CHAPTER 8
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WILL THE MASTER RETURN?
"You mean you actually want to continue being an English teacher, Clara? Why? You're a Time Lord with all of the secrets of time and space at your fingertips. Why waste all of that on a bunch of ungrateful young humans who'd just as soon put a whoopie cushion on your chair as look at you?" The Doctor said with a snort of derision as he had a conversation with Clara about her future while they traveled through the Vortex in the TARDIS.
"I think you're confusing my students with yourself, Doctor," Clara said with a mischievous grin.
"What do you mean? Did he actually do something like that back when you were young?" Lucy asked with great interest.
The Doctor cleared his throat loudly which Clara knew was a sign to her to keep quiet. Too bad for him that she really didn't care what he wanted.
"Oh, yeah. He was constantly pulling pranks on our teachers at the Academy. I remember one time that he rigged one of our mentor Borusa's chemistry experiments to explode as soon as he started it. The poor man had to wait until his next regeneration to have hair again," Clara said with a chuckle.
Osgood and Lucy both started laughing instantly as the Doctor silently glared at Clara. Clara just winked at him and smiled which only made the Old Man even angrier.
"Why did he do that to him? Just to get a laugh?" Osgood asked.
"Most of the time he did it because he just enjoyed cutting those stuffy pompous old teachers of ours down to size. That time it was personal though. Borusa had just caught the Doctor daydreaming in the middle of one of his lectures and embarrassed him in front of the whole class because of it. Not that I can really blame the Doctor for it. Old Borusa's lectures always were pretty boring," Clara admitted.
"I love it. The Doctor was a merry little prankster as a boy," Lucy said laughing.
"It kind of makes him seem more human somehow," Osgood said with a warm smile.
"Well, there's no need for insults," The Doctor said with a frown.
"You don't have to be so offended, Doctor. Some of those pranks of yours were legendary. I still remember the time that you sabotaged a teacher's time experiment so badly that he was turned back into a child again. They never could change him back. He wound up back in our class again later on as I remember . . . as a student," Clara said with a giggle.
"Yes, well that one went a little too far. I didn't intend for the effect to be permanent," The Doctor admitted with a sigh.
"I think that would be more than a little bit horrible actually. I'd really hate to be a child again," Lucy admitted.
"Yes, my childhood was bad enough the first time around," Osgood agreed.
"It all worked out for the best in the end though. He actually wound up meeting his future wife in our class when he had never so much as even had a girlfriend before because he was so devoted to his studies. They never would have gotten together if he hadn't been forced to relive his life again would they?" Clara said with a warm smile.
"Don't act so innocent, Clara. I seem to remember you being right there at my side helping me with some of those pranks. In fact, you even came up with some ideas on how to improve them," The Doctor said.
"That sounds like her alright," Lucy said making Clara blush in embarrassment.
"Don't be embarrassed, Clara. This story only makes me love you both even more. I hate to admit it but I used to pull a few pranks myself in school," Osgood said as she gave Clara a reassuring smile.
"You? Really? You don't seem the type. You're much too shy," Clara said in surprise.
"I did it to get the other kids to like me. The only thing was that I was too afraid to ever take credit for what I did. I just couldn't do it no matter how hard they all laughed," Osgood admitted.
"Now that sounds more like you. That kind of defeated the purpose if you didn't say anything, didn't it?" Clara asked in amusement.
"I was too afraid of getting in trouble. I wasn't my parents' favorite like my sister was after all," Osgood said.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better I appreciate you now and so do Lucy and the Doctor. So please don't pull any pranks on us, Inhaler Girl. Okay?" Clara said with a grin.
"It's a deal," Osgood promised.
"At least none of my pranks ever wound up seriously hurting anyone. The Rani however . . ." The Doctor said with a disturbed look on his face.
"Yeah, I still remember her making those lab mice of hers so big that they ate the President's cat. They probably would have ate him too if it hadn't been for the Chancellery Guards. You know I actually used to think that was funny once. I guess I really have changed," Clara said.
"How did this conversation suddenly switch to her?" Lucy said with a frown.
"Yes, we were having a lot of fun until your brought her up, Doctor," Osgood said.
"That's the Doctor in this incarnation in a nutshell, Osgood. He's the fun killer," Clara said.
The Doctor glared at her as he said, "I wasn't intending on ruining anyone's day, Clara. It's just that I keep thinking about her more and more lately. I'm convinced that she's the one who took control of the planet where our thoughts were brought to life. She was trying to corrupt you so that you would come back to her."
Clara looked at him with surprise and concern as she said, "I certainly hope not. That means that I'll never be able to go back to my old life on Earth again if that's true. You know how she is, Doctor. She'll never leave me alone until she gets what she wants. The kids would all be in constant danger from her."
"That's why I was trying to get you to reconsider going back to teaching," The Doctor admitted.
Clara began to become angry as she said, "Well, I won't let her do this to me. I love teaching and I love my life on Earth. I won't let her take all of that away from me."
The Doctor actually smiled for a brief moment as he said, "Now that's the Clara Oswald that I know."
"That's right, Stick Man. I am. Now if I can just convince the Rani of that we'll be in business," Clara said.
"How are we going to do that? We don't exactly know where to find her do we?" Osgood asked in a tone that clearly said that she didn't want to find her.
"You don't have to worry about that, Osgood. If I'm right, and I usually am, about the Rani being after Clara then she'll find us," The Doctor said.
"That makes me feel so much better, Doctor," Osgood said with a worried look.
"Good. I'm glad that I could help," The Doctor said completely missing her tone.
Clara rolled her eyes at the Doctor as she said to Osgood, "Don't worry, Inhaler Girl. I won't let her bother you. I doubt she'll be too worried about you this time anyway. She'll be too focused on corrupting me instead."
"That's what I'm worried about," Osgood said while Lucy nodded beside her.
"We both are," Lucy admitted.
"You don't have to be, Luce. I'm never going to be that person again. I can promise you that," Clara said with no hesitation or sense of fear whatsoever.
Lucy had noticed that ever since the Deltan Bracelet had identified her as Clara Oswald that Clara's self-confidence and sense of identity had become completely unshakeable. She seemed to finally have no doubts about herself at all anymore.
She would really hate for the Rani to come along and ruin all of that.
"So do you still want me to take you to work today, Clara, now that you know what danger the Rani may pose to the humans there?" The Doctor asked.
Clara briefly thought it over for a moment and then she finally said, "Yes, I do."
"What?" The Doctor said in surprise.
"Don't you see, Skinny? I need to go there to protect them from her if she does show. Do you really think that an ordinary substitute is going to stand a chance against Ushas? I don't think so. That's why I have to go," Clara said.
"I hate to say it but she has a point, Doctor," Lucy said.
The Doctor nodded as he said, "I thought that might be your reaction, Clara. That's why I agreed to go back undercover again at your school."
"As the caretaker again? It'll never work. They've already gotten another one. Plus they'd never hire you back because you were completely awful at it in the first place. I bet they still haven't gotten those pipes fixed in the bathroom that you 'repaired' yet," Clara said.
"How was I supposed to know that using the sonic on them to unclog them would cause them to crack? They must have been made of substandard material in the first place," The Doctor protested.
"Yeah, because it could never be your fault, could it?" Clara said with a teasing smile.
The Doctor looked at her with a defiant gaze as he said, "I never make mistakes. Well, hardly ever anyway. That's all beside the point anyway because I'm not going to be the caretaker again. I've gotten a completely different job this time around."
"I almost hate to ask but what kind of job?" Clara said.
"For once I'm going to be your boss, Clara. You're looking at the new temporary headmaster of Coal Hill School. I'll be taking over while the old one is away on that two week vacation to the Caribbean that he suddenly won," The Doctor said with his hands on his lapels in a proud pose.
"You're going to be the headmaster?" Clara said skeptically.
"I was Lord President of Gallifrey once as you'll remember. Compared to that running a school for two weeks will be relatively easy for a man of my vast intellect," The Doctor boasted.
"But how did you ever get hired again if you've already worked there before, Doctor?" Osgood asked curiously.
"I have an old friend in high places there. He used to be a companion of mine too," The Doctor said as he thought of Ian Chesterton with a small smile.
"They'll all recognize you though from before. Won't there be questions?" Osgood asked.
The Doctor now pulled a wig, a fake beard, and some glasses out of his coat pocket as he said, "That's why I'm going in disguise under a false identity that the TARDIS helped create for me. I'll be a retired military officer who's gone into the field of education named Colonel Thascalos."
Clara scrunched up her nose and frowned as she said, "Oh, very funny."
"Why? What does it mean?" Lucy asked.
"It used to be one of my old aliases. It's Greek for Master," Clara said.
"Let's hope that Kate doesn't know Greek then or she might get a bit suspicious if she hears about a military man with that name suddenly appearing at Clara's school," Osgood said.
"I thought it was appropriate given the situation. Maybe it will show the Rani that we're onto her and cause her to think twice about bothering Clara at work," The Doctor said with a completely serious look on his face.
"I doubt it, Doctor, but it's a nice thought anyway," Clara said with a warm smile as she gave him a brief hug of appreciation.
The TARDIS finally landed now and Clara stepped out of it to see that they were in the Headmaster's office. The Doctor really had anticipated her answer she realized with a pleased look on her face.
"I see that you already knew that you weren't about to talk me out of this, Doctor. Good. That means you're finally learning then," Clara said with a smirk.
"I've learned just how hard headed you are in this incarnation, yes," The Doctor said as he emerged from the TARDIS wearing his disguise.
Clara tried unsuccessfully to repress a sudden bout of laughter that overtook her the moment that she saw him as she said, "You look completely ridiculous."
"What's wrong with how I look?" The Doctor asked in confusion as he studied himself in a mirror.
"It's the wig, Doctor. You choose the wrong one. That's the kind of great big poofy hair that they had in the 80s. With that wig and mustache on along with that magician's outfit of yours you look like a washed up pop star," Clara said with a giggle.
"Oh, shut up," The Doctor said with a frown.
That was when Courtney Woods suddenly walked into the office. She looked at the Doctor with a huge smile on her face which made the Doctor's frown deepen even more.
"Don't you dare say anything or I'll give you detention for a year," The Doctor threatened.
"I think my mother might have an old poster of you in her closet. Didn't you use to be in a hair band once?" Courtney couldn't resist saying.
"If I had hair like yours, I wouldn't say anything to anyone," The Doctor said in protest.
"Doctor," Clara said as she gave him a dirty look.
"It's okay, Miss Oswald. With him wearing that wig around here, I'll still get the last laugh anyway," Courtney said with a chuckle.
"What exactly did you come in here for?" The Doctor asked in an irritated tone.
"I was sent here to see you because I was being a disruptive influence again," Courtney said.
"Already? School hasn't even started yet," Clara said in disbelief.
"It's not my fault. This new teacher already has it in for me," Courtney said in a nonchalant manner.
"New teacher? What new teacher?" Clara asked as she exchanged a worried look with the Doctor.
"I don't know much about her except that I already don't like her. She's kind of scary looking and always has a huge smile on her face all the time like she's in on a huge joke that no one else knows about or something. She's the new substitute Biology Teacher who took over after the old one suddenly called in sick. I didn't even know anything was wrong with him. He seemed alright yesterday," Courtney said.
"What's her name?" Clara asked as she became more concerned than ever by what Courtney was telling her.
"Miss Queen. I thought it was kind of appropriate since she certainly seems to think that she's better than the rest of us," Courtney said with a smirk.
"That's her. It has to be. The word Rani means Queen," Clara said.
"So she already anticipated what you would do and took a job here herself," Lucy realized with a sigh.
"The Rani always was a diabolical genius of the highest order plus she probably knows Clara better than anyone besides me. We did all go to the Academy together after all," The Doctor said.
"You went to school with those two? You look really good for your age then," Courtney said with a surprised look on her face.
"Of course I didn't. The Doctor was just joking. Weren't you, Doctor?" Clara said through gritted teeth as she gave the Doctor an elbow to the ribs.
"Oh, yes. Yes, of course. Sometimes I forget that Clara is far younger than she looks," The Doctor said.
Clara gave him a look of death as she said, "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome," The Doctor said with no trace of humor on his features whatsoever.
"Shouldn't we be trying to find this woman then to see whether she's really the Rani or not?" Lucy asked.
"I was just about to do that very thing when Clara bruised my ribs. There's no telling what she could already be up to. We have to stop her as quickly as possible," The Doctor agreed as he started to leave the office.
"Wait a minute. What about me?" Courtney said.
"What about you?" The Doctor asked with an uncomprehending look on his face.
"You're supposed to punish me, remember?" Courtney said.
"Oh, right. There is no punishment. Forget all about it. I think just being at this school is probably punishment enough already. Run along," The Doctor said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Courtney smiled as she said, "Do you think you might stay on for good? I could really grow to like being here with you on the job. See you later."
As Courtney quickly left before the Doctor could change his mind, Clara smiled at him and said, "You old softy. Admit it. You like her."
"I just wanted her out of the way so that the Rani couldn't use her against us," The Doctor said in an unemotional voice.
"Right. I believe you, Doctor," Clara said in a clearly unconvinced voice.
"Actually he was right to think that, Koschei," The unmistakable voice of the Rani said behind them as they heard the door to the Headmaster's office quickly open and shut.
They all turned to look in horror now as the Rani stood there holding a staser to Courtney's head while she smiled malevolently at her. Courtney looked completely terrified as her eyes silently begged Clara for help.
"Ushas, let her go. She's only a kid," Clara said in an alarmed tone.
"Of course I will, Koschei. I'll gladly let her go if you agree to come with me and return to being who you really are once more," The Rani said.
"Ushas, I'm not that person anymore. I won't ever be again. I'm sorry but she's dead," Clara said in a compassionate tone.
"No, your true self is far from dead. I saw a glimpse of her back on that other world. I saw your true inner darkness and it was still very much alive and well. Don't try to deny it," The Rani said.
"I don't. That doesn't mean that I have to give into it though. I don't want to be that person anymore. That's why the old me is dead, Ushas. I killed her . . . forever," Clara said in a firm tone.
"No, I don't believe that. Maybe you can fool yourself but you can never fool me. I know that despite your recent conversion that you're still the same vicious psychopathic renegade that you always were. You proved that to me just the other day when your own thoughts betrayed you. Now come with me and drop all of this foolish talk about your being a schoolteacher named Clara Oswald. Let's show the universe who you truly are at last," The Rani said with a smile of anticipation.
"I'm sorry, Ushas, but Clara Oswald is who I really am. You're never going to get the Master back. Not now. So you see there's really no use in hurting this girl. It won't gain you anything," Clara said in calm, non-threatening voice as she slowly moved towards the Rani.
"Oh, but it did. It brought me within firing range of you," The Rani said as she began to smile from ear to ear with a malevolent grin.
"Clara, watch out!" Lucy warned as the Rani now turned her gun on Clara.
"I never intended to use this on the child. She was just the bait I used to draw you close enough to me so that I could use it on you," The Rani said.
"So you're going to kill me? Is that it? You can't have me back as I was again so I have to die?" Clara asked in disbelief.
"In a way. You see the beam from this gun will release your brain's deepest thoughts and emotions no matter how deeply that you've repressed them. It will finally show us all your true self at last once and for all. Say good bye, Clara," The Rani said.
Then she fired the gun at Clara at point blank range as Lucy screamed in terror.
An eerie ebony ray bathed Clara from head to toe for a brief moment and then it was gone in an instant. As soon as it vanished, Clara began to smile and started to laugh malevolently.
"No," Lucy said in an emotional tone as she recognized that laugh immediately.
The Rani began to laugh along with Clara now as she said, "I was right wasn't I? It's really you, isn't it? You're really back."
"What do you think?" Clara said as she suddenly pulled out her laser screwdriver and shot the Rani in the chest with it.
As the Rani fell lifelessly to the ground and Courtney looked on in horror, Clara's laughter continued to become louder and louder by the moment.
"Clara, snap out of it. You don't have to be this way anymore," The Doctor said in a commanding tone.
"No, my dear Doctor. It's too late now. Clara died just as soon as she was born it seems. I really should have thanked the Rani for that I suppose before I shot her. Oh, well," Clara said with an evil laugh.
"Clara, stop this," The Doctor said.
"No, not Clara, Old Man. Call me by my true name. I am your . . ." Clara started to say.
And then she screamed in agony as she shouted, "Noooo!"
For a brief moment that seemed to the others like an eternity, Clara seemed to be fighting an internal war within herself for control. Then she finally let out one last agonizing scream before she started smiling once more. This time it was the gentle smile of Clara Oswald not the malevolent one of the Master. The Doctor actually smiled with pride at his friend as he moved forward to congratulate her.
Then Clara suddenly fell over and hit the ground hard with a sickening thud.
"Clara!" Lucy screamed as Clara lay there unmoving.
"Is she . . . ?" Osgood said in a terrified voice.
"She can't be. She just can't be," Courtney said in tears as she began to realize just how much Clara meant to her for the first time.
The Doctor scanned Clara with his sonic screwdriver and then looked at the three of them sadly as he said in a voice filled with sorrow, "It was all too much for her. Her mind just couldn't take the stress of two vastly different psyches fighting for control. She's dead."
That was when they heard the Rani begin to wail uncontrollably as they looked to see that Clara had only stunned her after all. Now it seemed that the Rani wished that she had killed her as she looked as if her entire life had just been ripped apart.
"I never meant for this to happen. I just wanted her back," The Rani said in-between massive sobs.
Next: Is Clara really dead or can she still be saved somehow? Next time the Doctor and the Rani will join forces in a desperate attempt to find the answer to that question. Will they succeed?