough at mitigating the risk to survive when I shouldn't. I pay the price when I think that."

"May I ask a personal question, Doctor?" asked the young woman.

"By all means. You may not get an answer," he replied.

"How old are you?"

"Ah, well... I forget I'm afraid. Four thousand? Five? Something like that. You lose count a bit at my age."

"Ah," she said. It sounded incredible – yet with everything else about this man, believable. "And you look about forty, how?"

"Well," said the Doctor. "When I get injured or old, I can change my body to survive. Done it quite a few times now. I've even been a woman a few times before."
She turned to him with raised eyebrows. "Really?!" she said.

"Oh, yes. No difference really," he said.

She didn't know what to make of the Doctor. He could seem both cheerful and full of humour, and deadly and darkly serious. A man of two halves? Or was he using one to conceal the other. Either way, she never felt like he was lying to her. First time for everything she supposed – even her brother occasionally lied to her that things were better than they were, to make her feel better about a gloomy situation. The Doctor didn't do that – she always felt he was honest. She wondered why that was.

(-)

After an all-too long and all-too perilous journey through the streets of St Petersburg, the trio eventually reached the beginning of the sewer into the Winter Palace.

"Right, well," said the Doctor. "Here I must leave the two of you."

Anastasia was aghast. "What do you mean 'leave'? Where are you going?"

"To the Winter Palace, same as you. Just by a slightly more obvious route."

Nikolai was equally unimpressed. "You're going in by the front door?"

"More or less," said the Doctor. "I want to talk with the Tsar, and whoever else he has pulling his strings."

"He'll kill you," said Anastasia frustratedly.

"Oh, I have a hunch he won't," said the Doctor. "Or at least, his string-puller won't."

"And if you're wrong?" asked Nikolai.

The Doctor cleared his throat and took an EMP charge out of his pocket.

"I thought they had all been destroyed," said Nikolai crossly.

"No, you assumed they had," said the Doctor. "I simply declined to mention you were incorrect. This was the only other one that survived."

Anastasia groaned. So much for honesty then. "Why didn't you use it back at the factory?"

"So I can use it here," smiled the Doctor. "Sounds fairly simply doesn't it. Anyway, while I'm chatting with ol' Nicky up there, I need you two to try and find out all you can. Find my TARDIS, that's the blue box that says police on it, find out why you're important, find out... well, anything really."

"While you distract the Tsar?" asked Nikolai.

"Distract is part of it. I'm afraid there is a lot I want to ask him. My curiosity is my downfall," said the Doctor, beginning to climb up back towards street level. "Good luck! I'll meet you in there!"

"Infuriating man," said Nikolai crossly. "Let's go."

Infuriating was the right word, Anastasia thought. But brilliant as well.

(-)

The Doctor did not get very far. He did not expect to. This was either about to become his best or worst plan in history, but his hunch was so strong he didn't have much choice. Besides, there was a great deal he needed to learn before he could even get the TARDIS back. Blundering into a poor solution to a problem that was partially of his own creation? That was, for good or bad, his style.

"Do not move," said the Cyberman that appeared behind him. "You will be destroyed."

"I wish to talk to the Tsar," said the Doctor in as bold a voice as he could manage.

"You will be destro-"

"I'm not remotely interested in whether you think I should be destroyed. I wish to talk to him."

"And why, Doctor," sighed a voice from the Cyberman's speakers, "should I wish to talk to you."

"Because I am a mind of little equal in this universe and there is much you could learn from me?" pondered the Doctor. "Something along those lines."

"No thank you," said the Tsar. "Destro-" Suddenly he stopped, as if he had been interrupted. The Doctor allowed a quick smile – his gamble was about to pay off, big time.

"Bring him to me!" the Tsar snapped, clearly talking to the Cyberman. "If he tries anything, kill him."

"I obey," it said flatly, its weapon having stayed pointed at the Doctor the entire time. "You will move."

"Certainly I will," said the Doctor. So far, so good. Now the big question – now what?

(-)

I believe I understand this said the being.

"Oh yes?" said the Doctor. "In what way?"

This is a gamble, it replied. You are taking a chance that you will be able to get what you wish but with a risk to your corporeal existence if it fails.

"Well, not every gamble has to include a risk to life," said the Doctor. "Sometimes it can be less important things. But in this case, yes."

This is interesting, said the being. If I had a corporeal existence that could be ended, I would not risk that existence for anything.

"Well, many people in my universe do think that way, and it's a valid way to think. But many others think the reward can sometimes be worth the risk. And in this case, the reward was finding out all I needed to go and finding a way to get my TARDIS back. It seemed like a good trade."

So every corporal being makes a different choice as to whether they want to gamble? asked the being. That seems very odd to me that you all have very different ideas on what you should do.

"That's just the way things are in my universe. There is no single will."

Believe me Doctor, said the being. You have shown me that is very much the case.

I have one more question, it asked.

"Fire away."

Why did you deceive Anastasia and Nikolai about the EMP charge?

"I had a feeling we would run into Cybermen between leaving the bunker and arriving at the sewer, and I didn't want either of them doing anything stupid on the pretence that I had an EMP charge. I needed that thing."

You did not trust them? said the being.

"That's probably not the right way of putting it..." said the Doctor.

What other way is there?

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "I don't know. Perhaps I am more distrustful than I like to think."

I can understand not trusting another, said the being. If they do not think like you, then there is no guarantee they are working to the same goal.

"But I knew they were working to the same goal," pondered the Doctor. "I suppose I'm not sure. You really have a propensity for asking these moral questions."

I apologise, said the being.

"No, that's a good thing," said the Doctor. "It means you're trying to learn. And that is perhaps the most powerful impulse of all."