The machine hummed with power, crackled with energy, as it prepared to devour existence.
"No!" yelled the Doctor, tied to a chair. He had never felt so helpless in all his life, except when Rose had died...
Rose. He would see her again. Perhaps that made it worthwhile - no. That line of thinking would end up with him being like the First Universes Doctor. That he could not allow himself to do.
"Yes!" yelled the First triumphantly, waving his hands in a display of sheer joy.
The machine hummed ever louder, crackled even more, and prepared to unleash the energy it stored –
And then it calmed down, slowly quieting, the power dissipating, the hum fading and then, it was still...
"No!" yelled the First, banging his fist on a table.
"Yes!" yelled the tied up Doctor, eyes widening in disbelief. What could have -?
From behind the machine stepped the Doctor, Martha Jones, Darth Doctor and Veronica. The Doctor and Darth Doctor were grinning widely, Martha was smiling, and Veronica looked bemused.
"Sorry about that", said the Doctor to the First, his grin fading slightly as he spoke, "but blowing up a whole omniverse is against my principles, and so is letting people do it. Usually. Your the obvious exception."
"Don't meddle in things you know nothing about!" yelled the First, angrily. "You have no idea -"
"But I do", said the Doctor, sadly. "I know exactly why you're doing this. But you can't be allowed to."
"I must!" shouted the First, gesticulating wildly. "If I don't, this universe dies!"
"This universe is already dead", pointed out Darth Doctor unkindly. "This whole planet is dust."
The First glared at him like he was an idiot, then took a deep, calming breath.
"Well, of course this planet is dust", he said, irritably. "That's why I chose it. But the rest of my universe is alive, and well."
Martha looked at the Doctor - her Doctor. He just looked back at her, sheepishly.
"Oops?" he ventured.
Darht Doctor, however, looked grim.
"And how long have you been here mate?" he asked. "A hundred years? A thousand?"
The First looked right at him, and if looks could kill, Darth Doctor would have been a steaming pile of ashes at that point.
"I have been here," the First said, "five hundred and thirty three years, ten months, two weeks, six days, five hours, forty two minutes, six seconds and counting."
The old man stood up to his full, considerable height.
"I will not be bossed around by a bunch of self righteous, arrogant young people", he spat, his ees narrowed in contempt. "I was saving my universe when you're atoms were floating about the cosmos! I've earned something, I think."
He quickly pressed a button on his control panel. The hum of a transmat device began.
"You cannot save this universe", insisted Darth Doctor.
"I can", replied the First, his voice a yell, "and I WILL!"
He faded away, as the transmat beam finished its cycle.
The Doctors sprang into action as son as he'd gone. Martha's Doctor started scanning the immediate area. Darth Doctor ran up to the Doctor tied to a chair to free him, and, having done that, the two of them set to work on the First's control panel.
"Got him!" said Martha's Doctor.
"How so?" asked Darth Doctor.
"I know where he's transmatted himself to", replied the Doctor.
"Where?" asked Veronica, who had been rather worried looking during the Doctor's exchange.
"The other side of the planet."
--
The two Doctors and the two Sophie's ran for there lives, the creatures right behind them, snarling and slavering.
"This sort of thing can get very wearing", puffed the Doctor - Sophie didn't know which one.
Doctor 1 stopped, all of a sudden, and took out his sonic screwdriver. The creatures were only a few metres behind them at best.
"What good will that do?!" yelled Sophie 2, as the monsters got closer.
"This", said the Doctor. He zapped the creatures, who stopped in their tracks, then turned on their heels and ran away.
"High pitched sonic wave," Doctor 1 explained. "Hurts anything with level five hearing like hell."
"Fantastic!" said Doctor 2. "But now what do we do?"
"Keep searching for this universes Doctor", said Doctor 1. "He can't be far."
And so they walked off.
This planet was very small, 'only 30 or so square miles', the Doctor's estimated, 'more of a planetoid, really', and the small group had been walking for hours upon end, when finally they found it.
A massive building, large and foreboding, with a version of the seal of Rassilon printed large on it's side.
"Well, he's certainly made his mark on the scenery, hasn't he?" said Doctor 2 dryly.
The two Doctors and their companions headed for the building.
--
The Doctors finished fixing the control panel.
"Right", said Darth Doctor smugly. "I think that's got it. You should be able to follow him now."
The other two Doctors walked to the other side of the room, followed by Martha.
"And why can't they come with us?" she asked, indicating Darth Doctor and Veronica.
"Because he has to keep an eye on the transmat device", said Martha's Doctor. "We have to be sure that the First universes Doctor doesn't come back here."
"Ready, people?" asked Darth Doctor.
"Ready as ever!" said Martha.
Darth Doctor smiled at that, then pressed a button on the panel.
Within moments, Martha felt as though her guts were being turned inside out. She couldn't see, she couldn't breath... then it was over.
They were in a dark room. The Doctors were already exploring the place, looking around.
"Wait for me", said Martha, feeling very ill.
The Doctor turned to look at her. HER Doctor, not the other one (who she decided to call Sherlock Doctor).
"You alright?" he asked, concerned.
"Fine", she replied, "apart from the fact that I'm sick to my stomach."
The Doctor nodded. "First time transmat," he explained. "Always the worst."
"Less chatter you two!" called Sherlock Doctor. "I know where we are now."
He opened the door, and a light shone through.
"Broom cupboard", he said. There was even an old K-9 in there, albeit one which bore several differences to the design Martha's Doctor knew.
They walked out of the cupboard, and started searching for the First.
The First, meanwhile, was pressing buttons on his control panel, and thinking about all his counterparts had said.
'Am I doing the right thing?' he thought to himself. 'Am I really?'
He knew full well that he would save his universe by doing this, but he also knew the price the others would have to pay.
He was interrupted from his musings by the voices of other Doctors from his corridor. He tensed himself.
A pair of Doctors in suits walked into the room, accompanied by a pair of young women. On closer inspection, they appeared to be the saame young woman, from serperate universes. He remembered someone like her, but he couldn't quite place from when he remembered her. Oh well.
"Hello", said one of the Doctors. "You must be the First universes Doctor."
"I am", replied the First tersely. "I suppose that you're here to try to convince me to abandon my plan?"
"Well, yes..." said Doctor 1.
"Well don't bother", snapped the First. "I've made up my mind."
"I'm sure", said Doctor 2.
The First eyed them warily, then went back to work. The Doctor's didn't make a move, but he kept an eye on them nonetheless.
It happened in a flash, before he could do anything. One of the Doctors jumped on him, and the other went for the control panel.
The First threw Doctor 2 from his shoulders with an ease that belied his frail form, and he grabbed Doctor 1's arm.
"Don't", came a voice from behind him.
The First turned, and found himself facing the Doctor he'd left at his other base.
"You!" he yelled. "Don't interfere!"
The Doctor saw his counterpart shake his head.
"No, I'll leave you to it", he said.
"Good! You do that!" said the First.
He turned back to his control panel, letting Doctor 1 go.
The other Doctors ran back, standing well away. This seemed odd to the First, but he didn't trouble himself with it. He turned back to his console. The little screen on his console showed the status of the hyper regression device.
TEMPORAL RELOCATION IN 40 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
The First allowed himself to breath easier. He had done it. He had saved his universe. The cost had been horrendous, but he saved it nonetheless. Like he had done a thousand times before.
TEMPORAL RELOCATION IN 36 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
He turned to the other Doctors. He felt he owed them this.
"I am sorry for this", he said. "I am truly sorry. But this universe is my home, and I must save it, at any cost."
"We understand", said the Doctor. "We would do the same in your position."
The First smiled. He knew his successors/alternate selves would see the meaning behind his actions. He turned back to his console.
TEMPORAL RELOCATION IN 21 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
ALERT ALERT TEMPORAL INSTABILITY DETECTED TEMPORAL RELOCATION CO-ORDINATES HAVE BEEN ALTERED TARGET AREA 4 MILES IN DIAMETER ALERT ABORT PROCEDURE ABORT ABORT ABORT...
The First looked at the screen. The other Doctors had betrayed him! He tried to abort the procedure, but all that came up was –
ABORT SYSTEM HAS FAILED EVACUATE AREA EVACUATE AREA 10 SECONDS TO TEMPORAL RELOCATION 10 9 8 7...
The First spun around to look at his counterparts, but they were gone.
"NOOOOOOO!!" he yelled, as the hyper regression consumed him and the whole building in a temporal shockwave.
The Doctors said goodbye shortly after. Since there were so many of them, this was a lengthy task. They'd all had amazing adventures. Three Doctor's had inadvertently released a Dalek army from a bunker, two more had stopped a Cyberman plot to conquer all known galaxies. And the gang who'd stopped the First Universes Doctor had been given pats on the back, smiles, congratulations and celebrations.
"Goodbye", Sherlock Doctor had said to Martha and her Doctor. "I have a guest to deal with."
"Bye, then", the Doctor had replied, shaking his counteparts hand.
Darth Doctor had smiled, and in a final bit of 'help' for his counterpart, gave him the name of a good Top Shop in Wales.
And the other Doctor and Sophie had said an emotional farewell, bidding the Doctor and Martha safe travels.
The Doctor ushered Martha into the TARDIS. Doctor's would be here for hours yet, saying hello, goodbye, what on Earth are you wearing etc... but he was done here. He went inside the TARDIS, and it slowly dematerialised from planet Hell.
--
Martha and the Doctor were discussing the 'temporal relocation'.
"It would have meant that the Null Time Rifts were forced forward," explained the Doctor. "They would be sent to the future."
"So are all the people who were killed by the Rifts going to come back?" asked Martha.
"No", said the Doctor. "The Null Time Rifts did attack. Most people won't remember them, apart from Time Sensitives, but the dead won't come back. There is no miracle bring back."
He looked forlorn for a moment, then smiled at her.
"Anyway", he said. "I believe we were having a holiday on Ieh-mo Kei..."
He set the controls, and they were off.