We're at Segment 12 and we finally reach the goal of this whole story.

Chapter 11: Arriving at the Infinite

The blizzard was starting to die down over Volag-Noc and the snow was settling over the plains. Squawk landed by a half-buried body in the snow and started pecking at its cheek.

Then suddenly the Doctor gave a loud groan and sat up, shaking snow off his coat and throwing Squawk off his face. "Martha? Martha, where are you?"

Then a horrible thought crossed his mind and he turned round to where he'd left his TARDIS… only to find that it was gone. "Oh no… NO!"

He leapt to his feet and ran over to the spot where his ship had been. "Martha? Martha?" He looked all around him and then up into the heavens. "MARTHA!"

Far far away, in the depths of space, the TARDIS spun on towards its destination. Inside, Martha sat on the passenger seat, feeling more helpless than she'd ever been. She couldn't have done anything but watch as Baltazar shot the Doctor with a stunning laser then thrown him out of the TARDIS before sending the ship off towards the Infinite.

Now she watched as Baltazar rubbed his hand on the central console, watching the pulsing time rotor with greedy eyes hidden behind his mask. "Soon," he purred. "It will all be mine."

"Don't get too comfortable," Martha growled. "The Doctor will come for me."

Baltazar gave a wicked chuckle at this. "Always have your glass half-full, don't you?"

Martha's eyes narrowed. "He'll. Be. Back!"

"No. He. Won't," Baltazar countered. "Your friend is now a thousand light-years away, alone in the cold. So just face the facts, my dear. You won't be seeing the Doctor again for a while, at least not before I get my heart's desire anyway."

At that moment, the TARDIS landed with a mighty thump and Baltazar looked at the screen. "Ah, looks like we're here. Come along." He grabbed Martha by the arm and pulled her towards the door.

"Wait!" Martha cried, struggling to pull away. "We're out in the depths of space! If we go outside, we'll suffocate!"

"Well, you might," Baltazar retorted. "As long as I have this mask, I can survive in areas without oxygen. How do you think I make it through all those trips riding on Caw's back? Besides, the TARDIS's environmental scanner tells me that the Infinite has a protective, high-gravity force-field surrounding it, even after thousands of years. You'll live."

With that, he pushed the doors open and they stepped out onto the asteroid's surface. Martha took a moment to glance around her. The depths of the cosmos stretched out around her as far as the eye could see. Asteroids floated around them like glowing clouds. Then she turned and gasped as she saw the massive ship before her, jammed right into the asteroid itself, rusted and corroded with years of being forgotten. "She's huge!"

"The wreck of the Infinite, at last…" Baltazar stepped closer to the shipwreck, dragging Martha along with him. "She was smashed to bits centuries back. Flotsam and jetsam spread out over half the galaxy."

"Tell me, Baltazar," Martha asked, wincing at the pirate's tight grip. "How did you come across your data-chip?"

"It was among the collection of loot I'd come across when I first built my ship, the one that you and the Doctor destroyed, by the way. Don't think I've forgotten that!" Baltazar's robotic eyes narrowed at her for a moment. "Then when I was in Volag-Noc, I was quite amazed to discover that Kaliko, Mergrass and Gurney had also come across pieces of the flight recorder."

"Ah, and they wouldn't share them with you?"

"Not even with each other." Baltazar then looked round. "Ah-ha, here's where we get in!"

Martha turned to see a huge gash in the side of the ship. As she drew closer, she saw by the light of a passing asteroid that the gash was roughly shaped like a cross. "I guess X marks the spot."

"Indeed." Baltazar then handed her a torch and pushed her towards the gash. "Now then, go in there and search for the treasure. When you find it, give me a shout and I'll come and claim my prize."

Martha could tell from his voice that he intended to kill her once he got what he wanted, but she didn't have any choice. She nodded. "All right."

Baltazar pointed inside. "In you go."

As Martha stepped inside, she switched on the torch and cast its beam around the rusty passageway. Looking around the chamber, she gave a sad sigh. "Oh Doctor, I'd give anything to see you again…"

"What was that?" Baltazar called out from the entrance.

"Nothing!" Martha called back.

"Thought so. Now, you're looking for the hold. That's where the treasure would be."

"The hold? But wouldn't that be-" Suddenly the floor gave way beneath her feet and she fell with a cry into the shadows.

"Down." Baltazar nodded curtly. "Yep."

After falling for what felt like forever, Martha landed with a painful thud on some wooden crates. With a groan, she got up and found herself in pitch darkness. She fumbled around for the torch, but it had shattered from the impact.

With a sigh, she gave herself a quick medical check-out. "Diagnosis: no bones broken. Well, that's something."

Carefully she got to her feet and set off through the darkness, feeling her way blindly along the wall. As an asteroid flew past the windows, she caught a glimpse of something moving ahead of her. "Hello?"

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the doorway before her and Martha jumped in fright. "Hello?"

"Hello," a hushed whisper replied.

Then the figure stepped forward into the light and Martha gasped as she saw its messy brown hair, its cheeky grin and those cheery brown eyes. "Doctor!" she cried, running up to him. "I knew it! I knew you'd be back for me!" Then she stopped and frowned. "Wait a minute, how…?"

"Shhh," the Doctor hissed, putting a finger to his lips. Then he came closer and grabbed Martha in a big hug.

Up above, Baltazar began to get worried. It had been ten minutes since Martha had fallen into the hold but she hadn't given any sign that she had found the treasure.

"Girl?" he called out into the ship. "Girly?" He slowly stepped closer to the hole. "Martha?"

"Watch out below!"

"What?" Baltazar whirled round to see a giant bronze bird swooping out from the asteroids towards him. And clinging on to its back, an oxygen mask all but covering his whole face, was the Doctor!

"Ahoy there, Baltazar!" the Doctor called out. "Have you met Squawk?"

Baltazar's eyes widened. "Squawk?"

"Yep, that's me," the big bird replied. "I'm all grown up now. Squawk!"

With that, the bird soared around the asteroid, looking for a spot to land. Baltazar watched his clumsy attempts, laughing to himself.

"Steady now," the Doctor called out. "We haven't got the hang of this landing yet!"

"Hold tight!" Squawk stretched out his feet and stumbled awkwardly across the rocky surface. Quickly he raised his toes and skidded to a sudden halt, throwing the Doctor over his head and sending him sprawling onto the asteroid.

"Doctor!" Squawk cried, moving towards him.

Baltazar beat the bird to it, and he rolled the Doctor over with his foot. "Out for the count, I'm afraid, Squawk." He turned to the bird and shook his finger. "I really thought I could rely on you, at least."

"Doctor told Squawk everything about you," the robotic bird rasped, his eyes narrowing in anger. "He said you were a bad influence, like you were with me dad."

"That may be true," Baltazar admitted. "But it was for a noble cause. For now, I have exactly what you need. Gold! Lots and lots of lovely glittering gold, enough to keep you fed for years!"

Squawk's beak dropped in amazement. "Gold?"

"Oi!" a voice cried out.

Baltazar turned at this, and was hit right in the face by an oxygen mask, slumping to the ground.

Squawk looked up in surprise. "Doctor, you're alright!"

"More or less," the Doctor replied, getting to his feet with a stern face. "And what do I keep telling you all this time? Don't listen to the villains!"

Squawk bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Doctor."

"Don't worry about it. Just make sure he doesn't get away."

Just then Baltazar sat up with a groan. "Ow… that hurt!"

"You think so?" The Doctor scowled, all joviality gone from his voice. "I don't think I tried hard enough."

Suddenly Baltazar felt very afraid of this being standing over him and he tried to crawl away but Squawk stamped his foot onto his legs, pinning him down. Then the Doctor knelt down, grabbed his jumper and pulled him close. "Now then, where is she? Where's Martha Jones?"

Down in the hold, Martha felt a great comfort in the Doctor's embrace, but something was still troubling her. "Listen, I'm glad you're here and all, but what about the treasure?"

The Doctor looked down at her with his kind eyes. "You've found it, haven't you? Your heart's desire…"

Suddenly, Martha recalled her last thought before she fell. I'd give anything to see you again… "Of course," she breathed, pulling out of the Doctor's grip. "You're not really the Doctor, are you?" She chuckled at her mistake. "My heart's desire indeed."

"Yes, indeed." At that moment, something changed about the Doctor. His body began to spark and flash, and his eyes faded into glowing lights of malevolence. When he spoke, his voice shifted into a sinister cadence. "You've been hunting your heart's desire for a long time… and now, you have it!"

"No!" Martha gasped in horror and tried to run, but the fake Doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her back as he opened his mouth, the blue light flashing out and making him look like a glowing blue jack-o-lantern.

"Noooo!" Martha screamed, trying to pull away. But something about this figure was draining her strength and she fell to her knees as he started to lean over her…