Minutes earlier…
"…so you're a Zygon." The Doctor said, eyeing the scientist/Zygon hybrid in front of them. "What have you done with Kate?"
The Zygon bared his fangs in a fiendish grin, looking bizarre with its human face. "We've taken her."
"How many more of you are there?"
The War Doctor leaned close to Ten. "How do we get out of this?"
Ten looked on at the exchange grimly. "We should have a plan."
"…enough." The Zygon was saying.
"How did you get here?" Ten asked. "I saw you in the 1500s! It makes no sense that you could be here 500 years later!"
The Zygon turned towards him, resting his strange yellow eyes on the Time Lord. "Your species are quite dull for being Lords of Time. I'm quite glad you're on of the last ones out there. I can't stand your insufferable race."
The War Doctor blinked. "But…"
"Uh oh." The Doctor whispered as a look of rage briefly crossed the Tenth Doctor's face. "The man who regrets."
Ten sighed, glancing at his other selves. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I have this." He pulled an odd contraption from his pocket. Lights flickered on it, and it had a spinning satellite thing on the top. It whirred and clicked mechanically as it worked.
The War Doctor frowned. "What is that?"
"It's a machine that goes 'ding'." Ten said with a confident grin, turning back to face the Zygon hybrid. "And it is exceptionally good at stopping Zygons."
"How does it do that?" The Zygon asked, regarding the machine skeptically.
"You throw it!" On the last word, he threw the small machine as hard as he could at the Zygon, hitting it in the head with a thick, rattling clunk. "Run!"
The three Doctors tore down the hall, barreling past the dazed monster and skidding around the corner, the Doctor nearly slipping and falling from the slick dust on the floor. Their pace rapidly increased as a monstrous roar rang out behind them, echoing throughout the halls of the Undergallery. The Doctor chanced a look behind him, and saw the Zygon, now fully reverted back into its normal form, coming after them. Despite its bulky stature, it was gaining on them rapidly.
Following the dust path, they made their way back into the painting room, where the Master and Osgood were still standing. They tripped over themselves as they stumbled , sending up clouds of the thick, choking dust.
The Master frowned at them. "What's going on?"
The Doctor coughed, flailing at the air around him in an attempt to clear it of the dust that had invaded his lungs and his eyes, tripping again as Ten stumbled into him blindly. "Now would be a good time to run!"
The Master tensed, looking around. "Run from what?"
A gurgling roar echoed from behind the Doctors, answering the question for him. The Zygon was coming rapidly down the corridor towards them.
The Doctor stumbled to Osgood, grabbing her shoulders. "Come on. We need to get to the TARDIS!"
She opened her mouth, revealing her yellowed teeth. "I'm afraid that's not possible."
The Doctor stumbled away, shoving her backwards. "She's a Zygon too! Run!"
Ten grabbed the War Doctor's arm and practically dragged him after the Master and the Doctor towards the blue box that seemed very inviting compared to the monsters chasing them.
The Doctor fumbled with the TARDIS key, nearly dropping it as he brought it out of his pocket. He jammed it in the lock, fiddling with it.
"Why is this version of me so clumsy?" The War Doctor cried.
"That's what I would like to know!" The Master growled as he pounded on the TARDIS door, glancing back at the Zygon and the hybrid that were making their way towards the four Time Lords rapidly, baring fierce grins as they advanced.
"Ah ha!" The doors flew open and the group, which had been leaning against them, practically fell inside.
The Doctor hopped up, slamming the doors shut, pressing his back against them. He jumped slightly as they shook with the force of the Zygons banging against them. "Get us out of here, quick!"
Ten laid his hand on the lever. "Where to?"
"Clara's house!"
"Clara?" The Doctor poked his head out the door, looking around her flat. It was silent, and empty. Looking at the clock, he saw it read noon the following day.
"Whoops." He stepped out into the living room.
The War Doctor hesitated before exiting. "Do you think she would mind the dust we will track in?"
The Doctor looked down at his shoes, which were practically colored grey with the dust they had coalesced. He had left a trail of thick footprints on the carpet. "I doubt it."
Ten stepped out, spinning in a circle as he tried to look at the back of his trench coat, which was generously smudged grey as well. "Great! This was a perfectly good trench coat! Now I'll have to wash it. Stupid dust."
The Master flung himself on the couch, wiping a smudge of the dust off of his forehead. "Great. So two scientists at UNIT are Zygons, and the head is missing, and anyone else could be a Zygon, practically. Where does that leave us?"
"I don't know." The Doctor said, walking up to Clara's fridge. There was a paper taped to it, scrawled with River's handwriting.
Gone out wedding planning
Get home soon and don't make a mess
Love, River
He ripped it off the door and crumpled the item up, throwing it into the bin.
"What was that?" The War Doctor asked from his spot in the TARDIS doorway. He had thought it would be impolite to spread the dust all over Clara's house like the other three were succeeding in doing.
"Nothing. Just a note."
"I don't understand!" Ten gritted, pacing in a circle. "How could the Zygons be here, and in the 1500s? It doesn't make sense!"
The Doctor leaned against the counter, deep in thought. "And we still haven't figured out the paintings, though that probably has something to do with it."
"Anyone could be a Zygon." The Master mumbled, sounding unconcerned.
"That's right." He eyed his companions a little bit warily. "We must be careful. The Zygons want to kill me… us…"
The Master spread his hands wide. "And where does that leave me?"
"They probably will just kill you too, considering you're a Time Lord as well."
"Oh goody."
"And what about UNIT?" Ten queried. "We can't just let the Zygons take over the organization! And Kate! We never found her! She could be dead, for all we know."
"There must be a way to tell who is a Zygon and who is a man." The War Doctor stated. "We can't be at a total loss."
Ten shrugged. "Well, there was the device that went 'ding', but it wasn't super accurate, and… you know… I threw it at the monster."
The Master snorted, throwing an arm over his eyes. "Nice going."
"Don't you ever shut up?" He hissed.
"No." He smirked. "But consider this. I was standing there with a Zygon for a good twenty minutes, so you three ask yourselves this: Why didn't the Zygon just kill me then and there? I was defenseless, and a Time Lord, as the Doctor said."
"Good question." The Doctor stared at the blond Time Lord.
"Maybe the Zygons let us escape." The War Doctor hypothesized.
"Maybe." Ten murmured, settling in an armchair. "But why?"
He shrugged. "I wouldn't know. The Last time I encountered Zygons was… oh… four or five faces ago. They don't turn up very often.
"Yeah." Ten nodded, his eyes far away, a smile twitching at his lips. "I haven't seen Sarah Jane in a while. I miss her."
The War Doctor cocked his head, smiling slightly. "I see her again?"
"Spoilers."
The Doctor sighed sadly, listening to them talk. Only he knew what was to come of her.
"You and your earth females." The Master mumbled. "I will never understand what you have with them."
"Hey! You fell for more than one!"
"So I did."
The War Doctor jumped as he heard shriek outside of the TARDIS. He poked his head out to see River, Clara and the Woman berating the three Time Lords, who stood there, looking very confused as to why they were so angry.
"Look at this!" Clara almost yelled, gesturing to the dust that covered a good portion of her floor and furniture. "What have you been doing?"
The Doctor scratched his head. "Ah, well… Zygons happened, and…"
"And what?" Clara was furious at the state her flat was in. Every time she left she told them not to make a mess, but it always ended in catastrophe.
"Did I not teach you manners back on Gallifrey?" The Woman asked, stepping forward. The three Time Lords took a step away from her.
River watched the exchange in amusement, holding the bags full of wedding items that they had purchased while they were out. It was quite funny to see the three tall men back away from the considerably smaller Time Lady.
"Well there were Zygons, and we were in a panic!" Ten explained. "They were chasing us! And they turned into the scientists!"
Clara glared at the Master. "You can tell us all about it after all three of you have a shower. Why didn't you do that like normal people?"
The Master grinned cheekily at her. "Do I look like people?"
"Just go!"
"Hello?" Clara peeked into the TARDIS.
The War Doctor looked up at her from the bench he was sitting on, where he had been silently brooding. He smiled. "Hello."
She stepped inside, shutting the doors behind her. She giggled slightly at his bedraggled appearance. His clothes were smudged with the dust, and his white hair was quite messy. A product of their latest adventures, no doubt.
"I must say. This version of you seems far more polite than your future selves. I'm glad you didn't track dust all over my house."
His eyes twinkled. "My future incarnations seem to have forgotten proper etiquette."
She took a seat next to him. "I've been wondering…" She hesitated.
"Yes, my dear?"
"Doctor, why do they not like you?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "I do not call myself Doctor in this incarnation. I'm not worthy of it. You see, I am the one who destroys them all.
"The Time Lords?"
"Yes. Every single one of them. I was just about to do so when I got sucked into all of this."
Clara looked at him. He seemed sad, beaten down. She realized that this Doctor had seen the horrors of the Time War and more. She didn't know what it was like, but she figured that it wasn't good. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to be faced with the proposition of destroying one's own people like he had been. It must have been horrible.
"Well, I hope you don't mind this detour."
He smiled. "Not at all."
"What can destroy all the Time Lords?"
"The Moment."
"Hm?"
"The Moment, otherwise known as the Galaxy Eater. In the last days of the Time War, the Time Lords had used every weapon they had, all except for that one. It can destroy entire galaxies in a single instance, hence its name."
"Sounds dangerous."
He nodded. "It is. It's so powerful that it developed a conscience. It questions you on whether using it is the best thing to do."
"Is it?"
"I don't know."
"How did you ever get your hands on a weapon such as that?"
"I stole it."
She smiled at this older, grizzled Doctor. "That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Your past self is no different than the future versions when it comes to stealing."
He scratched his head. "That's not good."
She leaned against his shoulder. "Ah, Doctor. Every form of you is lovely in its own way. You're still my best friend, regardless of which face you have."
"I thought I told you not to call me Doctor."
"What would you rather me call you? The Warrior?"
"Good point."
At that point, the door opened and the Doctor poked his head inside. His hair was crazy, and it had soap in it. "We have a visitor."