The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday – Chapter 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor who, if I did, I'd have the 9th Doctor, 10th Doctor and the 11th Doctor trapped in my closet (too much?)
A/N: Here's the final chapter of Nightmare on Silver! I can't wait to see your reactions to Mr. Clever and Rhea. And thank you so much for the reviews, more reviews this chapter than any other previously. Most people wanted Rhea becoming like Jack, and I was leaning that way for her but I felt a bit conflicted about the aging bit, if you go with the idea that Jack is the Face of Boe. Plus, the Doctor will die one day, when he runs out of regenerations, and Rhea won't. I do sort of have a plan for what will happen between Rhea and Bad Wolf, so you'll all just have to bear with me. There are at least seventy chapters between this one and Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways, so it'll be awhile, but please keep giving your opinions on it, I do take them into consideration.
Specific notes on reviews:
Shreba: Thank you so much for your review for Chapter 6. I agree with you about River, I think she would flirt with them both and Rose would be jealous, but I think she'll get over it sometime later in Season 2, I want her to be a positive figure in Season 4, because she wants to get back to both of them, not just the Doctor. As for your review for your last chapter, she's still completely human now, and she will be for awhile, she needs a catalyst to make her a non-human. Her timeline's kind of like River's, it's just kind of intertwined around the Doctor's
Kotobukiis: I think you're right about Rose, I'd think Rose would feel jealous that the Doctor pays just that extra bit of attention to Rhea, as opposed to her. Rhea won't take any of it though, and it would only last about one and a half seasons. River and the Doctor will only be friends in this story, good friends, but totally platonic. The same maybe cannot be said about River and Rhea.
Kate Elizabeth Black: I'm actually a little bit confused about your review. I will be doing Human Nature before Bad Wolf, so if I do give Rhea a fob watch, that episode might give her the hint that something's wrong. However, I don't like the fob watch because I feel like I should have mentioned it, at least in passing, at the beginning. It just sounds a bit surreal if Rhea suddenly says "Oh, yeah, I've had this pocket watch my entire life and I just forgot to tell you about it."
Alex Wolfe: I will put up a snippet of my OC Time Lady story after a couple of chapters, so stick around. I never really liked Rose's character in Season 1, I felt like she got better during the second half of Season 2, but I never approved of her actions during Season 4. Rhea will call her out on some of her actions, especially in Father's Day, The Christmas Invasion, School Reunion and Doomsday.
Imou: I'm glad you think so! She does act a bit immature. I hate it when people use the excuse that she's only nineteen. I mean, I don't think even a fifteen year old would abandon her mother and leave her alone like that for so long.
Grapejuice101: No, he won't, he's just going to try and screw with her head.
I-Am-Annabel-Lee: See, I don't think they'd have that painful stage, because the Doctor's known Rhea for so long, he'd probably be used to it by now. If I ever end up writing the Doctor's first meeting with Rhea, back on Gallifrey, that would be very painful. Rhea would be in love with him, but she'd make his skin crawl.
YingWhiteyWolf - Thank you so much for your review! As for what happens to Rhea in 'Bad Wolf', I don't want to say too much in case I spoil it for you, but you're getting kind of close to what I had planned. I'm so glad you like my story, I know the idea's been done before, I just wanted to give my interpretation on what would happen if someone from the Doctor Who universe had that happen to her, so she wouldn't actually know what would happen in each episode. As for the psychologist bit, I am trying, but unfortunately, I don't know enough about psychology to write it realistically, at least, in my opinion. I can keep trying, hopefully I might get better.
haleyrayxx - Thanks for your input!
Italics – Rhea's thoughts
Nightmare in Silver: Personality Disorder
"Relax, relax. If you just relax, you will find this a perfectly pleasant experience. You are being upgraded and incorporated into the Cyberiad as a Cyber-Planner."
He jerked again. "Get out of my head!"
"What is this place? A network? A hive? You're getting signals from every Cyberman everywhere. How many of you are there?" The Doctor asked the Cyber Planner.
"Oh... this is brilliant! I'm so clever already, and now I'm a million times more clever." The Cyberdoctor spun across the room and Rhea pushed herself against the wall, hoping she would go on unnoticed, at least until she could figure out what to do. "And what a brain! Not a human brain, not even slightly human." He leaned against the table. "I mean, I'll have to completely rewrite the neural interface, but this is going to be the most efficient Cyber-Planner!" He leapt onto the table, his arms outstretched and he grimaced. "Not a great name, that, is it? I could call myself Mr Clever." His voice was a low growl. "So much raw data... Time Lords. There's information on the Time Lords in here! Oh, this is just dreamy!"
"Right, I'm allowing you access to memories on Time Lord regeneration." The Doctor told The Cyberdoctor as pictures of all the Doctor's past regenerations flashed behind them.
"Fantastic!" The Cyberdoctor shouted, clapping his hands.
"I could regenerate now. Big blast of regeneration energy, burn out any little Cyber widgets in my brain, along with everything you're connected to. Don't want to. Use this me up, who knows what we'll get next?" The Doctor shrugged. "But I can." He pointed at The Cyberdoctor.
"Stalemate, then." The Cyberdoctor said, striding across the room. "One of us needs to control this head. We're too well-balanced."
The Doctor's body twitched as he regained control. "What did you say? No, no, no, I heard you. Rhetorical device to keep me thinking about it a bit more. Stalemate."
He looked at Rhea, who was still pressed up against the wall, shock and hesitancy obvious on her face. "It's okay, Rhea." He said, softly, trying to show that it really was him. "Everything's going to be fine. I have a plan."
Rhea nodded and stepped away from the wall and went back over to the children.
"We each control 49.881% of this brain. 0.238 of the brain is still in the balance. Whoever gets this gets the whole thing." The Cyberdoctor said.
"Do you play chess?" The Doctor asked, a small smile playing on his face.
"The rules of chess are in my memory banks. You're proposing we play chess to end the stalemate?"
"Winner takes all. Nobody can access that portion of the brain without winning the game." The Doctor proposed and the two shook hands.
"You can't win!" The Cyberdoctor shouted.
His body jerked.
"Try me." The Doctor said, his voice a low growl.
His body jerked again.
"You understand, when I DO win, the Cyberiad gets your brains and memories. All of it."
His body jerked.
"When I win, you get out of my head, you let the children go, and nobody dies. You got that? Nobody dies!" He shouted.
A chess board had been set up on the table that was in the middle of the Cybermen base.
"There. That was easy." Mr. Clever said.
"The game…has just started." The Doctor said, moving a white piece.
Rhea rushed to him. "You're seriously going to beat the Cyberman in your head through a chess game?" She asked, incredulously
"Yes." He said, looking at her, before his body jerked again and Rhea backed away.
"Doctor... why is there no record of you anywhere in the databanks of the Cyberiad?" Mr Clever moved his black knight. "Oh. You're good. You've been eliminating yourself from history. You know, you could be reconstructed by the hole you've left."
"Good point. I'll do something about that." He said and moved his white knight.
"The rules of chess allow only a finite number of moves. And I can use other Cyber units as remote processors. You cannot possibly win." Mr. Clever said in an angry growl.
"I can. I know things you don't. For example, did you know... very early versions of the Cyber operating system could be seriously scrambled by exposure to things, like gold or cleaning fluid? And what's interesting is, you're still running some of that code." The Doctor's voice was a cunning whisper.
"Really? That's your secret weapon? Cleaning fluid?" Mr. Clever mocked.
"Nope. Gold." The Doctor said and slapped the gold ticket on metal webbing on his face. "Ho-ho! Like a charm. Right, you, Rhea and you, Cyber... Webley. And you, kid... things. I'll bring the chessboard. Let's get out of here." He said, sweeping the chess pieces into his arms.
"It's really you, then." Rhea asked, coming up to him and putting a hand on his arm.
He turned to her and looked at her with those soulful grey eyes of his. "It's really me, Rhea." He said, earnestly, grabbing her hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing her palm.
Rhea exhaled. "Good."
The Doctor and Rhea made their way to the castle. Webley, Angie and Artie were following them when soldiers suddenly surrounded them. He held the chessboard in front of face and pulled Rhea behind his back, who hissed at being treated like a little girl, pulling out the blaster she had yet to use and keeping it by her side.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" He shouted, lowering the chessboard. "We're nice! Please, don't shoot!" Rhea noticed Clara and pointed it out to him. "Hey, Clara, you haven't let them blow up the planet. Good job." The Doctor told her.
Clara rushed up to them. "Did you get the kids? Are they all right? What's going on?"
"Bit of a good news/bad news/good news again thing going on." The Doctor started.
"Bit of an understatement, I think." Rhea muttered but bit her lip when the Doctor glared at her.
"So... Good news - I've kidnapped their Cyber-Planner, and right now I'm sort of in control of this Cyberman."
"Bad news?" Clara asked, warily.
"Bad news - the Cyber-Planner's in my head. And DIFFERENT bad news - the kids are... Well, it's complicated."
"Complicated how?" Clara asked through gritted teeth.
"Complicated, as in walking coma." The Doctor said, nervously, before hiding behind the chessboard once again and ducking behind the children. Clara hurried forward and looked at the two children in shock, her eyes wide. She raised her large gun, which was glowing red.
"Please tell me you can wake them up." Clara asked the Doctor.
"Hope so." The Doctor said in a sing-song voice.
"Other good news?" Clara asked, feeling a headache start to come on. Rhea moved over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling the girl to her.
"It'll be fine, Clara, the Doctor will fix the kids." Rhea murmured and then glared at the Doctor. "Won't he?" She growled.
The Doctor backed away from the both. Clara was holding a big angry gun and Rhea was angry and when Rhea got angry, she got violent, and she had brand new shiny gun she hadn't tested out yet. "Well, in other good news, there are a few more repaired and reactivated Cybermen on the way. And the Cyber-Planner's installing a patch for the gold thing." He paused and frowned. "No, wait, that isn't not good news, is it? Um, so... Good news –" He held the chessboard above his head and smiled. "I have a very good chance of winning my chess match."
Clara lowered her gun in confusion. "What?"
"I'll explain later. In a bit of a hurry." He started up the drawbridge. Rhea groaned and ran after him. "Get me to a table." He stopped and turned back to the soldiers. "And somebody tie me up! Need hands free for chess." He said, waggling his hands in the air. He started and turned around again. "And immobilise me. Quickly." His voice was dead serious now and he ran into the castle.
The soldiers just stood there.
"He meant now!" Rhea shouted, snapping her fingers at them, and smirked when they all hurried away. Oh, I've still got it.
The Doctor had set up the chessboard on a table in front of the throne. Rhea tied him to the chair, making sure to leave his hands free.
"You know, when I thought about ropes and you and me, I never pictured quite this context." She purred into his ear and stifled a laugh when he blushed.
The Doctor cleared his throat, willing the flush on his cheeks to die down. "Right, that's good." He said, hoarsely. "I won't be able to move, but... hands free. Good."
"You're playing chess with yourself?" Clara asked, coming up to the two of them.
"And winning." The Doctor said.
The Doctor's hand raised and ripped off the golden ticket that was stuck to his face.
"Actually, he has no better than a 25% chance of winning at this stage in the game. Some very dodgy moves at the beginning. Hello, flesh-girls. Fantastic! I'm the Cyber-Planner." The Cyber Planner growled, smiling.
"Doctor?" Clara asked, nervously, stepping forwards, but Rhea blocked her with a hand across her rib-cage.
"Don't! He's not the Doctor!" Rhea hissed.
"Afraid not. I'm working the mouth now. Allons-y!" Rhea grimaced when she heard the patented catchphrase of her blue suit-wearing Doctor. "Oh, you should see the state of these neurons - he's had some cowboys in here. Ten complete re-jigs."
"You aren't the Doctor." Clara said, her voice a bit stronger.
"No, but I know who YOU are. You're the impossible girl. Ooh, he's very interested in you." The Cyber Planner purred.
"Why am I impossible?" Clara asked, folding her arms.
"Don't listen to him, Clara." Rhea said, narrowing her eyes at the Cyber Planner.
"Why am I impossible?" Clara turned to Rhea and asked her.
Rhea grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her away from the Cyberdoctor. "Okay, first of all, me? You're asking me? Me? The woman who's literally met you three times!" Rhea saw Clara falter and she softened her tone. "Clara, you can't listen to him. He's only trying to screw with your head."
They walked back over to the Cyberdoctor. "Hasn't he told you? The sly devil. Oh, dear me. Soon, we wake, we'll strip you down for spare parts, then build a spaceship and move on."
Rhea stared him down. "You know, with what you just said, if you changed the words around a bit, it'd be really good bedroom talk." Rhea said, lightly.
The Cyberdoctor's eyes glinted at her. "Ooh, it's you, the girl who never stands still. There isn't much information on you in here." He pointed to his head. "The Doctor's keeping you all locked up. His golden girl. He's scared I'll tell you the truth."
Rhea frowned. "The truth about what?" She demanded, crossing her arms and hugging herself.
"Are there more Cybermen?" Clara asked the Cyberdoctor quickly, knowing that the real Doctor wouldn't want Rhea to know whatever he was keeping hidden.
Rhea glared at Clara, but she ignored it.
"They're waking from their tomb right now. You can either die or live on as one of us." The Cyberdoctor said.
"The Doctor will stop you." Clara said certainly.
Rhea heard a scratching sound and frowned. She looked down to see the Doctor's hand writing something on a notepad. She looked closer, as inconspicuously as possible, to see the words 'HIT ME' written across the paper.
"He can't even access the lips." The Cyberdoctor hissed.
Rhea reached out and slapped him across the face.
"Owwww!" The Doctor shouted, jerking back. "Ow! Oh, that hurt! No, stop! Enough! Bit of pain, neural surge - just what I needed. Thanks."
Rhea snorted. "You're lucky all I did was slap you."
Clara looked angry, especially with her folded arms. "Why am I the impossible girl?"
"It's a thing in my head. I'll explain later." The Doctor said, hurriedly.
"Chess game – stakes?" Clara asked.
"If he wins, I give up my mind and he gets access to all my memories, along with knowledge of time travel. But if I win, he'll break his promises to get out of my head and then kill us anyway." The Doctor said the last part as if it were no problem at all.
"Well, that's reassuring." Rhea said, sarcastically.
"No."
"Please tell me you can fix what happened to the children." Clara pleaded, her hands pressing the table.
"Children. Yeah. They're fine. I mean, right now their brains are just in stand-by mode."
"That is not fine!" Rhea growled.
"Listen, right now, they have a better chance of getting out of this situation alive than you do." The Cyberdoctor murmured.
"Which one of you said that?" Clara asked.
"Me. Cyber-Planner. Mr Clever. Now, if you don't mind, I have a…" He poked Clara on the forehead. "…chess game to finish. And YOU have to die… pointlessly and very far from home. Toodle-oo." He said, waving mockingly.
Clara left but Rhea just simply pulled a chair over and sat opposite to him.
"You're not going to leave, are you?" The Doctor asked her, taking control back from the Cyber Planner.
Rhea shook her head, grinning. "No way in hell, honey."
The chess match continued. Rhea didn't know much about chess. She had the rules explained to her a thousand times before and she still didn't remember them, but even she had to admit that watching a centuries old Time Lord play chess with an evil Cyberman version of himself was pretty amazing.
The Doctor moved a white piece before he jerked back in his seat.
"Stop that! I felt that!" The Doctor shouted, jerking in his own mind.
"Of course you did. It's time to get up. Wakey wakey, boys and girls. Wakey wakey." The Cyberdoctor murmured in a sing-song voice.
The Doctor smiled at Clara when she entered the room again. Clara checked the children's responses by snapping her fingers in front of their fingers. She sighed and walked up to the throne, standing behind Rhea, her hands on the chair.
"Hey! Clara, there you are. Now, quick rundown. What's our weapons strength?" The Doctor asked.
"One big gun, five of those hand pulsar units and a shiny black bomb that implodes the planet." Clara answered.
"Yeah, yeah, that one. Now, tell me, does it happen, possibly, to have a remote triggery thing?"
Clara pulled the black thin trigger from her pocket and held it up.
"Brilliant. Pass it here."
"Clara, no!" Rhea shouted, standing up and walking over to the table.
"Why not?" The Doctor looked at her.
"In case you're not you right now. Or even if you are you, just in case." Clara explained.
"Oh, don't worry." The Doctor leaned in and shared a conspiratorial whisper. "he Cyber-Planner's hibernating between moves right now. Sssh."
"Prove you're you. Tell me something only the Doctor knows." Rhea said, leaning over.
"Rhea…I suppose… I'm the only one who knows how I feel about you." The Doctor began.
Rhea grimaced. "Tread carefully, because this may be the last conversation we ever have."
How absolutely perfect you are, and funny, and beautiful, and it's taking all that I am not to just ki-"
Rhea lashed out and smacked him across the face again.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" The Doctor shouted as he jerked yet agin. "Yes! It's me! That really hurt! How did you know that was him?!" The Doctor asked, his voice going squeaky at the end.
"Because you told me you couldn't tell me some things yet." Rhea crossed her arms and looked away from the Doctor. "And I'm willing to wait until you decide the time is right to tell me."
Rhea didn't see the Doctor smile sadly at her or the pain that passed through his eyes.
"Finish the stupid game!" Clara shouted, swinging her right arm at him and the Doctor's left hand reached out and grabbed it.
"Doctor, let go." Clara said, trying to pull herself out of the grip.
Rhea grabbed Clara's wrist and tried to yank her away, but to no avail.
"I can't. He's got control of the left arm." He tried to regain control. "Aaargh! Aaaargh! No! No!" He watched helplessly as the trigger was smashed to pieces against the table. "Aaargh! Aaargh! Aaargh!"
"Doctor?" Clara asked, tentatively.
"He got what he wanted. He destroyed the trigger. My move." The Doctor said, breathless.
"What do you mean, he got what he wanted?" Rhea asked, hesitating.
"He means... good news, boys and girls! THEY'RE HE-ERE!" The Cyberdoctor shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I've learned so much from you, Doctor. It's been an education. But now it's time for the endgame." The Cyberdoctor said, slamming down the chess pieces.
Rhea watched helplessly at the scene in front of her. Her hand went to the gun currently in the back of her tights as she debated whether or not to use it. She had no idea if it would work on a Cyber Planner, who was fighting for control of a Time Lord. And even if it did, what if the Doctor regenerated? Would the Cyber Planner still be in effect then? But that was all pointless, she didn't know if she could even pull the trigger on him. She didn't think she could. What did that mean?
"They're nearly here. Now, you can take my bishop and keep limping on for a little longer. Or you can sacrifice your queen, and get the children back, but it's mate in five moves. And I get your mind." The Cyberdoctor growled.
The Cyberdoctor jerked.
"Take my queen. And give me back the children." The Doctor hissed, moving his queen.
His body jerked again.
"Emotions! Can't you see what a foolish move that was? You've lost the game!" The Cyberdoctor roared.
The Doctor's body jerked.
"Kids! Back! Now!" The Doctor growled, holding onto the table with clenched fists.
Angie and Artie fell to their knees and Rhea ran over to them, checking their pulse and hanging her head in relief when she heard the steady thumping. She heard the Cyberdoctor make a sound of victory when he took the Doctor's queen and kissed the piece.
"Emotions, Doctor, all for two human children you barely know. And it was a pointless sacrifice anyway. So, Doctor, Miss Rhea... do you think the children's death will affect your relationship with Miss Clara?" The Cyberdoctor asked, grinning.
Rhea saw Porridge run in with the bomb tightly clasped in his hands and he paused when he saw the sight before him.
The metal webbing on Webley's head began to blink light blue furiously and Webley turned to face the children. "Welcome to Webley's World Of Wonders, children. Now presenting delights, delicacies... and death." He said, stalking forwards.
Rhea turned back with wide eyes to see the Cyberdoctor hide a smile behind his hand. She pulled out her gun and pointed it at Webley, her finger on the trigger.
"Doctor!" Angie shouted as Webley came closer.
Rhea was just about to press the trigger when Porridge hurried over and applied his hand pulsar to Webley's leg. Webley kicked Porridge away as a reflex and the man landed at the base of the table holding the chess board. Webley's cybernetics sparked and the Doctor jerked again.
"Angie, are you, okay? Just look after Artie, okay?" The Doctor said, trying to be as soothing as possible.
Angie nodded and both her and Rhea kneeled beside Artie.
Webley turned to face the children again.
"Your move. But before you take it, just so you know, sacrificing my queen was the best possible move I could have made. The Time Lords invented chess. It's our game. And if you don't avoid MY trap, it gives ME mate in three moves."
The Doctor jerked.
"How?" The Cyberdoctor growled.
"Oh, come on. Call yourself a chess-playing robot?" The Doctor asked, mockingly.
"How?" The Cyberdoctor roared.
"You figure it out." The Doctor said, smiling. "Or don't you have the processing power? Hmm?" He said, twiddling with his bow-tie.
The Doctor sensed a change suddenly. "What are you doing?" He asked, slowly.
He jerked.
"Doctor. Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor! I'm pulling in extra processing power. Three million Cyberbrains are working on one tiny chess problem. How long do you think it's going to take us to solve it?"
"That's cheating!" The Doctor growled.
"No, no, no, no, no. Just pulling in the local resources." The Cyberdoctor smiled. "There's no way you can get to mate in three moves." He murmured.
The Doctor jerked. "Three moves! Want to know what they are?" The Doctor growled.
"You're lying!" The Cyberdoctor shouted.
"No!" The Doctor said, leaning down and taking the sonic pulsar from Porridge's unconscious hand. "Move one," He reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Turn on sonic screwdriver." He turned it on. "Move two, activate pulsar." He used the sonic screwdriver on the pulsar. "Move three, amplify pulsar."
The Doctor slipped the pulsar onto his right hand and lifted it towards his face. His left hand reached across to stop the other, trying to push it away.
"See ya." The Doctor chuckled and placed the pulsar directly onto the cybernetics on his face.
The Doctor's body jerked as the energy coursed through it.
"That's cheating!" The Cyberdoctor shouted.
The cybernetics on his face sparked and he fell face-down onto the table and Rhea rushed to him from her place with the children, Clara a few feet behind her followed by soldiers. The Doctor sat up suddenly, the metal webbing completely erased from his face.
"Just taking advantage of the local resources." He said, throwing the pulsar over his shoulder. "Ah, hello. Can someone untie me, please?"
Rhea's eyes narrowed. "Doctor?"
"It's me, Rhea." The Doctor said.
"Do you want to kiss me?" Rhea asked, raising an eyebrow.
He smirked. "Preferably not with witnesses." He winked at her, only half joking, but Rhea didn't need to know that.
Rhea shrugged, deciding not to think too much of his flirty comment. "That's good enough for me." She ran to the back of the chair and untied the ropes that were holding him there. "What happened to the Cyber Planner?"
"Out of my head and redistributed across three million Cybermen. About to wake them up, kill us and start constructing a spaceship." The Doctor said quickly.
"That does not sound good." Rhea said slowly.
He got up and hurried to the bomb. "We need to destroy this planet before they can get off it. Okay." He scanned the bomb. "It has a fallback voice activation."
Rhea saw Porridge wake and sit up.
"The Captain. But she's dead." One of the soldiers said.
"I think you should ask Porridge." Angie said.
Clara frowned. "Why?"
"Well, he is the Emperor. I bet HE knows the activation codes." Angie said.
Porridge looked down at the floor. Clara looked between Porridge and Angie.
"Oh, come on, it's obvious." Angie said, rolling her eyes. "He looks exactly like he does on the coin and on the waxwork, except they made him a bit taller, but… look, am I the only one paying attention to ANYTHING around here?"
Clara gave the girl a pleased look. "You are full of surprises." She turned to Porridge. "Porridge?"
"She's right." He said.
"So you can save us?"
"We all die in the end. Does it matter how?" Porridge asked, raising an eyebrow.
The Doctor set the bomb in front of Porridge.
"What do we do?" Another soldier asked.
"I don't want to be Emperor. If I activate that bomb, it's all over."
The Doctor let out a low growl. "And if you don't, three million Cybermen will spread across the galaxy. Isn't that worth dying for?"
"Doctor…" Porridge started, still unwilling to activate the bomb.
"Three million Cybermen!" Rhea hissed at him. She could only imagine what they would do to the rest of the galaxy if they were left unheeded.
"The bomb, the throne, it's all connected. I just have to say, 'This is Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick, called Longstaff the 41st, the defender of humanity, imperator of known space. Activate the Desolator.'" The bomb glowed a dull red, signalling its activation and Rhea and the Doctor smiled. "And it's done."
The Doctor scanned the bomb with his screwdriver.
"It'll blow in about 80 seconds. Easily long enough for the Imperial Flagship to locate me from my identification, warp-jump into orbit, and transmat us to the State Room." He closed his eyes.
They were transported to the imperial spaceship, which looked like an alien version of a throne room in a castle. Rhea got up from her place on the ground and turned around to see Porridge on a multi-levelled dais. Behind him, there was a massive window overlooking the planet they had just been on. The others, the Doctor, Clara, Angie, Artie and the soldiers, were still on the floor.
The Doctor got up and looked around. "Oh, yeah! Nice ship. Bit big. Not blue enough." Rhea rolled her eyes. The Doctor stepped onto the dais and spoke with Porridge. "Listen, there is a large blue box at co-ordinates six ultra 19P. I need it transmatted up here right away."
"Right." Porridge nodded and looked at a woman standing at a pedestal. "Did you get that?"
The woman nodded.
Everyone stepped towards the window as the countdown came closer to zero. Clara wrapped her arm around Artie's shoulder and Rhea took the Doctor's hand, squeezing it tightly.
"And that's that. 76, 77, 78, 79..." Porridge counted.
The planet exploded into a million little yellow pieces and everyone reeled from the force of the blast. Artie, Angie and Clara sat on the steps of the dais.
"Fairwell, Cyberiad. You know... it was GOOD to get away. Good to be a person and not to be lonely or Emperor of 1,000 galaxies, with everybody waiting for ME to tell them what to do." Porridge said, wistfully.
"Can't you run away again?" Artie asked, curiously.
Porridge shook his head. "They'll be keeping a close eye on me this time. That's what happens when you're Emperor - loneliest job in the Universe."
Clara gave a small smile. "You don't have to be lonely."
The Doctor and Rhea smiled at Clara's caring nature.
"I don't." Porridge said and faced Clara, getting down on one knee. "Clara... will you marry me?"
Rhea choked and coughed to cover it up and the Doctor looked stunned at Porridge's question. Clara looked shocked, her face completely disbelieving.
"What?" Clara asked, her eyes wide.
"He said…" Artie started.
"She heard what he said." Angie said, grinning.
"You're smart and you're beautiful," Rhea could see the Doctor making a face when he said that and she elbowed him in the side, ignoring his gasp. "And I've never met anyone like you before. And being Emperor won't be as hard if you're by my side. And you'd rule 1,000 galaxies."
The Doctor leaned over Porridge's shoulder, prepared to give some advice.
"This sounds like an actual marriage proposal - tricky. Now, if you want my advice..." Rhea reached out and grabbed the Doctor by the scruff of his collar and pulled him back.
"Don't interfere." Rhea hissed.
"You - not one word." Clara said, agreeing with Rhea. "This is between me and the... Emperor. Porridge, I...don't want to rule 1,000 galaxies."
The Doctor gave Clara a thumbs-up and a pleased nod behind Porridge's back.
"Yeah. Silly of me." Porridge said, looking slightly embarrassed.
"I'm really sorry." Clara said, sincerely.
"But that's stupid. You could be queen of the universe. How can you say no to that? When someone asks you if you want to be queen of the universe, you say, "Yes." You watch. One day, I'LL be queen of the universe." Angie said, confidently.
Rhea grinned at her and winked.
Porridge smiled at Angie's declaration and stood. "Of course, I could have you all executed - which is what a proper Emperor would do."
Rhea's eyes widened.
"You're not actually going to do that, though, are you...?" The Doctor asked, hesitating.
Porridge smiled and chuckled.
The Doctor pointed at Porridge. "Oh, you're...! Hey?" He said, laughing.
"Go on, get out of here, all of you, before I change my mind." Porridge said.
The Doctor and Rhea headed for the TARDIS and the children followed. Clara stood and saluted Porridge before joining them.
Clara and Rhea stood against the railing as the Doctor navigated the TARDIS back to Earth.
"Here's hoping he'll get it right this time." Rhea muttered to Clara.
Clara laughed but smothered it quickly when the Doctor glared at them.
Clara suddenly looked at Rhea. "Can I ask you a question?"
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Sure."
"You haven't been travelling with the Doctor long, have you?" Clara asked her. Rhea shook her head. "So, are you dealing with this okay then?"
Rhea's shoulders slumped. "By this, do you mean the whole time-and-space travelling thing or the fact that there's a twelve-hundred-and-something year old alien that gives me strange looks when he thinks I'm not looking?" Rhea asked.
Clara properly turned and looked at Rhea. "It's just…you smile or you grin a lot but your eyes look all sad. Kind of like the Doctor's eyes."
Rhea's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. "I'm…adjusting. Look, I'm not normal, Clara. I'm trying to deal with the fact that my life has just been upturned after I just started to get it sorted again." She sighed.
"But, you're with the Doctor, isn't that good?" Clara asked, confused.
Rhea smiled. "I think it is. I mean, in a billion years, I never imagined this would happen to me. A part of me is glad it did but another part says that I should get away as quickly as possible. But I have no choice. So, I have to deal with it. I am starting to accept that my life is going to be wholly different than what I would have expected."
Clara still looked confused. "Clara, I'm not completely all right. I'm kind of screwed up in the head. The world isn't safe for girls like me. But maybe, I'm not safe for the world either. And… I shouldn't even be telling you all of this." Rhea frowned. This wasn't like her, she didn't just tell every random person she met her entire life history.
"Why would you say that?" Clara asked, cocking her head.
Rhea opened her mouth to deflect Clara's question but she was cut off.
"Okay, right where we picked you up!" The Doctor said, pulling a lever, with a beaming smile on his face.
They moved so that they were leaning against the console instead of the railing.
Artie shook the Doctor's hand, furiously. "Thank you for having me. It was very interesting."
The Doctor leaned down, smiling. "My pleasure. Thank you for coming." He turned to Angie. "Now, I've got something for you." He started running around the console and Angie followed him. He realised she was behind him and turned to her. "It's not from me, it's from the TARDIS. Ah! New phone." He said, giving Angie a new mobile.
"Thank!" Angie said, grinning at the phone.
"You're welcome."
"Sorry I said this box was stupid." Angie shook the Doctor's hand before heading out the door.
"Bye!" The Doctor and Rhea said, waving at the two.
"Thanks, Clara. Thanks, Clara's friends."
The children waved goodbye and exited the TARDIS. Clara walked over to stand beside the Doctor and Rhea.
"Thanks, guys."
"For what?" Rhea asked.
"Kids' day out, getting us off the planet alive, whatever you were doing with the Cybermen..."
The Doctor nodded.
"Good night." She said, smiling, and walked to the blue doors. "See you next Wednesday."
"Well... a Wednesday, definitely. Next Wednesday, last Wednesday..." The Doctor said and Clara left. "One of the Wednesdays. Impossible girl. A mystery wrapped in an enigma squeezed into a skirt." He remarked, thoughtfully.
"Why is she the impossible girl?" Rhea asked the Doctor, leaning against the TARDIS console as he set the ship in motion.
He turned to her and smirked. "Spoilers."
Rhea groaned. "I'm gonna hate that word soon, aren't I?"
"Just when it's used like this. You use it a lot too, you know."
"I hate not knowing things." Rhea pouted.
"So, didn't you want to know what the Cyber Planner was going to tell you?" The Doctor asked, suddenly, making sure he wasn't actually looking at her.
Rhea paused. She didn't know how to best answer that. "You told me you couldn't tell me yet." She said, slowly.
"I can't. But didn't you want to know?"
Rhea nodded. "I did. Of course I did. But…"
"But what?"
"You know, sometimes I wish I could read your mind and sometimes I'm glad I can't because I don't think want to know the truth." She said, realising the absolute truth in the words she had just spoken. A part of her really didn't want to know the truth. She wasn't sure if she ready to deal with it just yet.
She looked over at the Doctor to see many emotions warring on his face. He finally settled on a smile and pressed a button the console, making the TARDIS light up and wheeze and groan.
"Hey, I have an idea that could solve our 'spoiler' problem." Rhea suddenly said, leaning against the console and facing him.
"Hmm..." He hummed.
"Every time I meet a specific you, I will tell them a word from my last adventure with that specific 'you', just to see whether you've done it yet. Kind of like a password. Then I'll know that you've done it." Rhea said, happily.
The Doctor frowned. "But how would you know that I haven't done the adventure before that one? Or-"
"Hey!" She held up a hand to stop him from continuing. "It's a temporary solution. Don't knock it!" She glared at him.
The Doctor shook his head, smiling. "Where to next, then?" The Doctor asked.
"Take me somewhere…" She looked thoughtful. "Amazing."
Suddenly, the pain hit her on all sides like a shockwave and she stumbled away from the console and the Doctor. She vaguely heard him shouting her name until everything went black and she collapsed.
When she opened her eyes, she was lying on a bed, tucked in the covers, in a room that looked entirely too familiar to her. It looked like the inside of her bedroom in her apartment, complete with ornaments and knick-knacks and the same bedspread she remembered sleeping in when she had met the Doctor the first time. She looked around and saw the exact same laptop she had used in the library, sitting on a desk. She grabbed it and frantically turned it on and saw the exact same page she had left open the last time she had jumped. The same two entries, 'Titanic' and 'Soviet submarine', were still on the page. She sighed and added 'Cybermen in amusement park' after them. This must be my room on the TARDIS.
She looked around and her eyes fell on the door, wondering which Doctor she would meet up with this time. She pushed herself out of the bed and walked unsteadily over to the door, as if she hadn't walked in days. She opened the door and looked around, seeing no one, and walked slowly down the corridor, hoping she'd find the control room quickly. She saw the steps and she hurried up them, realising she was in the same TARDIS as she had when she and the Doctor had crashed into the Titanic. She hoped that meant…
She rushed onto the console room and the Doctor was sitting on the captain's chair, flicking through the pages of a book.
She hesitated by one of the coral struts and then she grinned, deciding to screw with him a bit and slowly walked over so that she was behind him. She leaned down. "Are you always going to put me to bed, honey?" She whispered in his ear, smiling.
She could tell his face stretched from his smile even from behind him and he stood up quickly, wearing the exact same blue suit and tie he had on the last time she had seen this Doctor.
He pulled her around the chair and lifted her up in a tight hug, kissing her forehead. She squeaked in surprise and patted him on the back until he let her down.
"I thought you were going to sleep forever." He whined, dramatically.
She punched him in the arm lightly, ignoring his mock-hurt look. "Wouldn't you like that?"
Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps on metal grating and Rhea turned around to see a woman with bright red hair wearing a dark blue blazer and pale blue jeans walk up to the console room.
"Rhea, you're awake!" The woman shouted as she walked up to her, giving her a tight hug.
"Woah!" Rhea exclaimed in surprise and tentatively patted the woman on the bag until she let her go. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Rhea asked, slowly, trying her hardest not to sound rude and hating this whole 'never-meeting-people-in-the-right-order' thing she had going on. It drove her nuts introducing herself to people who already knew her.
"You don't know who I am?" The woman asked, frowning, the sadness easily spotted in her eyes.
"She hasn't met you yet." The Doctor interrupted and explained to the woman.
"No, sorry." Rhea said, agreeing with him.
"Donna. Donna Noble." The woman introduced, holding out a hand quickly.
Rhea shook it, clasping the hand firmly. "Dr. Rhea Adwani."
Donna grinned. "I know."
Rhea felt the smile on her face grow. "I know you know. I was just introducing myself for the hell of it." She winked, spun on her feet and looked at the Doctor, a grin playing on her lips and her eyes bright. "Where are we off to this time, alien boy?"
A/N: Well, this is a long chapter. Okay, so I hope you liked the ending to Nightmare in Silver and the interaction between the Cyber Planner and Rhea. I wonder what the Doctor's keeping from her, hmm? Oh, and a little hint for the next chapter, it's an episode from Season 4, that's all I can tell you right now. I'm sorry if the introduction between Rhea and Donna seemed a little forced, I'm trying to convey Rhea's slow acceptance as well as her sadness at the way her life has changed so dramatically, and that came out in her first meeting with Donna, another companion who knows her but she doesn't know them. She's still coming to terms with everything that has happened, so she's a bit bipolar at this point. I hope you liked the little girl talk between Rhea and Clara, I also tried to show that Rhea doesn't want to be talking about things like that with Clara, she doesn't trust Clara yet.
Anyways, Read and Review!