'You must be mad. Absolutely off your rocker. Off the plank and into Nuttyville if you think I'm going in there before you!'
'Okay, OKAY! I don't know, you try and be the gentleman and this is the thanks you get,' the Doctor grumbled, taking a step towards the vortex. The swirling became more intensive. He turned on his heel and put his hands on Sandi's shoulders. Inconveniently, that was the point when her heart leapt into her throat. She coughed slightly, shivering in the cold. The Doctor gave Sandi a very serious look.
'Alright, here's the plan. I'll go in there and you come in after me.'
'Yes... and then?'
The Doctor grinned sheepishly. Sandi's mouth dropped open. She slapped him, hard, on the shoulder.
'You FREAK! You're making this up as you go along!'
'Yeah... but I do it brilliantly. Come on, in we go.'
The Doctor stepped through the portal, causing the warping stones to shimmer and shift slightly. Sandi stared after him.
Well, here goes nothing, Sandi thought. She closed her eyes and leapt head-first into the void.
With a pop! Sandi appeared on the other side, landing face-first at the Doctor's feet, her lips smack-bang on the toe of his right shoe. She looked up at the grinning Time Lord.
'I knew you and I were getting along well, but really, there's no need for you to worship me so,' the Doctor joked as he offered Sandi a hand up. Scrambling to her feet, Sandi stared around the chamber they had ended up in.
It was a large room with sandstone walls, but the floor was almost completely sand. Moreover, the sand was shifting, slowly, almost imperceptively, but most definitely moving. The portal roared behind them, glowing with a dull light which dimly lit the floor in front of them. A pale light shone from the roof of the cavern, illuminating roughly three feet of airspace. The Doctor reached down and took Sandi's hand.
'On we go, then,' he said softly. The pair trudged cautiously forward, Sandi keeping well behind the Doctor while he clutched the sonic screwdriver in a death grip with his free hand. The path opened up to a large stone altar, lit with an ethereal light. The Doctor let go of Sandi's hand and popped his glasses back on as he crouched down and examined the steps.
'Amazing... a real Myan altar, easily a few hundred thousand years old, but this is perfect. Oh, this is beautiful! Sandi, come look at this!'
Sandi barely heard a word the Time Lord spoke. She was busy staring, open-mouthed, at the object situated at the top of the altar. It looked like a large, tropical fish tank without its lid, but there appeared to be no water. Inside the tank was what Sandi thought looked like a wrinkly, old, brown...
Well, well. My old friend.
The Doctor's head shot up. His eyes locked onto the tank. He smiled.
'Hello, you,' he said softly. Reaching behind him and gently taking her hand, the Doctor led Sandi up the steps to the top of the altar
You certainly took your time getting here, Doctor.
The Doctor grinned, alighting on the last step, helping Sandi up beside him. Sandi stared in amazement. It really was what she had thought it was. Inside the tank was a large, wrinkly, old, brown face. It's eyes were very much alive; peering around at the Doctor and Sandi inquistively, but they appeared slightly dulled by age. The Doctor nudged Sandi forward.
'Sandi Jenkinson, may I introduce you to an old friend of mine. This is the Face of Boe, the oldest living being from the Isop galaxy.'
'Err, pleasure to meet you,' Sandi stuttered, giving an awkward curtsey. The Face of Boe chuckled.
There's no need, child. I know who you are.
'He's telepathic,' the Doctor whispered to Sandi. Sandi stared at him.
'He's what?'
'Telepathic. His thoughts are transmitted directly to the speech centres of that tiny human brain of yours.'
'Oh. Hey!'
'You wanted to see us. Is there something wrong?'
Not wrong as such. I believe I am close to death now, so it is time that I told you the greatest secret that Boekind has harboured these long years.
The Doctor crouched beside the tank and placed his hand against the glass. The Face of Boe turned slowly to face him and smiled serenely.
Years ago, I could see your pain. I felt it. I knew what I had to tell you would stop it, but it wasn't time. You needed more time to find her. I knew that perhaps I should have told you after the Daleks were destroyed the first time, but you were still with the Rose child.
The Doctor felt bile rise in his throat. He took his hand from the glass and stood up. Sandi inched away, acutely aware of the aura of power that seemed to emanate from from the Time Lord.
'What's Rose got to do with all this?' The Doctor asked coldly.
I feel your anger. Rightly so. But the Rose child is not important to your quest. Perhaps if you had found the escaped child sooner, certain events may have been prevented. But that is not relevant.
'Are you trying to tell me that if I had found Sandi sooner, Rose might still be this side of the void?!?'
It is a possibility, as are all things. But hush, I must tell you the secret.
The Doctor lowered himself and sat cross-legged before the tank. Sandi crept forward and knelt beside him. The Face of Boe began his story.
Many thousands of years ago, Boekind forged an alliance with the Time Lords of Gallifrey against the Daleks. We fought valiantly, side by side, but the Daleks appeared to match us blow for blow. Shortly after the last Time War commenced, the Great Council of Gallifrey came to me. They entrusted me with the care of six young Time Lords, barely a century old, still tiny children. After you, Doctor, initiated the final strike and both races were obliterated, I watched the emperor's ship tumble into darkspace.
'But... the Time Lords fought alone in the last war,' the Doctor said, rather confused. Sandi looked at the Face of Boe, who shook almost imperceptively.
We were, as you would say, Plan B. The Time Lords had access to our technology and should they fall before defeating the Daleks, we would attack. But that is not the most important part of my story. As I said, I watched the emperor's ship fall into the safety of darkspace. I knew that, should he survive, the universe would be in danger once again. I knew that you were still alive; weak, albeit, but both hearts still beating. But I knew, if anything happened to you, the race of Time Lords would perish and the last hope of defence for this galaxy would disappear. So I followed the Dalek ship into the darkspace. There I hid the remaining children on a sanctuary ship, the Utopia, where they would grow up and develop into knowledgeable Time Lords.
'What of the TARDISes? Did you save them, too?'
Only one. Yours and one other were the only two to survive the Time War. It was a battle that cost the universe a great deal. But there is more. Some years ago, I returned to the ship to check the children's progress. It was then that I discovered that one of the children, Shandaiah, had escaped. She had left her corporeal being behind and fled as mere consciousness across the stars.
'WHAT?!? But that would take phenomenal power! No Time Lord has ever possessed such power.'
There was a reason the child was named Shandaiah. She possessed skill and strength that no Time Lord could rival. By the age that she fled, it is more than possible that she could sustain herself as just a soul. I never determined where the child went. But Doctor, know this. There is a greater threat than the Daleks to the Children of Darkspace. A hostile race known as the Zriekas know the old legends. They are almost cybermen but for one crucial difference. These cyborgs retain their imagination and many vestiges of their organic forms. Before Gallifrey was destroyed, I believe that a reconnisance team retrieved your legend of Queen Shandaiah. You must beware of these people, Doctor. The Zriekas formed an unsteady alliance many years ago with the Daleks. The Daleks depended upon the Zriekan imagination as the Zriekas depended on Dalek technology.
'Excuse me, but what does all this have to do with moi?'
The Doctor and the Face of Boe turned to where Sandi sat, hand raised in a friendly wave. The Doctor raised an eyebrow and shot a sidelong look at the Face of Boe. The massive face smiled softly.
Sandi Jenkinson. Computer Game Designer. It was no coincidence that the Zriekas attacked you.
'Gee, really? I never would have thought that. Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious,' Sandi muttered, only to rewarded with a sideways kick from the Doctor. She fell silent for a moment.
'Why were they calling me Shandaiah?'
The Doctor picked up the biosignal of another Time Lord on Earth. It was weak, but it was definitely there. The tardis materialised on your street, right across from your apartment. This leads me to one of two conclusions. Either you are Shandaiah and are inhabiting the body of a human, or that Shandaiah is sharing your body, helping you without being obvious.
'The bug and the host,' Sandi whispered, colour draining from her face. The Doctor twisted his torso around just in time to stop Sandi slumping over as she swayed dangerously. The Doctor frowned at her, then looked back at the tank.
'Why do they need her? Surely if they know of her, they would also know of the other five children?'
They did. When I returned to the ship, the other five children were dead. Fortunately for us both, Shandaiah had concealed her corporeal being inside the tardis before exiting the ship.'
'She wouldn't risk using the tardis to escape, it would have alerted the Daleks to her existence,' the Doctor murmured. He looked back at Sandi.
'It would explain those weird memories... and the other Tardis.'
'But... I'm me! I'm no alien! I... I can't be,' Sandi trailed off, sobbing. The Doctor held her close, comforting her.
'It'll be okay. I promise. I can help you.'
'Sure. Got an alien-extractor on you? Because I could really use one of THOSE right now!'
'You're being irrational.'
'Oh, I'm being irrational!? I'M BEING IRRATIONAL!?! I'M THE ONE WITH SOMETHING ELSE INHABITING MY BODY!'
'SANDI, SHOUTING IS NOT GOING TO HELP THE SITUATION!' The Doctor roared, his own hidden power again rearing it's head like a woken dragon. Sandi quickly quietened. The Doctor closed his mouth, feeling slightly jarred and guilty for shouting at her. It's not her fault, you remember what it was like having Cassandra inside your head said a little voice inside his head. Sandi shifted uncomfortably.
'I have a question,' she said quietly.
Ask and I will answer as best I can, the Face of Boe said kindly. Sandi swallowed the lump in her throat. A fine rain of dust fell on her hair, but the young woman didn't notice.
'You said that there were two possibilities, the first being that I really am Shandaiah and that I'm just inhabiting this body, which is crazy, because I have my own memories. But if I am, like, really Shandaiah...'
You are not Shandaiah.
Sandi started violently, slamming back against the Doctor's chest and winding him. As the Time Lord coughed, Sandi stared around before glaring back at the face in the tank.
'What was that? That was... like you, but not! Stop playing games with me!'
The Face of Boe gave her a sympathetic look.
That was not me, but I have an idea of whom it was. But I am weak, time is short and there are still things to say. Firstly, Doctor. I must request that you find the sanctuary ship Utopia. I managed to load much of the archives of the Council there, including the legends. The bodies of the Children are still in status. Do not look for Gallifrey, it is gone. Secondly, Sandi. When the time comes, you will know who you are. The pair of you are about to face great trials and will have to make very difficult decisions regarding the people that you care about most in this universe. Goodbye... and good... luck...
The sleepy eyes in the tank closed and the Face moved one last time, before resting motionless. The Doctor touched the glass.
'The last of his kind... to die a lonely traveller,' he whispered. Another fine trickle of dust fell, landing on Sandi's button nose and making her sneeze. She looked up. Her eyes widened.
'Ah... Doctor?'
'Yes?'
'Um, perhaps it would be prudent to start running.'
The Time Lord followed her line of sight to the roof. He gasped. Cracks of light were appearing in the cavernous ceiling, sending showers of fine debris tumbling down. Suddenly, a large boulder dislodged from the roof and crashed with a deafening thud to the floor. The Doctor leapt to his feet and grabbed Sandi's hand.
'Yes, I think it would be quite prudent!' The Doctor shouted as he tore down the stairs, dragging Sandi with him. The pair raced back along the sandy path towards the now howling portal, which yawned before them.
'I think that the Face of Boe was keeping this place stable enough while he was alive so we could find him. Now he's dead, the immense pressure from the portal is causing the cavern to collapse,' the Doctor yelled over his shoulder, dodging a torrent of falling rocks that tumbled away to his left.
'Less talk, more run!' Sandi yelled back over the deafening roars that mingled in the air. The two tore to the portal and leapt in together, just before an enormous slab crashed to the ground where they had been standing.
With a crash, the time travellers dived out the other side, smashing into a broken wooden table and landing in a tangled mess of limbs. Sandi struggled to sit up and watched at the portal yawned open once more, before disappearing with a tiny pop. The Doctor sat upright and took his glasses out, popping them on.
'Well,' he said, examining the now-solid wall behind the tapestry, where the portal had been.
'That was rather... odd.'
Sandi stared incredulously at him as he frowned at the stones, touching the previously warped stones with one hand.
'Odd? You think it was odd.'
The Doctor twisted his torso to look at her. He raised an eyebrow.
'Well, yeah, I mean... how often you come across the last member of a species to be told that you're not alone in this universe even though you thought you were. I'd say that was fairly odd, yeah?'
Sandi gaped as he turned his attention back to the wall, examining it with the sonic screwdriver.
'Unbelievable. You're just... unbelieveable!'
The Doctor gave Sandi a cheesy grin.
'Thank you! Now, enough chit chat. Its high time that we got back to the tardis. We got ourselves some hunting to do!'
---------
The gap is closed. The Doctor knows of our existance.
Also of the old alliance. He is now a threat to us.
And the child?
When the parts are reunited. She is on her way now.
Prepare for attack.
---------
The Doctor and Sandi stood at the wall for a while, examining every inch. The Doctor eventually put his sonic screwdriver away and took off his glasses. He heaved a sigh of puzzlement. Sandi peered at him.
'Well? What springs forth from the master mind?'
'Well, as far as I can tell, the Face of Boe was using up tremendous amounts of telepathic power to keep open a tiny gap in the vagueries of space and time. Probably what eventually killed him. That little chamber of his was his own creation. The altar was meant to draw my attention in and he knew that you would most likely follow me rather than moseying around on your own.'
Sandi gave a quick laugh.
'I'm not stupid. There's probably a billion things on this planet ready and willing to kill me. Thanks, but I'll be sticking with a bodyguard,' Sandi retorted. The Doctor looked over, gave a low laugh and grinned.
'That's what I like about you. You follow rule one.'
'What's that?'
'Don't wander off on a strange planet. Better still, don't wander off at all, full stop.'
'Are you implying that I don't have a sense of adventure?'
'Well,' the Doctor said uncomfortably, ruffling his hair. Sandi's mouth dropped open and she stuck her hands on her hips indignantly.
'You think I'm no fun!'
'Now, I didn't say that.'
'No, but you were thinking it!'
'I was not!'
'Bet you five quid that Rose was more fun than me,' Sandi said sulkily. The Doctor's dark eyes flashed dangerously.
'Don't you dare speak about Rose that way. You never knew her. She was the bravest, most selfless human I...'
'Ever loved?'
'STOP IT! I'm warning you, Sandi Jenkinson, I'm not the type of man to be messed with!'
'And I'm telling you, Time Lord, that if you don't start showing me a bit more respect, you can go get lost with that Tardis of yours and I don't give a flying rats if I am stuck on a strange planet several thousand years in the future or past or light years from home. I'm sick and tired of having to live up to Rose's standard! I AM NOT ROSE TYLER!'
With that, Sandi turned on her heels and stormed from the room. The Doctor started after her, but strangely, all the energy drained from his joints. He slumped to the floor, his head in his hands. That's when the grief fully registered and the tears fell in torrents. The howling sobs wracking his very core, tearing at his hearts. The pain was too much too soon, every amplified emotion feeling like it would be his last. All the craziness surrounding Sandi's rescue from Earth, the arrival on New Earth, the news that he wasn't alone...
Alone. He had always been so very alone. The last of the Time Lords. Now he had company. A young, female Time Lord that matched his wit and cunning blow for blow. But she wasn't. Sandi, his Sandi was human. It was what was inside her that was Time Lord. Or was it? He didn't know. The rest of the answers were on board The Utopia. The Doctor brushed the tears away angrily, feeling tired. Rose. The fact that Sandi was so much like her had made him angry. She was smarter than Rose in a lot of ways, but her mannerisms, her presence... it was like having Rose back. When she did something, anything different to what Rose would have done, it made him angry. Like his new toy had stop doing what it had been bought for.
She isn't Rose, came the little voice inside his head again. The Doctor rumpled his hair. He knew that. He knew it. But he hadn't come to grips with it yet, hadn't dealt with his grief...
'I know.'
The Doctor's head shot up. Sandi was leaning against the wall in the narrow hall.
'Know what?' The Doctor asked shakily. Sandi tapped her temple knowingly.
'You haven't dealt with your grief. It must have been tough.'
'I don't want to talk about it.'
'I know you don't. But we can't go on yelling at each other every time that I act differently to what Rose would have or you tell me something that I really don't want to hear. I just have to deal with the fact that there may just be the soul of a Time Lord sharing my body. You, Doctor, you have to deal with the fact that I'm not Rose. I never will be. I might be like her a little, but I'll always be me. Crazy Sandi from Eversleigh Street. Even if I am part Time Lord.'
The Doctor stared at her for a moment. For a instant, it appeared that she glowed faintly, like she was lit behind by a soft golden light. Then it was gone. The Doctor's mouth opened slightly. Sandi frowned.
'What's wrong?'
'You just... I think... I'm going mad.'
Sandi snorted.
'I coulda told you that.'
'Hey, enough of that! But... I think we might be just a little bit closer to finding out the truth behind all this,' the Doctor said, leaping to his feet and striding swiftly past her. Sandi ran to catch up.
'I thought we found out everything we needed to know from that big face thing?'
'Not quite. He told us where to look. Bit like a signpost, really.'
'A signpost?' Sandi asked bemusedly as she scrambled into the lift with the Doctor as he punched in the ground floor. The Doctor nodded, looking happier by the minute.
'Like directions on an interstellar highway... aw, brilliant! The Face of Boe knew exactly where to reach us and when, so he situated himself in a tiny pocket of void space. It would have been easier to gain access to the Tardis in the time vortex that way.'
'So, what's our next move? Pawn to E3?' Sandi asked dryly as the elevator slid to a halt. The doors slipped open with a hiss and the Doctor stepped out into the familiar corridor. The Doctor scratched his head.
'Well, I would think that our best bet is to head back to the Tardis and try and find this Utopia ship, eh? As far as we know, there are five other time lords still on board.'
'But, the Face of Boe said that they were dead!'
The Doctor grinned at her as they took the stairs two at a time.
'Ah, but you see, Time Lords have this little party trick. Sort of... a way of cheating death. Loads of fun. You never know what you're going to wake up as!'
'WHAT?!?'
The Doctor laughed and held out a hand to help her down the last few stairs. The receptionist who had met them earlier raised an eyebrow as they hurried past.
'Was everything to your satisfaction? Sir?'
The Doctor grinned wildly as he skidded out of the sliding doors.
'Yes, thanks, can't stop, must be going, take care now, see you again soon!' The Time Lord shouted over his shoulder as he charged up over the bank that led down to the building, Sandi waving cheerily as her as the pair broke into a run.
'What's this... little trick?' Sandi puffed as she jogged alongside the Doctor. The Doctor laughed, skipped and started running backwards so he could face her.
'It's called regeneration. Every time we "die", every cell in a Time Lord's body regenerates itself. Only, when it does, we often end up looking totally different.'
'So, how many times have you done it?'
'Oh, about nine,' the Doctor grinned, his boyish face lighting up. Sandi's mouth dropped open.
'So, you've got to be about...'
'Nine hundred, give or take a few years.'
'Sheesh, you look good.'
'Course I do. I moisturise,' the Doctor beamed, before slamming with full force into the doors of the Tardis. He promptly dropped to the ground, slightly dizzy. Sandi cracked up laughing as he fumbled for the key.
'Sure, go on, laugh at me,' he grumbled, reaching up to the lock. Sandi shifted her weight on her feet. The Doctor looked at her. He sighed and stood up.
'What's wrong now?'
'How many times can you do it?'
'Do what? Run backwards into the Tardis' doors? I'd like to stop at one, thanks.'
'No! Regenerate. I mean, you must have a limit.'
The Doctor opened the doors to the Tardis. His smile weakened.
'Yeah. Thirteen. I have around three lifetimes left, then I get to rest,' he said softly, a wistful look passing over his face. Sandi gently touched the back of his left shoulder. The Doctor's head dropped loosely to his chest. The young woman rubbed his back. The Doctor reached over and caught her hand. For a moment, the pair stood in silence, just holding each other's hand. Behind the Doctor's back, Sandi glowed, brighter this time.
'You know what it is to be alone,' the Doctor whispered. Sandi smiled sadly.
'I do.'
'That's why we have to find the ship. It has answers for both of us.'
The glow faded away and Sandi let her hand slide down into the Doctor's. She smiled at him.
'Then let's get going. We have a ship to find!'
---------
All forces in positions. We are ready for the Doctor's arrival.
Kill the elder, but the child must be salvaged. Her body must be safe.
Her power... is it all that has been said?
She would not have survived so long without it.
---------