Wanderer of Time: Darkness Within

by Tinker16

The powers within have been steadily growing, buying time until the moment of remembrance. The moment swiftly approaches. Wanda's fears are coming to a head as she realizes what has been living inside her has only one purpose in the universe. And it holds no qualms in destroying any who gets in its way, even those who Wanda loves. (Part Three of the Wanderer of Time trilogy)

48. Ch 48: Harold Saxon

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to a new chapter!

Okay, I know I have said I was nervous about posting a chapter before, but I've never been more anxious in my life than when it comes to these next chapters. Starting with this one. I'm holding my breath until the end. Really hope that you all like what is coming.

On a less anxious note, the story has now officially reached a 1,000 reviews! I really couldn't believe when I noticed it. Had not been paying attention to the review count and when I got a PM from someone pointing it out, I was ecstatic. XD I just want to give you all warm hugs! *hugs tightly in joy* Thank you all for giving the story such support for so long. Thank you!

So, for a 1,000 reviews, I hope this new chapter will be a nice present. :) Enjoy!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 48: Harold Saxon

They arrived back in present time, or rather Martha's present time, London. Jack's manipulator had taken them right where the Doctor wanted. Right where he knew they needed to be. It would be the same time period of which he knew the TARDIS would have taken the Master. Where the ship would be stuck. Well, stuck between the 21st century and the year hundred trillion. The Doctor leaned over with his hands on his knees for a bit, letting the side effects of travelling through time without a capsule pass. He heard the others groaning as well. Though, not Wanda. She merely rocked on her feet for a bit, blinking away her eyes as if clearing her vision. He supposed that she was used to travelling like that by now. Then, he had second thoughts as suddenly the Time Lady stumbled to the side and smacked her shoulder right into the brick wall of the alleyway they were in.

"Oh. I don't feel so good," she moaned, holding her stomach as she seemed to be trying to hold in sickness. "I've been really pushing myself today. Need a good proper rest after . . ." She sighed, shaking her head. The Doctor stood up straight, going over to her and helping her by leaning her against him.

"Here, I've got you. You all right?" he asked her gently.

"Yeah. You?" she replied, grabbing the hand that held her around her shoulders. Staring at him in concern, her emerald appeared so big and vulnerable.

"I'm always all right," he replied automatically.

"Liar. But I guess that means I'm a liar, too." Wanda lowered her gaze from his sad, worried eyes, leaning her head against him. She slowly hugged him tightly, letting herself shiver for a moment as she tried getting herself calm again. It was hard. No matter how many times she counted to three, it seemed she could not focus on keeping up her normal calm, happy self. She felt the Doctor kiss the top of her head before steering her down the way with him and the others.

Eventually, they ended up sitting in the middle of a centre shopping area, picking out some stone ledges to sit on right in the thick of the busy streets. The Doctor and Wanda sat close together, still holding hands tightly as each of them were lost within their own minds, thinking upon what their next move would be. Briefly, every few moments they would look at each other as if talking to one another. Then, one would nod and they would stare off once more. Martha and Jack, who sat across from each other, were not even fazed by this behaviour as they both knew the Time Lords were communicating the best way they could in a situation like this. Also, the companions knew it was a way the Time Lords were comforting each other. So, Martha and Jack simply talked with each other for a bit, going over what the Time Agency and Vortex manipulators were as Martha had no clue whatsoever. Luckily, Jack was more than happy to explain everything to the other companion.

"But this Master bloke, he's got the TARDIS. He could be anywhere in time and space," Martha spoke up after Jack had got done explaining everything about the Vortex manipulator and his past with the Time Agency.

"No, he's here. Trust me," the Doctor told the companion.

"Who is he, anyway?" Martha continued to question. "And that voice at the end, that wasn't the Professor."

"Changing-faces," Wanda answered. "Remember? That's what Time Lords can do. That's why you never see me with the same face that often. When Time Lords are close to the end, we cheat our deaths by regenerating. Gives us a whole new body, whole new personality, the works." Martha nodded, knowing that she should have realized what the Master had done from the start. It was something she had grown quite used to with Wanda, after all.

"Then how are we going to find him?" the companion wondered. Wanda glanced at the Doctor, seeing how he watched a homeless man sitting on the street side intently. She looked at the man across from them in the shopping area, seeing how the man tapped a rhythmic four-beats against his tin cup in hand. Over and over again, the same beat. The beating drums.

"I'll know him . . . the moment I see him. Time Lords always do," the Doctor said, snapping back into focus after being lost in thought. "Though, I think, maybe, Wanda might already know." The Doctor and companions turned their gaze onto Wanda, staring at her curiously. "Do you know, Wanda?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly, staring up over to the large television in the shopping centre that had the news broadcast airing. "Try looking there."

Wanda remained seated while all the others stood up, going slowly over to the telly and watching the screen in shock when seeing the announcement of Harold Saxon winning the election just that day. People around the streets gathered next to the television, cheering and clapping in excitement for Saxon winning. Cheering for the new Prime Minister and his wife. Wanda watched the screen carefully as Saxon (the Master) made his brief statement of the country needing a 'doctor' and all of that. Saxon even stared right at the camera when he said this, smirking in such arrogance.

Wanda felt her left eye give a sudden twitch. Then, another small twitch. Then, a much larger one. The longer she stared at him, the more her temper flared. And with her flaring temper, her mind snapped back into action, moving past her worries. There was work to be done. She could be all angsty later. Standing swiftly, ignoring the pain in her legs and ankles, she marched right over to the three who still stood there, watching the telly in complete disbelief. Their mouths even hung open a bit upon seeing the Master snog his wife, Lucy Saxon, right on the screen. It would have been humourous any other time in seeing the dumbfounded expressions on the companions' and Doctor's faces. But at the moment, Wanda found nothing funny about any of this.

"Come on, you lot. We need to get moving, and we need to get moving now," she barked, storming right past them and briskly walking down the walkway. Shaking out of his stupor, the Doctor blinked upon seeing the sudden change in the Time Lady's demeanour. He sped on after her, trying to keep up as best he could, knowing that his Wanderer had a plan of action brewing in her mind. Good, 'cause he had some plans of his own, and he knew, that together, there would be no stopping them.

XxXxXxXx

"What have you got? Computer, laptop, anything," the Doctor said the moment they entered Martha's flat. They all rushed inside, shutting the door behind them tightly. None of them felt safe in the wake of the reign the Master had gained by becoming Prime Minister. Martha began digging around for her laptop while Jack was hurriedly dialing a number on his mobile phone.

"Jack, who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here!" scolded the Doctor, staring at Jack disbelief.

"Just some friends of mine, but there's no reply," Jack told him, frowning when he pulled his phone away from his ear. That was odd. His people at Torchwood never ignored his calls. Dialing again, a different number this time, he held his breath, anticipating for his other contact to answer. He hoped that she might not be too upset in calling her while certain people were around him.

"Who are you calling now? More friends?!" the Doctor retorted.

"No, just someone special I know. I thought she might help us," Jack stated. His brows furrowed even more, beginning to worry now. "Funny. She's not picking up, either." She never missed his calls. She was always good at picking up when he needed her. Well, there was a first for everything he supposed. He hung up his mobile, taking Martha's laptop once she handed it over to the Doctor. "I can show the Saxon websites. He's been around for ages." Jack sat down at Martha's kitchen table, beginning to type away at the computer while the Doctor watched the screen over the man's shoulder.

"Guys, hold on, before we get started, we need to take care of something first," Wanda called out, walking over cautiously to Martha's telly. "Doctor, I might need your help for this one." Bouncing over to Wanda, the Doctor held caution by the way she gingerly touched Martha's television.

"What is it?" he asked in concern.

"There's a bomb strapped to the back of Martha's telly. It was put there by the Master," Wanda said calmly as possible.

"What?!" Martha exclaimed in alarm, backing up slightly from where the telly was. Jack jumped away from the table, coming over to the two Time Lords where they stood. The Doctor crouched down, edging the television around a carefully as he could while Wanda held onto her sonic screwdriver tightly. And, in turning around the large box, they found . . .

"Um . . . where's the bomb?" Martha asked, confused as she knew Wanda would not have said that as a joke. Wanda was flabbergasted, seeing nothing there . . . except for a handwritten note taped to the back. She snatched it off before the Doctor could read it, holding it close to her face as she scanned the handwriting.

Martha,

Sorry, I had to come in and borrow your microwave again. I'll buy you another one. What, that's three in a month? Or was it five? I lost count. Don't mention anything to the landlord if you start smelling massive amounts of chopped lambs, rotten fish, and cotton candy. Just ignore it. The smell should go away . . . Eventually.

Anyway, I found a bomb on the back of your boob tube. Heard it ticking, sort of. Would have been a bad scene if that thing went off on you. Funny place to put a bomb. I would have hidden one in your toilet, a lot more fun with a mess, but, eh, not everyone is as imaginative I guess. I'm also guessing that you didn't put it there yourself, so, I took the liberty of disposing it for you. Simple enough. I needed the parts anyway, so it was a win-win.

So, hang tough there, skirt! Don't let them rough times get you down.

-A.T.

"'Boob tube'? Who says 'boob tube' anymore? What are we, back in the 60's?" Wanda stated, completely confused by all that she read. The Doctor yanked the long note out of her hand, scanning the page. His brows shot up into the air as he was flabbergasted by the note.

"'A.T.' Who's 'A.T.'?" he questioned aloud. "And what do they need bomb parts for?" Martha pulled the letter quickly out of the Time Lord's hands, reading over the words.

"She took my microwave again?" the companion complained. "And it's been eight times now, thank you very much." Then, it was Jack's turn to grab the letter. He looked it over carefully, suppressing his fond smile as he read it. Soon, he shook his head, chuckling and handing it back to the Doctor.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about a bomb now," he said cheekily, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

"But—but I don't understand. Who is this person?" the Doctor stuttered, still as flabbergasted as ever. He looked at Martha in question. "Do you know them? Well, obviously, you do if them taking your microwave is a normal thing."

"Yeah, I know her," Martha sighed in exasperation. "She's my neighbor across the way. We've become friends when she helped me study for exams. Sort of . . . eccentric. Really bizarre. Trust me, having bomb parts or taking microwaves is nothing new for her. She likes to build all these weird things, you see. But don't worry, she's completely harmless. Just a teenager, actually. Only sixteen and already living on her own. Can you believe that? I think it's because her parents just aren't around, or something like that." The Doctor blinked, looking back and forth between Martha, the note in his hand, and the telly. His mind sort of jumbled by this sudden occurrence.

"Yes, but . . . a bomb? Really? She just took a live—no, no, no, it doesn't matter right now. I'll—I'll have to think on that one later," he said, shaking his head rapidly before slapping down the note on the telly. "For now, we need to figure out what the Master's up to." Martha suddenly gasped loudly in horror.

"Oh, my god! He knows about me. What about my family?" the companion said in a panic, grabbing her mobile phone and rushing out of the flat while she dialed away.

"Martha, don't tell them anything!" the Doctor shouted at her retreating form. "Gah! We don't have time for this!" Wanda smacked him on the back of the head, pointing a finger sternly at him.

"Family comes first, got it?" she scolded him. She rushed over, grabbing the laptop off the table and briskly left the flat. "Martha's right. We need to hurry. I'll explain everything you need to know in the car on the way there."

They rushed downstairs, running out into the street to see Martha trying to call her parents. Unfortunately, it seemed that Saxon had already gotten to them as Martha's mother tried convincing her daughter to come home, sounding tense through the whole thing. Then, Martha's father seemed to have broken from what he was told to do and yelled for Martha to run away. It sounded as though the man himself had been captured by whoever was monitoring the situation right after this outburst. Martha cried in alarm, rushing to her silver car and jumping in. The Doctor got swiftly into the passenger's seat while Jack and Wanda hopped into the back.

"The Master has been here exactly eighteen months. All those records that he's made on the internet are false, clearly all fakes, but no one's questioned it," Wanda began to explain in rapid pace as Martha drove wildly down the streets, trying to reach her parent's home in record time. "He befriended a woman call Lucy Cole, now married to her. He's already announced a moment ago about him being contacted by alien life called the Toclafane, saying how they're going to give riches to the Earth in exchange for friendship and that Earth will become a part of the universe for diplomatic reasons. These creatures live in metal spheres that are shaped like footballs, dark in colour. If you have anyone talk about Saxon, voting for him, you'll find that start tapping their fingers in a four beat. Then there's the Archangel Network."

"Did you say 'Archangel'?" Jack asked suddenly. They skidded across the seat as the car leaned sharply around a corner. Wanda sat up as best she could.

"Yeah. It's something the Master created as a means for sort of hypnotizing everyone," answered Wanda. "We can go over it more on what it's about. I'll have to explain it better. Do you recognize the name?"

"I had a friend who kept talking about it," said Jack. "She kept saying the whole thing felt wrong and kept trying to get me to look into it. But I ignored her. I should have listened. I'll have to apologize later to her."

Wanda tensed when Martha tried calling her sister Tish. They heard the sister being busy for a moment before yelling out for someone to let her go. The line went dead after that. Then, just as they turned the corner, Martha stopped the car dead in the street as they all stared in shock at the scene ahead. They could see Martha's parents being pushed into an armoured van, clearly being captured by Saxon's men. Martha's mother turned her head when she heard the car screeching to a halt.

"Martha!" Francine screamed to her daughter. "Get out of here! Get out!" A woman in a black suit walked up, pointing at the vehicle the group was in and seemed to be ordering the soldiers around the area to target the car. All of the men held up guns, aiming for them in the car.

"Martha, reverse," the Doctor ordered the clearly frozen companion. Martha shook, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she stared at her parents in horror. The Doctor tensed as he saw the guns being cocked and ready to fire. "Get out, now!" Martha snapped herself out of her frozen state, throwing the car into reverse.

They swung around as Martha aimed to go back down the street they arrived from, just as bullets began hitting the car. Wanda screamed in alarm as Jack pushed her down into the seat, covering her with his own body as the vehicle sped down the streets in an escape. The back window smashed to pieces, scattering broken glass all over the two in the back. The Doctor looked back over his shoulder, fearing that Wanda had been hurt when she had screamed. But he was relieved to see that she was okay. Jack had protected her.

"Martha, listen to me. Do as I say," Jack began to instruct the driver quickly, sitting up in the seat, though made certain Wanda stayed down in case of any more bullets would arrive. "We've got to ditch this car. Pull over." He watched as Martha ignored him for a bit, still upset and fuming over what had happened to her family. "Right now!" Martha slumped in her posture, seeming defeated as she began steering the car away from the busy roads.

Soon, she found them an underpass to park the car and leave it behind. As soon as they all exited the vehicle, Martha called her brother Leo in hopes that at least one of her family members had escaped the Master. She was relieved to find that he was indeed safe in Brighton, visiting a friend with his partner and her child. Martha quickly instructed Leo to run, hiding away from everyone and to not return home. Urging him to understand that he was in danger now. Then, before Martha could say anything more to Leo, her call was interrupted. The Doctor, Wanda, and Jack halted when they heard Martha exclaim in rage.

"Let them go, Saxon. Do you hear me?! Let them go!" Martha yelled into her phone. The Doctor turned around, snatching the phone away from the companion. He held it tightly up to his ear, walking away from the others as he readied himself to speak with the Master.

"I'm here," he said gruffly to the other Time Lord. There was a significant pause, the line remaining dead quiet for a moment before there was a reply.

"Doctor," breathed the voice on the phone. The Doctor's hand tightened on the mobile, swallowing heavily.

"Master," he said in response.

"I like it when you use my name," stated the Master, sounding very pleased that the Doctor had actually said his chosen name.

"You chose it. Psychiatrist's field day." The Doctor glanced around the area they were in, cautious as he knew the Master might have something else up his sleeve. Something that might come after them all again.

"As you chose yours—the man who makes people better," said the Master smoothly in a taunt. "How sanctimonious is that?"

The Doctor hummed lightly, ignoring this from the Time Lord. He was used to taunts like this from the Master. "So . . . Prime Minister, then."

"I know! It's good, isn't it?" The Master laughed, gleeful in his success at something so trivial and simplistic to achieve. It was silly in just how easy it was to win the stupid humans over.

"Who are those creatures?" questioned the Doctor, apprehensive about what those creatures, the Toclafane, were. As Wanda described them, it made him worried on what they could really be. "'Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane—that's just a made-up name, like the Bogeyman."

"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids? Back home. Where is it, Doctor?"

Hearts weighing heavily, the Doctor knew he had to tell the Master the truth. "Gone."

"How can Gallifrey be gone?"

The Doctor could hear the outrage in the Master's voice. His brown eyes grew mournful as he explained, "It burnt."

"And the Time Lords?"

"Dead. And the Daleks, more or less."

"Did she do it? Did she destroy them?" spat the Master darkly.

The Doctor paused in his pacing that he had been doing while talking on the phone. He frowned as he turned and looked back to the others who were watching him carefully. "Huh? Who's 'she'? I don't under—."

"That woman who's with you. 'The Wanderer,' as she liked to call herself," barked the Master. He gave a nasty laugh. "I'm guessing she changed her name. Wonder why she gave herself that title. Last time I met her, she was called 'Alpha,' as I recall."

Everything froze for the Doctor. He stared wide-eyed right at Wanda, seeing how she gazed back at him in confusion and concern by his alarmed expression. He spun on his heels, knowing that what he and the Master were going to discuss next needed to be in private. Wanda could not listen in. He held up his hand to make the three behind him stay put when they began to question where he was going. He walked quite a bit away from them, going around the side of an old brick building and leaned up against the wall behind him. Swallowing, he felt his mouth had gone dry from the dread going through him upon the Master mentioning that particular name.

"You know who Alpha is?" he finally questioned, voice low, hesitant.

"You don't?" the Master mocked in return. The man over the phone gave a barking laugh. "She really hasn't told you, huh? Your friend is keeping secrets from you, Doctor. Or, wait, should I even say 'friend'? It seemed a little bit more than that when we last met. Dare I even say, 'lover'?"

"She's special to me, yes," the Doctor answered him, keeping it short as he did not want to discuss what exactly he and his Wanderer were to each other. "But she has nothing do with what happened to Gallifrey."

"Oh? Are you certain about that?" taunted the Master, sounding as smug as ever. "Tell me, what do you know about Alpha?"

The Doctor did not answer for a moment, hesitant to do so. "I know that she's something that lives within Wanda. Something that's . . . vengeful. Hates the universe. Hates Time Lords in particular. Has enormous amounts of power. And I know that Alpha stays hidden from Wanda. She doesn't even know that Alpha's there. She can't know. Alpha just erases her mind if she finds out."

A moment of thoughtful humming came from the Master. "So Alpha became a separate entity all together. I see. Or, she could just be playing you along. I'd like to test out to see who's the real person that she claims to be."

"Don't," growled the Doctor in rage. "Don't you dare. If you so much as hurt a hair on her head, not only with Alpha be your throat, but you can be dead certain that I'll make you regret it, too."

"Ooh! Touchy. Definitely more than 'friends,' then." The Master paused for a moment, seeming to suddenly realize something. "No. Oh, no, you didn't. I can't believe it. You bonded with her?" The Doctor's tense silence answered his question. "You did. You bonded with that—that thing? And you seem to have gotten past losing your family quite nicely, then."

"I've moved on," came the gruff reply from the Doctor. "We all need to move on. We can't keep living in the past. And don't you call her a 'thing.' Her name is the Wanderer, and you will call her that. She's the last Time Lady in all existence and you will show her that respect."

"Oh, she is most certainly not a Time Lady. You can be sure of that." The Master began drumming his fingers against the table where he sat as he remembered the past. "She was the reason the Time Lords resurrected me. The only reason they brought me back. Only insanity can go up against insanity, I believe was what they had been thinking. I was the perfect warrior to fight against the Dalek's perfect weapon."

"What do you mean? I was there for every battle in the Time War. I saw every weapon of horror that the Daleks threw at us. I never saw any glimpse of her or anything. She wasn't . . . she doesn't even remember being there. And I know I would have remembered if she were."

"There were secret battles, Doctor. Only those the High Council had full control over, with great minds, were allowed into them. More . . . covert battles. Of course, she was very efficient in her killings. Only went after those who she was ordered to kill, leaving a wake of disaster and chaos to fall behind her wherever she went." The Master paused for a very long time now, seeming to think over again on what had happened during those long years. "She laughed, right in my face when we finally met. Told me I wasn't even worth her time to kill. Seeing what kind of power she had up close and personal, I knew none of us stood a chance. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human, so she would never find me, because . . . I was so scared." No reply came from the Doctor as he was intently listening to what the Master had to say.

"Do you realize why she's so powerful? Hmm?" the Master spoke again, going back from his forlorn voice to his mocking, spiteful tone. Leaning his head back against the brick wall behind him, the Doctor stared up at the gray sky overhead. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing he could pretend he did not know. To continue on in denial like he has been doing for quite some time now. But, eventually, regrettably, he knew defiance against a cold, hard fact could only last so long.

"The Time Vortex," mumbled the Doctor, opening his eyes again to stare at the sky in such sadness. "She has the Time Vortex living inside her."

"The Time Vortex, inside of a Time Lady, turning her into a vengeful goddess," said the Master, voice filled with spite. "She's the nightmare Time Lords have feared for centuries. You know this and yet you still have her around?"

"Stop it. Just stop it," the Doctor snapped, tired of talking about this. His denial came back into place, making him not even want to think about anything Wanda had been. All he cared about was keeping her as she is now. The most loving, caring, gentle person who he loved more than anything. "You could stop this, right now. We could leave this planet. We can fight—between just you and me—across the constellations, if that's what you want, but not on Earth, and not with Wanda involved."

"Too late," countered the Master.

"Why do you say that?"

"The drumming." The Doctor heard the Master beginning to tap against a glass table again. "Can't you hear it? I thought it would stop, but it never does. It never, ever stops, inside my head. The drumming, Doctor, the constant drumming."

The way the Master spoke of noises inside of his head, it reminded the Doctor of what Alpha explained about her mind. A constant noise, driving her to insanity. Was the same happening to the Master? It sounded just like it. "I could help you. Please, let me help."

"It's everywhere," the Master went on, ignoring the Doctor's pleas. "Listen, listen, listen." The rhythmic tapping started up once more. "Here come the drums. Here come . . . the drums."

The Doctor's eyes slowly widened in realization as he watched a man across the street tapping his hands repeatedly against his legs. The same rhythm that he was hearing the Master make. "What have you done? Tell me how you've done this? What are those creatures? Tell me!"

"Ooh, look, you're on tv," laughed the Master, jeering at the Doctor.

"Stop it! Answer me!" The Doctor walked away from the wall he was by, stomping down the walkway as his fury rose.

"No, really. You're on telly. You and your little band." Slowly, the Doctor came to a stop by an electronic shop, staring hard at the telly with the pictures of him, Martha, Jack, and Wanda all plastered on a news broadcast. "Which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box, so congratulations on that. Look, there you are." The Master gave a smug laugh. "You're public enemies number one, two, three, and four. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas, so he won't be getting any help from them. Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?"

The Doctor turned, seeing a security camera aiming right at him. He pulled out his sonic swiftly, aiming it right at the camera and fried it. The camera popped loudly and sparked, turning off in an instant. He then turned off the mobile phone hastily, ignoring the laughs and taunts to 'run' from the Master. Standing there in silence, he heard the others finally walk over to him slowly. He saw that Wanda had kept the anxious Jack and Martha at bay, seeing how the Time Lady understood that he needed to talk alone with the Master. She always understood.

"Hey, sweetie," Wanda said softly once she stood by the Doctor. Her emerald eyes fixated on his as her only thoughts were to ease whatever pain he was going through. The Doctor's hearts twisted in fear, knowing that whatever the Master had planned may hurt her dearly. Would hurt them all. And there might not be anything he could do to stop it. Wishing there was some way he could convey his woe to her, he stepped up closer, placing a hand against her cheek. Wanda instantly grabbed his hand, pressing it to her skin. He leaned down, capturing her lips in a very slow, deep kiss. It was so soft and tender, making Wanda hold his face in her hands as she knew just how frightened and uncertain he was of the events to come. She felt him trying to show her just how much he wanted to keep her safe and sound. How much he only wanted her by his side through all of it. But at the same time, he wanted her away from this place. So far away where the Master could never hurt her. She pulled away, though kept their lips lingering.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay," she whispered in assurance. "Whatever happens, we'll pull through it. Right?"

"I hope so," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head in doubt. "He's got control of everything, Wanderer. He's one step ahead and I don't think I can keep up."

"What do we normally do when we're backed into a corner with no plans?" Wanda replied, smiling in reassurance. "We run until that brilliant mind of yours solves everything. And trust me, no one, not even the Master, can keep up with your running." The Doctor chuckled, smiling warmly, glad that Wanda always had a way of trying to cheer him up. He threaded their fingers together when he stepped back from being so close, looking at Jack and Martha who stared at the Time Lords in determination.

"You heard her. Best we start running," he said, marching off to do just that.

They started off going down many blocks at a fast pace. Avoiding any large public places or people's direct eye contact. Soon, the Doctor noticed something off. He felt Wanda drift away from keeping up in pace with him. He was almost just pulling her along by the way they held hands. He could hear her straining in breath, panting as she tried keeping up. Then, she moaned in pain and stopped all together.

"I can't. I'm sorry. I just can't," she gusted out in her sharp breathes. She leaned against the wall on her shoulder, clutching at her stomach like she was going to be sick. Sweat could be seen on her forehead as she stared at them, weakly laughing. "I'm more wore out than I thought. Running's sort of a bad idea now. Can we just do a brisk walk instead? I might manage that one." The Doctor moved to go over to her. Perhaps even offer her to be carried. But Jack beat him to it. The Captain went over and scooped Wanda up right into his arms, smirking down at her.

"Don't worry, Tink. I've got you," Jack said, even giving her a wink. He began walking down the way, going right past a bewildered Martha and annoyed Doctor.

"Jack," the Doctor said in warning.

"I said I got her," Jack responded, rolling his eyes as he knew the jealousy of the Time Lord would never go away. Even if he already had Wanda in a steady relationship.

"Oh, come on, Jack. You don't have to carry me," Wand whined, kicking out her legs in protest. She frowned as she looked around the streets, seeing how dark it was becoming from the incoming rain clouds overhead and the incoming nightfall that was approaching. Then, a dark, secluded warehouse caught her eye. "Why don't we head there?" She pointed to the area. "I'm sure we're all tired from all the running we've been doing. We all need a rest, not just me."

"I agree. I think we all need a breather for a while," Jack responded, going right over to where she had pointed.

Wanda stayed curled up in Jack's arms as they entered the vacant building. It was rather large. Mostly empty from what they could see. Only a few random things were left inside, such as a few worn out chairs, a small sofa that was missing its cushions, scattered empty barrels, dusty lamps and tables, a broken vending machine, and lots of tarps. The floor was completely made concrete, that was wet from rain earlier in the week. Most of the building's windows were broken, too. Other than the gloomy appearance, the group all mentally noted that it would be the best place for them to hide out. A completely abandoned part of town that no one would come by meant they would be safe from wandering eyes and the Master's control. Jack walked over to have Wanda lay on the old sofa. He was about to set her down so that way he could lay his old military coat across the worn material, but the Doctor beat him to it. The Time Lord pulled off his own overcoat, spreading it over the sofa.

"Here, give her to me," the Doctor said, turning and holding out his arms, sending Jack a stern look as if to tell the man to back off from his lover.

"What, afraid I might grow attached to her? Gotta say it's too late for that one," Jack teased the Time Lord, finding it hilarious in just how territorial the Time Lord could be.

"Ladies, please, you're both beautiful," Wanda spoke up sarcastically, gaining the two males' attention. She had her arms crossed, sending them stern looks. "I can take care of myself you know. Now put me down, Harkness. I'm not a toy to carry around." Snickering, Jack winked at her again before setting her down as carefully as he could onto the sofa. Wanda sighed, leaning back heavily on furniture. It was not the most comfortable thing in the world. But it felt like heaven to be off her feet. The Doctor sat down next to her, brushing back a stray of hair from her face as he stared at her carefully.

"Are you really not feeling that good?" he asked her.

"I've just been a little . . . sick lately," she explained cautiously, not wishing to give away to him what was actually causing her to be so worn out. Carrying extra weight around while running everywhere was not the most pleasant of activities. Upon seeing the worried expression on the Doctor's face, Wanda smiled in reassurance and patted his face lightly. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Future you already has it all figured and says that it won't be long before I'm all better again. I'll just be a little slower than normal and more tired than usual. But other than that, I'm right as rain. Ooh, I like that. 'Right as rain.' Why haven't I used that one before? Future you uses if quite often. I think I'm going to say it for now on, too." The Doctor chuckled, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead before standing up from the couch.

"Right. We need to get a start on figuring out what to do next," he said to the group. He walked away from where the three, grabbing a chair and large wooden spool that would have been for cable in the past. Now, he was using it for a table. He placed the chair right next to the sofa and sat his makeshift table in front of him. Pulling out Martha's laptop from his jacket pocket (got to love dimensional pockets), he set it down on the wooden surface and placed on his glasses. "I'm going to start looking into this Archangel Network. See what I can work with."

"I'll get a fire going," Jack said, walking around to pick up scattered pieces of broken wood from tables. Martha pulled over more chairs around in a circle and a few more makeshift tables for them to use. The Doctor picked up a few of the lamps laying around, getting them to work again with his sonic. Soon, they had a warm fire going inside a barrel in the middle, with dim lights from the lamps. They all sort of sat around in silence once things were settled. No one made a real effort to speak about anything in particular, as each one of them was digesting in their minds on what had happened to them in the past few hours. The turn of events which seemed to turn their world upside down in a matter of seconds.

Wanda began glancing at Martha, who seemed the most stunned and torn by what had happened. Completely understandable, of course, with her family being taken and all. Wanda winced as a sharp sting of guilt went through her. Looking down at the ground in remorse for a moment, she then glanced back at the companion.

"Martha . . . I'm so sorry about what happened to your family," Wanda spoke quietly, her voice barely sounding above the crackling fire.

Martha blinked, bringing herself out of her inner turmoil thoughts as she gazed cautiously at the Time Lady. She wanted to blame Wanda and the Doctor both for what happened . . . but at the same time, she knew it was not really their fault. At least . . . she hoped it was not their fault. Or, well, not the Doctor's fault really since he had no idea it was coming. Wanda, on the other hand, she had known. Yet, there was nothing the Time Lady did, or, as Martha kept reminding herself, nothing Wanda could have done. Times were just fixed at certain moments. Martha almost hoped that this time was fixed so that way she knew Wanda had a real reason to not act and not warn them ahead of time about the Master. And that they were not simply warned because of selfish reasons.

". . . Just tell me that they're going to be okay," Martha said, her voice in a mixture of strict and wavering. Wanda averted her eyes, unable to meet the companion's frightened brown irises.

"They will still be alive in the end, if that's what you're wondering," Wanda whispered, pinching her thumb hard within her twisting fingers on her lap. Martha did not reply for a moment, feeling a shiver go down her spine at the implications Wanda was making. They will still be alive, sure. What . . . what else was going to happen to them? Fear and dread went through Martha, making her swiftly stand up as she knew she needed to walk off her thoughts before she started to worry too much.

"I'm going to get us some food," Martha told them all, turning to hurry out of the warehouse.

"Don't let anyone see you!" the Doctor ordered the companion, looking up from the laptop he was typing on. Martha merely waved a hand over her shoulder at him before continuing on. The Doctor continued on in searching through as much as he could over the internet, though found that there was not much to go on since much of what the Master had done in secret had been blocked. Jack fiddled with the manipulator on his wrist, setting up his own connections to keep tabs on things going on outside. Wanda sat there fiddling with her fingers, letting out a long sigh.

"Martha's furious with us, isn't she?" Wanda questioned the Doctor sadly.

"She's just worried about her family. Anyone would be," the Doctor responded, leaning over to pat Wanda's shoulder without looking away from the laptop screen. Wanda nodded slowly. After a bit more of silence, she yawned, blinking heavily. Jack looked up from his manipulator at her, frowning in concern.

"Why don't you get some rest, Tink? You look exhausted," he said to her.

"No time for sleep. We have to think of a way to—to stop the Master," Wanda responded, yawning in the middle of what she had been saying. She shook her head, trying to snap herself out of the sleepiness that suddenly seemed to hit her. Finally getting a moment of stillness seemed to have had her worn body suddenly screaming for sleep. Jack chuckled in amusement as he saw Wanda trying to fight off her sleep by slapping her cheeks lightly. Standing up from his chair, he shrugged off his long coat and placed it on her, sending her a stern look when she gazed up at him in surprise.

"You don't have to give me your coat, Jack. You need to keep it so you won't get cold," Wanda said, trying to hand back his coat. But he merely pushed it back at her.

"I'm all right. You need it for now. Get some rest," he countered.

"But I'm not sleepy," Wanda protested, pouting at him.

"Sleep. We're not going anywhere or doing much for a while, so you might as well get some rest while you can," he ordered her.

Wanda sighed in resignation, scooting over to lay down on the sofa as she decided Jack was right. She should get some rest for now. It was only a few moments later did both Jack and the Doctor hear her deep breathing as she lay curled up under the navy-blue military coat. Once they knew that she was finally asleep, they seemed to both let their apprehensive and trouble demeanours take over. The Doctor sighed heavily, taking off his glasses and then rubbed at his face tiredly. Slowly his hand trailed down his face before he let his hand fall onto his knee. He stared over at Jack who sat rigidly in his seat, hands clasped together tightly as he stared intensely at the sleeping Time Lady. Watching the immortal man for a moment, the Doctor observed his solemn stature before eventually speaking.

"Jack, what is it?" questioned the Time Lord. Jack whipped his eyes off of Wanda, clearly embarrassed to have been caught staring at the Time Lady. Before Jack could open his mouth to deny the Doctor's question or even pretend like nothing was going on, the Time Lord continued speaking. "Don't think I haven't noticed. You've been staring at her the same way since we've all met up. Like there's something dreadful you know that's going to happen, and that there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"How do you know that?" countered Jack, raising a brow while leaning back in his chair. The man tried putting up a relaxed manner as to direct the Time Lord's suspicions away. But the Doctor was not fooled.

Eyeing Jack carefully, the Doctor responded, "'Cause I've seen that look on Wanda time and time again. It's a look that I know well myself. So what is it? What's on your mind? Is it Wanda's sickness or . . ."

Jack sighed in defeat for being caught in his earlier behavior. He had been trying to not let his troubled thoughts bother him. But . . . it was difficult. Especially in what he knew. Staring at the guarded Doctor, Jack cleared his throat as he tried gathering his words. Careful to not let himself say the wrong thing. "There's something I want to tell you both. Something I really, really want to get off my chest, and maybe ease some pain for us all. But that would be changing time. If you've taught me anything, Doctor, it's that you don't go messing with a timeline that you know is meant to happen. That's already happened." Jack looked away from the man across from him, staring at Wanda once more in sadness. "I'm sorry, but I don't think there's anything I can do for either of you now."

Sitting up in his seat, the Doctor raised a sharp brow, growing tense by what Jack's word implied. "What do you mean?"

Jack looked back at him, shaking his head. "Spoilers."

With eyes hardening and anger beginning to surface, the Doctor leaned forward on his chair as he gritted his teeth. "Jack, if she's in some kind of danger, if you know that Wanda is going to—."

Jack snorted, shaking his head as he gave the Time Lord a comforting smile. "Relax, Doc. It isn't anything Wanda, or even you, can't pull through from. It . . . It just might take a while."

Sitting back in his seat, the Doctor stared at Jack for a while, seeming to what more answers than this. But Jack appeared clear in his resolve to keep silent on whatever he knew was coming for them. So, looking back at Wanda, the Doctor felt his anger deflate. "The Master knows about her. Seems as if . . . he wants some kind of confrontation with her."

Jack stared at the Doctor while the Time Lord rubbed a frustrated hand through his messy brown hair. "You think he's going to try something against her?"

"I don't know. It's hard knowing what he's planning at times."

"Do you want to send her somewhere away from here? Where maybe he can't get after her?"

"Where could she go at this point? I would have suggested maybe your gang, but they're not around. And the closest person that I know of here would be Sarah Jane, but I don't want to get her involved. There's nothing I can do except keep Wanda close to me and hope for the best." The Doctor dropped his hand from his head, keeping his gaze steady with Jack's. "I need you to help me keep an eye on her. Can you do that for me?"

Jack sent him a cheeky smile. "Already on it." He then moved his eyes on Wanda, seeming to watch her like a hawk in a way to tease the Doctor.

The Time Lord rolled his eyes before placing back on his glasses and continuing to type away on Martha's laptop. They soon settled into a comfortable silence while rained picked up outside of the warehouse. There were a few drips from the ceiling of the building they were in, with the pitter-patter of the droplets echoing off the tin roof. Soon, they heard the hurried steps of Martha arriving back. The two glanced over to see her walking as swift as she could in her heels, carrying a plastic bag filled with whatever food she could scavenge up. Jack stood up to meet her.

"How was it?" asked Jack.

"I don't think anyone saw me," she replied. "Anything new?" She opened up the bag for Jack to take a look at a large amount of chips she had managed to get. He tapped a finger on his manipulator.

"I've got this tuned in to the government wavelengths so we can follow what Saxon's doing."

"Yeah, I meant about my family," clarified Martha.

"Still says the Jones family taken in for questioning," answered the Doctor, getting this information from the news site he had been searching through. "Tell you what, though—no mention of Leo." Martha walked over to him, handing him a foam plate of chips. At that point, Wanda woke up from her brief sleep. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up blinking sleepily.

"Martha's back?" she mumbled, trying to blink away her blurry vision from her nap. The returning companion walked over to the awake Time Lady, handing her a plate of chips. Martha smiled kindly at Wanda, which the blonde returned happily. Wanda was merely glad to see that the companion was pulling through and no longer seemed as upset and angry as earlier. Looking down at the chips in her hands, she began munching merrily on them, savoring the delightful flavor. It had been a while since she had gotten something to eat. And now, with her stomach growling, the chips were heaven in her mouth. She was surprised when Jack walked over and handed her the chips he had received from Martha.

"No, don't do that. I'm not taking your chips. You need to eat, too," she protested.

"You need them more than I do," he said, then gave her a cheeky smile. "Besides, I'm watching my figure." He winked at her, making her giggle slightly while shaking her head at him. Soon, they were all seated and munching on chips. Wanda hummed while she nibbled on one, glancing at Jack, Martha, and the Doctor. She noticed how the Time Lord refused to meet anyone's eye as he could sense the underlying questions the companions wanted to ask him. Decided to move things along, Wanda cleared her throat.

"So, Spaceman, do you want to clear up a few things for our companions here?" Wanda spoke up, gaining the Doctor's attention. She nodded her head towards the wary-looking Jack and Martha as they stared attentively at the Time Lord. "I think you should start on who the Master is." The Doctor did not say anything, staring down at his food as he gathered his thoughts.

"What do you want to know?" he finally said to Jack and Martha.

"How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?" Jack questioned him.

"And what is he to you, like a colleague or . . . ?" Martha quizzed.

"A friend, at first," answered the Doctor.

"I thought you were going to say he was your secret brother or something," Martha joked humourlessly. The Doctor and Jack stared at her with raised brows.

"You've been watching too much tv," responded the Doctor. Wanda snorted loudly, gaining the attention of the three to see her trying to hold in laughter by covering a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry, inside joke," she told them, waving a hand for them to dismiss her. "Go on. Ignore me."

"But all the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect," Jack remarked to the Doctor. The Time Lord sat back in his seat, folding his hands together.

"Well, perfect to look at, maybe," the Doctor stated in response. A distant look crossed his face as he began reminiscing about his past home. "And it was. It was beautiful. Use to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavor, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords," he went silent for a few moments, as though he was staring at his homeworld right before him, "the oldest and most mighty race in the universe, looking down on the galaxies below, sworn never to interfere, only to watch."

His demeanour seemed to shift from remembering fond memories to recalling something unwelcomed. "Children of Gallifrey are taken from their families, age of eight, to enter the Academy. Some say that's where it all began, when he was a child. That's when the Master saw eternity. As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism—it's a . . . gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the Vortex. You stand there, eight years old . . . staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired . . . some would run away . . . and some would go mad."

They sat there, in an uncomfortable silence. Letting this information digest, unsettled by the thought of what children of Gallifrey had to go through. Having already heard this before, yet hearing it again now, it made Wanda feel as uneasy as ever. It made her just as nervous as ever in meeting the Master face-to-face, but, at the same time, in hearing what sort of childhood the children of Gallifrey had to go through . . . and in knowing what the High Council had done to the Master to truly make him mad . . . she felt so sorry for him. Yes, he was a killer who needed to be stopped, but . . . if things could have been different . . . In another time, things would have been different. He could have had a wonderful life, stayed friends with the Doctor, been a good man to the universe. The Master's life had been ruined all in the name of war and self-preservation by the High Council. And in knowing what could have been and what had been, Wanda felt sadness for him.

Still, though, she felt anxious and dread for what would become of Ember and her once they met the Master once more. She tried keeping her thoughts focused on helping everyone else and working out how to help the Doctor through this situation, but again, her mind kept travelling back to her earlier worries when she had first met Yana. When Yana had found out about her pregnancy. She was surprised that the Master did not outright tell the Doctor once he had the chance over the mobile phone earlier. This only made her even more worried. Was the Master up to something? Had he some kind of other agenda? Knowing who they were dealing with, Wanda knew that he must have. There was something he was planning, and it was nothing that she could predict since it involved her own timeline. And whatever it was that the Master had in mind, nothing good would come of it. All she could hope was that she could pull through in the end.

"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor said, sucking in a breath, snapping himself out of his drifting thoughts.

"What about you?" Martha questioned the Doctor curiously.

"Oh, the ones that ran away," responded the Doctor, gaining his normal foxy smile.

"And never, ever stopped running," Wanda added, grinning at him as well when he beamed lightly at her and winked. They all looked over when Jack's manipulator began to beep loudly. The man swiftly held up his wrist, tapping away at the buttons on his wrist device.

"Encrypted channel with files attached," he told them what he had received. "Don't recognize it."

"Patch it through to the laptop," the Doctor instructed him, sitting up quickly to get the information streaming so that they could figure it out. Jack appeared hesitant at first, cautious at what the Time Lord might say next once he saw how Jack came across the information in the first place.

"Um, since we're telling stories, um, there's something I haven't told you," Jack said carefully.

"So, in other words, don't get mad and become Mister Grumpy Time Lord," Wanda stated, giving the Doctor a stern eye as if to say 'don't jump to conclusions.'

Jack fiddled with his Vortex manipulator for a moment, sending the documents he received to Martha's laptop. Everyone then gathered around, hovering over the Doctor's shoulder to stare at the screen. Wanda leaned over the arm of the sofa, not standing up with the rest as her ankles were still shouting at her for running so much. The laptop's screen shifted and showed Torchwood's logo. The Doctor's eyes widened in shock for a second before narrowing with outrage as he glared at Jack.

"You work for Torchwood?" he growled.

"Actually, he's head of Torchwood now," Wanda stated, earning the abrupt attention of the fuming Time Lord as he stared at her in disbelief, shocked in just how unaffected she was in knowing who Jack worked with.

"Does that make it any better?" snapped the Doctor.

"I swear to you, it's different. It's changed," Jack countered, trying to explain his reason for working with such a group. "There's only a half dozen of us now."

"Everything Torchwood did, and you're part of it?" the Doctor grounded out in anger.

"Doctor, lay off of him," Wanda protested, keeping her gaze steady with the Doctor's angered eyes.

"You can't be okay with this. Not after what Torchwood did to us," grumbled the Doctor, voice gruff.

"Can I be okay with Jack taking over the organization, turning it into something much better in a way to honour you and what you stand for, saving the Earth more times than you can imagine when you and I are too busy to be around to help others out, all in the sake of trying to make it up to you for what he did back at the London Blitz? Yeah, I can be okay with it," Wanda replied evenly. "Doctor, don't jump to conclusions on Jack's intentions. He's been through more than what you can imagine and has built something that will help countless people to come. So shush." The Doctor's anger deflated somewhat, seeing what Wanda was saying. It also made him actually glad to have such a man like Jack around. If the man had indeed joined Torchwood to make it something better, then the Time Lord could understand.

Jack nodded in appreciation to Wanda, stating, "Thanks, Tink."

"Don't think that this means I'm going to let how Torchwood handles things slide," Wanda said sternly, folding her arms as she stared crossly at Jack. "Using weapons all the time? And that whole incident with the Resurrection Gauntlet? Don't even get me started. I understand that sometimes you just don't have a choice, but I mean, come on."

The information booted up on the laptop, getting the attention of the group. They watched as a blonde lady appeared on the screen from a video, beginning to tell them in resolve on what she had been trying to accomplish. Wanda stared at the image of the woman sadly, knowing it was Vivien Rook, a woman who tried getting to the bottom of who Harold Saxon really was and trying to convince Lucy in helping her to stop whatever the Master's plans were trying to achieve. Vivien, a woman who had been so brave, had died by the Master's hand in such a horrible way. On screen, Vivien explained on the files she had, giving them to Torchwood. The main one being on the Archangel Network.

"What's so important about the Archangel Network?" Martha wondered aloud, remembering how Wanda had mentioned it earlier. "Everyone's got it. What has Saxon done with it?"

"Yes, what could anyone possibly do with a mobile phone network that connections everyone's phones worldwide?" Wanda spoke up sarcastically. The Doctor snatched Martha's phone from the companion's hands, being to sonic it.

"It's in the phones! Oh, I said he was a hypnotist," he exclaimed as he realized what he had been missing all this time and just how brilliantly twisted the Master's plots were. Not that he should not be surprised in knowing who they were up against. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on." He then smacked the phone on the table in front of them, making the mobile device begin to make a rhythmic beeping. "There it is. That rhythm, it's everywhere, ticking away in the subconscious."

"What is it, mind control?" questioned Martha as she stared at the mobile warily, frightened in knowing that the beeping had been in her ear for months and she never even realized it.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. It's subtler than that," explained the Doctor. "Any stronger, and people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code, 'Vote Saxon. Believe in me,' whispering to the world." Then, it hit him. "Oh! That's how he hid himself from me. 'Cause I should've sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth, I should've known way back, but . . . the signal canceled him out."

"Any way you can stop it?" Jack asked.

"Not from down here," concluded the Doctor, frustrated that he had not picked up on any of this sooner. "But now we know how he's doing it."

"And we can fight back," Martha stated, full of determination and resolve to get back at the Master and save her family.

"Oh, yes!" agreed the Doctor, immediately getting to work on his next plan of action. Wanda watched how they all worked together to break apart the laptop and mobile phones, starting up on what the Doctor needed them to do next. All the while, anxiety boiled away inside of her and dread sat like a stone in her stomach. Possibilities ran through her head, showing her there was no escape from what was to come next.

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor used all of their TARDIS keys to create perception filters for them to wear. Something that actually used the Master's hypnotic network and the TARDIS slight perception filter together, creating their own personal way of avoiding all eyes that might fall upon them. Different than Wanda's own perception filter, which only hid one certain aspect of her. Now, she had something, like the others, which hid her entire presence all together. Well, not entirely. Just shifts the eyes a bit and makes her go unnoticed. Perfect for them to sneak in and get right into the thick of things. Right into the Master's headquarters and possibly stop him from there.

And sneak around is just what they did.

They got right onto an airport, on the runway itself, to watch the President of the United States, Arthur Colman Winters, arrive, meeting up with Saxon. It seemed that President Winters was not all happy with Saxon in not being briefed first in the arrival of the Toclafane. Wanda did not really pay much attention to what the politics stated on what the nations were supposed to do when it came to contacting alien life. All she did was focus on Saxon during their observation, tense the entire time. She and the Doctor held each other's hands in a tight grasp, refusing to leave their eyes from the Master. The Doctor kept thinking about what the Time Lord had told him earlier over the mobile. The same thing running through the Doctor's mind on what Wanda's past had been when meeting the Master. While Wanda next to him kept running her thoughts over what the possibilities had shown her. Seeing that, no matter what path they took, the Master would catch them in the end. He always would. And the only best option for them . . . all she could see was that going up to the Valiant, where the Master's main objective would take place, had the best outcome for them all. Relatively speaking as what 'best' meant for them. Or, at least, for the others. For her, on the other hand, she had no clue as things just went fuzzy after a certain point.

All the events that could be, diverting to where they were meant to go, showed Wanda just how horrible things could go for them. If she told them what was to happen on the Valiant, the Doctor would try something more drastic than what he already had in mind. Which would lead to him almost dying in the process as the Master had a backup plan against the Doctor's. Then, of course, Wanda could tell them of this possibility, making Jack suggest that they run somewhere to lay low, leading to them getting rather far away from where the main destruction of the Toclafane. But then the Master would find them, just as he always would, and this would lead . . . would lead to Martha's unavoidable death. Wanda shivered at this last thought, revolted by the idea of them losing Martha in such a way. No, in the end, there was nothing that could be changed. They had to go to the Valiant.

Soon, after a tense and heartbreaking moment of seeing Martha's family being dragged out onto the runway for the Master to tease before the enraged family were placed onto Saxon's private jet, the group standing silently watching made their decision to follow after. Jack found the Valiant's coordinates quickly on his Vortex manipulator, and, once they had all held hands, had them teleported right onto the vast flying ship.

"God, that thing is rough!" Martha yelled upon arrival, sitting on the ground as she tried getting over the aching feeling all over her body. It was like she had been bruised all over.

"Oh, I've had worse nights," groaned Jack as he rolled his neck, trying to get back on his feet and shake off his sore body. Wanda, who had been leaned against the wall upon arrival, rolled her shoulders to push away the ache in her body. Standing up quickly, she went over to a porthole window in the dark hall that they had arrived to, peeking out to see them high in the sky on the ValiantClouds floated and swirled around the flying ship as though it were an ocean. The morning light of the sun shined lazily over the horizon, coming to greet the Earth to a new day.

She gazed around the area they had arrived in, not really paying attention to what the others were muttering about as something caught her ears. A very soft, tired, and miserable song. Letting out her own soft tune, notes that were barely heard above the hissing noises of the ship's maintenance area they were in, she knew it would be heard by the one singing out in pain. Her hearts twisted in hearing such a song, making her feel the singer's sorrow. She felt the Doctor come up behind her, touching her shoulder gently.

"Wanda, is everything all right?" he asked her. He was worried for her as the noise she had made sounded as though she were crying. It did not dawn on him that her noises had been singing.

"Doctor, can you hear her? Can you sense her?" Wanda whispered, reaching up around to grab his hand tightly. Blinking, the Doctor frowned, not understanding what she was trying to tell him.

"Who?" he questioned. Wanda shook her head, knowing that he would hear the song, too, once they got closer. But she could not wait to let him hear the song on his own. She wanted to get to the source now.

Grabbing his hand roughly, she began yanking him down the grated corridor of the ship they were on, leading him quickly towards where she heard the song coming from. He and the others tried asking her what was wrong, but she remained quiet as she focused on getting them to the song as fast as she could. They went down many twists and turns of the ship before they finally came to a junction that veered off towards Level Four of the ship. The Doctor paused in step, halting Wanda for a second. She glanced back, seeing the smile forming on his face as she knew he was now hearing what she was listening to. He beamed at her.

"Oh, that's who you hear! Brilliant!" he laughed. Wanda smiled grimly and nodded, not wanting to spoil his brief happiness of thinking they had found Sexy safe and sound. She let him drag her off this time, heading straight down the more concrete-like halls as they went lower into the Valiant. Soon, they went right through a few large doors, coming into a room that was filled with crates and had one particular, special blue box sitting right in the middle of them all. The Doctor bounded right up to the old girl, in a hurry to get inside and make certain that the ship was all right. But the moment he and the others stepped inside, he knew the old girl was nowhere near of being okay.

The entire control room had changed from the normal golden glow of comfort to a chilling shade of red. The engine was heard groaning weakly, making it sound as though Sexy were calling out in pain. When, in fact, Wanda knew that she was. The most heartbreaking sight of it all was the console. It looked torn up, with so many wires and probes going into the TARDIS's internal core. A large grated cage had been placed around the whole makeshift structure, appearing as though trapping Sexy in her own internal prison. Wanda went to run over to the console, wanting to comfort the ship, her mother, anyway she could, but the Doctor held her back.

"Don't touch it," he ordered her, voice gruff as he stared angrily at the sight of what the Master had done.

"But . . . she's in pain," Wanda breathed.

"Don't," the Doctor stayed firm in his order, cautiously going over to inspect what had been done to their ship.

"What the hell's he done?" Jack asked them.

"Sound like it's . . . sick," Martha commented as she stared at the sight with wide eyes of alarm.

"It can't be," the Doctor muttered as he took in everything the Master had created. "No, no, no, no, no, no. It can't be."

"I'm sorry, but it is," Wanda responded, hugging herself tightly as she stared at the creation in unease.

"What is it?" Martha asked the anxious Time Lords.

"He's cannibalized the TARDIS," answered the Doctor, becoming enraged by what the Master had done.

"Creating a paradox machine," Wanda finished for him. Her eyes hardened at the thought of more paradoxes. First the paradox that made Amy and Rory go away, and now this? Could she not stop this at all? Maybe they could . . . no, no. She knew that the only way to undo and fix what the Master had started was what the Doctor must do a year from now. There was literally no other way.

But as she knew they were getting closer to the events that would occur . . . she began to wonder what was going to happen next. She knew already, had pieced together, that she was not around for the Doctor on the Valiant while he was held captive by the Master. That she and Martha would be travelling around the world together. But . . . was that not a future version of her that would travel with the companion? Because, well, it was not like she could do much dangerous travelling around a chaotic world fill with Toclafane while pregnant, now could she? So, the only conclusion she could think of was . . . she would wander off before any of the bigger events happened, or she might leave right afterward. She felt bad in knowing that she might leave everyone off by themselves for a while. But at least she would be there for them later . . . right? She hoped so. After she jumped to the future to deliver Ember safe and sound with Eleven, of course.

"Soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger at . . . ten minutes past eight."

Wanda blinked out of her stupor, whipping her head towards the Doctor to see him crouched in front of the gauge of the paradox machine. Alarm bells went off in her head at the change in what he had said.

"Ten minutes past eight? But—but it's supposed to be two minutes," she said quickly, her voice tense and nervous. The three others looked at her in surprise to her outburst.

"What's supposed to be two minutes?" Martha asked her. Wanda blinked, her mouth opening for a second to tell them her fears of the slight time difference, but ended up shaking her head as though to tell them to forget it. It . . . it was not that big of a deal if there was just a few minutes difference from what she remembered happening and what was going to happen in this timeline. Right?

She trailed behind the others in a daze at the thought of such a small, yet significant change in the timeline. The possibilities had not even shown her that. She pinched her thumb behind her back, keeping her shoulders back and head held high as she followed after the Doctor and companions, ready to face whatever was to come. The Doctor had already told them of his plan to place his perception filter around the Master's neck, exposing him to the world on who the corrupt Time Lord really was. Martha and Jack had all confidence in what the Doctor had planned. Wanda only hoped that she could help them through the ill outcomes later.

They ended up sneaking carefully into the flight deck where all the news cameras were aimed around, facing President Winters who stood addressing the world in introduction of the Toclafane. The Doctor edged closer and closer to the Master, who sat down at the large oval table with the rest of the political guests, staring at President Winters smugly. As soon as the President finished his speech, the Toclafane arrived. Four black-silver spheres floated around the man, appearing from a blurry white light. Wanda watched as President Winters smiled at the Toclafane, at ease with the mysterious alien's presence.

"My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-elect of the United States of America and designated representative of the United Nations," President Winters said in greeting to the spheres. "I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon."

"You're not the Master," spoke one Toclafane having the voice of a male.

"We like Mister Master," said another with a female voice.

"We don't like you," finished another, having a male voice like that first. President Winters stared at the Toclafane, confused by their words.

"I . . . can be master, if you so wish," Winters responded, trying to understand what the Toclafane wanted. The man appeared to grow nervous by how the spheres zoomed around him, circling him. "I will accept mastery over you, if that is God's will."

"Man is stupid," spoke a Toclafane with a male's voice.

"Master is our friend," said the other male voice.

"Where's my Master, pretty please?" said the female voice playfully.

"Oh, all right, then. It's me!" spoke up the Master as he appeared having held back his manic grin long enough. He stood up in a bounce, grinning wildly at the baffled President Winters and others of the room. He jumped into the way of the cameras, cutting off their view of the President, waving his hands out. "Ta-da!" He let out a barking laugh. "Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile, is it the aftershave, is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy."

"Saxon, what are you talking about?" President Winters demanded to know. The Master turned, crossed his arms as he gave Winters a dark look.

"I'm taking control, Uncle Sam, staring with you," replied the Master smoothly. He then nodded his head to the Toclafane. "Kill him."

One sphere zoomed forward in front of the Master, as long knives came out from around the metal of the Toclafane and a beam of red light shot straight at Winters. Before anyone could blink and react, the President had been killed, reduced to dust. Different men then stood up robotically, pulling out guns and aiming them at the panicked people of the room, keeping everyone in line upon the Master's command as the Time Lord himself laughed out wickedly in delight to the events that were unfolding. The manic Time Lord then jumped up onto the upper level of the deck, facing the cameras that were still rolling.

"Now, then! Peoples of the Earth, please attend carefully," he spoke in utter malicious delight. At that moment, seeing that he needed to act now, the Doctor pulled off his key quickly and rushed to the Master. But, unfortunately, was stopped upon the Master's order. Two guards came to the Doctor, holding him back tightly by the arms as he struggled to get at the Master ahead of him. The Time Lord watching the Doctor struggle uselessly impiously smiled. "We meet at last, Doctor. Oh, ho, ho! I love saying that."

"Stop this! Stop it now!" shouted the Doctor as he continued to fight in the guard's hold.

"As if a perception filter's going to work on me," scoffed the Master, ignoring the Doctor's shouts, glancing over to where the other three stood. "And look . . . it's the girly, the freak, and the monster." Upon what the Master had said, Jack's eyes flared up angrily and made a run at the Time Lord. But the Master was quick, pulling out his weapon, shooting a deadly beam right at Jack which killed the man on the spot. The manic Time Lord grinned wildly as he held up his device proudly. "Laser screwdriver. Who'd have sonic?"

"Jack!" cried Wanda as she ran forward, falling to her knees next to her dead friend. She brushed his hair away from his face, only wishing she could stop what more deaths he would face in the year.

"And look at what we have here," spoke up the Master, his tone switching from manic to dark and sinister. He stepped down the steps of the upper deck slowly, eyeing Wanda viciously. "Oh, it has been too long, hasn't it?" Wanda stared back at him fearfully, hovering low over Jack as if trying to protect the immortal man from more shots. In the corner of her eye, she saw Martha frozen on the spot away from the rest, unable to move in fear of what was happening.

"Master, just calm down, just look at what you're doing," the Doctor stated hurriedly, trying to distract the Time Lord from whatever he was thinking about doing next. He repeatedly glanced at Wanda, fearful of what the Master was wanting with her. The Doctor's hearts sped up in alarm as the Master got even closer to Wanda, stalking her like she were prey. "Just stop!"

The Master halted, smiling at the Doctor for a moment before looking at the cameras, stating, "Oh, do excuse me. Little bit of personal business. Back in a minute." He hopped down the rest of the stairs, marching right up to Wanda.

She began backing up on the floor in instinctual fear of him, her hearts pounding away while a barrier inside her mind suddenly seemed to wake up in a jolt. In her mind, she heard deep growling as whatever lived within bared its teeth at the threatening Time Lord. She let out a scream when the Master suddenly grabbed her roughly by the hair, pulling her up onto her feet and dragging her over to face him at the centre of the room by the stairs. Her back faced the cameras and others of the room as he held her right up to his face.

"What a bad, bad girl you've been," he sneered at her. "They're all scared of me now. But if they ever met you in person, tsk, tsk, they might reconsider who to be fearful of." He waggled his finger playfully at her. She whimpered as he pulled at her hair more.

"Stop it! Let her go now!" bellowed the Doctor in rage, jerking strongly in the men's grasp who still held him. "Don't you say anything to her!"

"No, I think it's been long enough," replied the Master smoothly, not even bothering to remove his sharp eyes from Wanda's fearful ones. "Little miss has been keeping secrets, haven't you?"

Wanda's eyes widened, replying, "I-I don't know what you mean."

"Liar!"

She let out a cry as he threw her to the ground at his feet. She looked up from where she lay, arms bent as she tried keeping her head off the floor. Her growing fears of him telling the Doctor of Ember too soon began to surface. "Please, I don't know what you mean!" she pleaded to him, trying to keep him from saying anything. Maybe if she played dumb . . .

"Tell him!" shouted the Master in rage, jabbing his finger at the Doctor. "Tell him who you really are! Come on, say it!" She remained silent, this time truthfully confused and baffled by what he was ranting about. He sneered at her. "Fine, then, Alpha. If you're not going to say it—."

"Please, I really don't know what you're talking about," she responded, this time in complete truth when realizing he was not talking about her pregnancy. She sat up on her knees, facing the Master as evenly as possible. "If you can just . . . explain to me what you want, we can talk about it. We can talk all you want. Just—just please, don't hurt him. Don't hurt anyone." She stared at him with big eyes, pleading for him to spare them. Her eyes storming away with true worry over her loved ones.

The Master blinked at her for a moment, stunned by such real emotions coming from her. He raised a skeptical brow at first, then hummed as he rocked on his heels, looking at the Doctor. "You weren't kidding. She really can't remember."

Wanda glanced back and forth between the two Time Lords. At a loss of what was going on now. "What can't I remember?" Was he talking about her past? Or . . . No . . . Was this it? Was this the moment of remembrance? She stiffened in fear, afraid to stand or move a muscle as the Master began to circle her like a lion going for the kill.

"Let me just jog your memories, shall I?" the Master said playfully at her. "You must have heard of it. The legends. They've been passed down from galaxy to galaxy. Even before the war started. A legend in warning of what would come." He turned, pointing with a smile at the Doctor. "I know you remember them, too."

"It was just a story," grounded out the Doctor. "It has nothing to do with Wanda. How can it possibly have anything to do with her? It was just a story to scare us children not to go messing the Time Vortex."

"Yes, but what if someone took that story seriously? The story of what god-like being of great destruction would come if a Time Lord were to ever fuse with the Time Vortex in a TARDIS," the Master replied smoothly. He turned with a flourish, waving his hands at Wanda's back. "And here she is. The product of someone's curiosity of if that story could be real."

"What are you saying? That I . . . that I was created?" Wanda asked them, staring at them both with wide eyes. The Doctor appeared alarmed, not wanting her, or even himself, to know the truth about her existence. He shook his head rapidly while the Master nodded with a snide smirk.

"In a way, yes," the Master shrugged, bouncing around back in front of her. "Oh, did the legends grow after what might you showed. Do you want to know how it goes? I'm sure you do. And Doctor, really, you must have heard about them, too."

"I've heard a lot of legends in my time," stated the Doctor furiously. "There were countless stories that came from the Time War. None that I really wanted to stomach."

"But you haven't paid attention to this one? Shame on you. You're losing your touch," clicked the Master's tongue, shaking his head in disappointment. "Well, here's the one I like the best." He smirked as he stared at Wanda, who continued to gaze back fearfully. "'There is a weapon, born from the fires of the Time War. Bathed in the blood of galaxies. The Universe's Weapon, who wanders to any point in time and space, ready to put an end to the universe's misery, destroying all of creation itself.' Now, I wonder who that could be? Any guesses, hmm?"

Voices of distant memories began running through Wanda's mind. The voice of Evelina and Lucius during their prophecy back from Pompeii whispered in her head of what destruction would come. The sneering remarks of Kovarian in the past, echoing in her ears. So many others tell her the same thing since arriving into the Doctor's life. Of that of the universe's destruction, all because of her. A headache began to grow in her mind as barriers, all of them, began to creak, crackling in the wake of her mind reeling upon what the Master was saying. The one barrier began panicking in her head, seeming to recede into her mind to try in an attempt to keep all barriers calm.

"I don't . . .," Wanda tried replying, shaking her head in denial. She . . . she did not want to talk about this anymore. She wanted to escape from this. Her breathing increased as she began to panic, eyes searching for a way out. But there was no escape. Not now. Not ever. For this moment in time was always meant to be.

The Master crouched down in front of her, grabbing her chin and making her face him. Seeming to greatly enjoy the look of fright on her face as he whispered in a soft kiss against her ear so that way none but her could hear him, "I think, it's time to stop hiding in this delusion of yours. You're not some loving Wanderer, out to help others. Nah. You're like me. Here to create lovely chaos." He rubbed his screwdriver against her cheek. "I can actually admire something like you. All that power that you've got. I'm jealous. Really, properly, jealous." He pulled back and smiled widely at her for a moment before dropping his smile to glare at her. "Though, I think it'd be a shame if we had to deal with two Alphas in the universe."

Keeping a firm hold on her chin, he waved his screwdriver at her, continuing on, "I think you know what this is and what it can do. I know your abilities of knowing things in advance. So, I won't give you all the boring details of how I've laid traps, not only for the Doctor, but for you as well. I already have the Doctor's biological code. Now, how do I go about getting yours?" A nasty grin was given to her as her eyes grew in alarm upon him pulling out an old, bloody handkerchief from his pocket. A clean cut at been made right in the middle of the blood stain in clear indication that he had gotten the sample he had been looking for. "Oh, look here. Seems some old geezer left this in my pocket by mistake. And what do you know, I found a little extra set of DNA right in there with yours. Wonder who's that could be?"

He backed away abruptly, making her jerk slightly at the sudden departure. Before she could say, do, or even think of anything, he had already pointed his laser screwdriver right at her. The laser beam shot out, aimed directly at her stomach. Time seemed to slow down for Wanda, as she stared at the incoming beam. Helpless to do anything as it was mere breaths away from hitting her child. She did not even have time to react to wrap her arms around her belly in protection for Ember. And before the beam had even hit her, she felt a searing pain go through her stomach and a jolt through her body. Then, finally . . . the beam hit.

It was scalding hot. Burning at her stomach in rage. She let out a scream when it hit as her body was flung back from the force. She collapsed onto her side, back still facing the rest of the room as she lay there in agony. Not from the physical pain she felt . . . No, that was not the most horrendous thing she felt. No . . . It was agony when she felt . . . nothing. Her hand shook as it ran over her stomach while she lay twisted on the floor. Her mouth opened in pure horror, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then . . . when it finally hit her on what the Master had done . . .

A wail like nothing ever heard of before escaped from her. Her vocal cords shredded from how despairing she howled. Her whole body convulsed from the pure shock that was going through her system. Tears poured down her face as her hearts broke apart piece by piece. Her mind twisted in so many directions, unable to remain stable in her sanity.

"What have you done?!" Wanda heard the Doctor scream distantly.

There was more screaming from the Doctor, in agony from the sounds of it while the Master laughed feverishly. More angry yelling was heard. From Martha. From Jack. It all became nothing more than muffled sounds to Wanda as she lay there staring at nothing. Everything about her had broken into nothing. The barriers, that had been becoming so weak over the years, only needed this last piece of devastation to break apart in a flood. For in the end, to remember something tragic, one had to go through something just as horrific.

Wanda's eyes slowly widened, her hand clutching her stomach tightened, as her emerald irises began to glow a bright white light.

"I remember," she breathed. And in the blink, she was gone.

XxXxXxXx

. . . Okay, first thing I would like to say is I'm sorry. So very, very sorry. :( Please forgive me. Please don't hate me. If . . . If you do, I understand. I'm the worst. Though, I would still very much appreciate a review if you could. I would really like to know what you all think. But if you never wish to speak with me again, then I understand. ;-;

Reviewers:

heroherondaletotherescue: I miss the Ponds, too. Oh, the Master . . . and Ember . . . I'm sorry. :( But agreed, I've always enjoyed the Master as a villain, too. Same reason I enjoy the Joker from the Batman animated series. Please let me know what you thought of the new chapter. And I really hope you have a wonderful day/night. :) Take care!

AGBreads: Yay! So happy you enjoyed the last chapter. Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that you liked this one as well. Oh, poor Ember. I'm sorry. But I hope that I can still see you again for the next chapter. Please, have a brilliant day. :)

FictionalBoysAreBetter: I'm sorry that keeps happening for you. I would contact the support email and see if the tech support could resolve that issue for you. I hope that helps. :) So glad you enjoyed the last few chapters! Umm . . . I'll just go ahead and say sorry ahead of time. So sorry. But, you know. It won't be completely sad . . . Okay, I'll just shut up while I'm ahead. I wasn't ready, either. And we still got more to come. :( Yeah, I couldn't help myself when it came to the title of the chapter. haha. I'm just evil sometimes. Which, isn't always good . . . Again, sorry. Hope to see you again soon and that those issues are fixed for you. :)

Momochan77: He is quite scary for you never know what he had planned up. And sorry to say that your bad feeling was correct. I hope that it wasn't too bad of a chapter. :( Hope to see you again soon!

Authora97: Sorry. No bubble wrap could have ever stopped this . . . I'm so sorry. :( Please forgive me.

alwaystherereading: I'm sorry. Ember could have never been kept safe from that. Though, on a lighter note, I knew that chapter title would give a few people a scare. I just couldn't help myself with that. haha. Sorry about all the angst, especially for what's coming next. I really hope that you'll still enjoy the rest of it. Even if it is angsty and all. Until next time and have a wonderful day/night. :)

swimmjacket: I really am horrible. Such a horrible person. :( Sorry. Hope you still want to read the rest of the story. Well, as we saw from the Master, he reacted very badly. If there's anyone who is known to hold a strong grudge, it's the Master. Hope to see you again in the next chapter. Until next time!

All The Stories Are True 24601: Foreshadowing is one of my favorite things to do in a story. That, and giving readers emotional stories. Such as this chapter . . . Anyway, I'm not really good when it comes to accents. I just know the basic explanation. Don't know the details in the accent itself. That's why I normally don't try to give characters accents because I'm too afraid to mess it up. Guess it's because of where I grew up. I lived a part of the Midwest in the United States for most of my life. Here, there's no real 'accent' because we're right in the middle and we're known as such a mix of people that there's no real way to label how we talk. And people tell me I sound a bit British whenever I get angry but don't know what sort of accent it is since I never notice it myself. So, yeah, this is the reason why I don't worry about accents in stories. haha. :) But if you like the idea of Wanda having an Irish accent when reading, go for it! No two people ever read the same story. You'll always find that each person imagined something different. :) Don't worry, we'll be getting more River and the Ponds very soon. Yep! They adopted a son. Though I don't have any plans to do a special chapter with that, sorry. Maybe in the next story perhaps. We'll have to see. Haha wandafully. Love it! Hope the chapter was good. Even if it was rather . . . emotional. Until next time!

SakuraRcoa: Oh, poor Ember. I'm so sorry. :( It really did go down in the worst way, I think. I really hope that you'll still enjoy the rest of the story after that. And the next story will be . . . very different from this trilogy. Hope to see you again soon. Take care!

Guest(a): Good question! Alpha actually has absolutely no preferences. She's a creature run by pure instinct for survival. So things like that are seen as very trivial. She only focuses on one thing and that's to live. Oh, and kill. But that's a whole other story there.

QuirkyKim: I'm so sorry. :(

bored411: Yep, a very, very terrible day. Very much not a good combo. I hope that you still enjoyed it, considering what happened and all. Until next time!

normandy1701: haha Yeah, I couldn't help myself. I just had to freak people out with that chapter title. Glad you enjoyed it! :D

Shorttemeper299: I'm sorry. :( Poor, poor Ember. I hope that you still enjoyed the chapter though. And that you have the most wonderful day/night. :)

Kylie Winchester: haha Sorry, I just had to. The opportunity was there and I took it knowing that it would make people freak. haha I'm horrible. ;) Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Until next time!

Whovianeverlark17: You were right. A lot of pain happened and still tons more to come. In advance, I like to apologize. :( I hope that I'll still see you in the future. Even if there is a lot of pain from this chapter and the next to come.

TheGirlWhoWept: I'm sorry. He always planned to kill her. There was no hope for Ember there. :( Really hope to still see you in the future, and that you have the most amazing day/night. Take care!

Lock: Oh! It was explained in past chapters, actually. Whenever Wanda begins to realize or 'remember' Alpha just makes Wanda forget by erasing the memories. It becomes a repeated thing over and over again. So subtle that even we don't notice it at times. Sorry if that was not conveyed well in past chapters. As for the barriers, there's a vast number. Think about TARDIS size. Hope that helps. :)

Thank you all for being so patient with this story. I hope you all don't hate me too much after all of this. :( Again, take care, everyone!

~Tinker~