Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.

A/N I AM SO VERY SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER IS LATE. I have no excuse apart from the fact that I was not completely happy with the way this chapter was looking. Sorry!

A lot of things happen in this chapter, so enjoy!

Happy Reading!

Chapter Seventeen

A familiar beeping drew Rose's attention away from her work, and it was with a smile that she put the bluetooth-like device on her ear. "Good morning, Narvin," she greeted.

"It is not morning," he said flatly.

Rose rolled her eyes, though he couldn't see it. "It is morning when I wake up and night when I sleep, Narvin," she said, having had this argument with him a hundred times.

"If you say so," he said. "Any progress?"

"Some," answered Rose. "Gonna give me an ETA for the archives on the telepathic chamber?"

"It will be delivered to you in a day, I expect," he said. "It is getting a little difficult to get in touch with my contacts since the siege is still holding strong."

"How long has it been?" asked Rose. "Five years? Six?"

"Nearly six years according to your measure of time, yes," said Narvin.

"Huh, has it been that long already?" asked Rose playfully, but the strain in her voice couldn't be mistaken. "Well, time flies and all that, I suppose."

"No, I do not suppose," said Narvin. "Rose, if you need help…"

"I'm fine," snapped Rose and then sighed. "I know you are worried, Narvin, but I am nearly there. It will work."

"You have been on your own for nearly six years, Rose," said Narvin. "Meanwhile the situation hasn't changed at all. We are at a stalemate on all ends."

Rose sighed again. "I know," she said in a tired voice. "I honestly didn't think it would take this long."

"Will you ever tell me what you are trying to achieve?" asked Narvin, a question he asked every time. "Perhaps I could be of some help."

"Don't try and play coy with me, Narvin," said Rose, rolling her eyes. "You must have figured it out a while ago. It's not exactly a mystery."

"No, but I was hoping you would tell me," said Narvin. "It is very dangerous what you're planning, Rose."

"Any less dangerous than what awaits all of us if I don't do this?" countered Rose.

"Debatable," said Narvin. "You realise that this isn't going to kill you, don't you? It would be an eternal life, Rose. A life full of agony that would never end."

"I have that already," said Rose, trying to sound playful. "At least my eternal pain would be of some use."

"It isn't a laughing matter, Rose," said Narvin, his voice rising. "This isn't like any other pain you have endured. Your mind will be split apart and they would feed on every one of your emotions, every memory of yours, from now until the end of time. You wouldn't die, wouldn't be able to make it stop. Ever."

"But they would gain a viable host and with it a way to fight the King and his Army. How is his ultimatum, by the way? Heard it all the way on Shada," said Rose, her voice casual as can be.

"If I had known you'd be attempting this madness, I would have never let you leave Gallifrey," said Narvin.

"Liar," said Rose, but not unkindly. "You might not have known before I left but you have been helping me all this time instead of dragging me back to Gallifrey or killing me. Whichever was quicker, I guess. Face it, Narvin, this is our best option."

"Don't I know it," said Narvin and sighed. "Using the Travesties against the Neverpeople. I can't say I hadn't considered it myself."

"But you needed a viable host. A being of vortex. And here I am just perfectly made for it," joked Rose weakly.

"You would be holding four Travesties in your mind, Rose," said Narvin. "No one is made for this."

"No," said Rose seriously. "I know you are worried, Narvin, but I have come this far. I can't turn back now."

"You could use a Time Lord for this," he said.

"A Time Lord would have to be infused with Artron radiation over the course of several years to achieve the same result," said Rose, remembering her research. "You can't just irradiate a random Time Lord and expect this to work. All that would do is severely mess them up and earn them a stint with the rest of these poor souls on Shada. So unless you know a Time Lord who has been imbibing themselves with Artron radiation, I am the best you've got."

Narvin was quiet for a moment. "I suppose you are right," he said. "I shall see about getting those archives to you."

"Thank you, Narvin," said Rose softly. "And…"

"He's fine," he said without needing her to ask.

"Still thinks I did a runner?" asked Rose ruefully.

"I doubt he ever thought that," said Narvin. "He did think that we had taken you and were conducting experiments on you. I think I nearly regenerated from the volume of his voice."

Rose felt her stomach clench painfully. "Sorry you had to go through that," she said.

"I could tell him the truth if you wished," he suggested delicately.

"No," said Rose fiercely. "You know what he's like. He'd never let me do this and I don't want to fight him too. You made me a promise, Narvin."

"Yes, I did," he said. "Goodbye then."

"Bye," said Rose and disconnected the link. With a sigh, she returned to her work. She hadn't been lying to Narvin when she'd said that she was almost ready. Any day now, the telepathic chamber would be ready for a transfer.

Her eyes drifted over to the orange cells where the Travesties were waiting patiently, having gained their proper consciousness a long time ago. All they needed now was a host.

The Lord General trudged back through the Capitol, the permanent scowl etched on his face sending everyone darting out of his way. The previously even-mannered Lord General was really living up to his reputation as the Oncoming Storm and as far as the rumour mills on Gallifrey went, it was because of the mysterious disappearance of the Lady Commander of Shada.

The general consensus was that she'd run away before the siege, though no one would ever suggest it anywhere in the vicinity of the Lord General lest they wanted to wear a new face. There were those who had analysed her DNA and thought that she had switched sides and joined the Travesties, or maybe even Zagreus himself. The War Council was entirely silent on the issue, and no one had dared approach the Lord General to ask for his opinion.

He had taken to supervising each and every aspect of the siege, even the most trivial of tasks. The only time he'd be down in the Capitol was when he was so exhausted that he'd regenerate if he didn't rest. It was rare to hear him speak, unless he was barking an order, and there had been rumours that he was lending his own life force to power the shields.

He had kept the quarters that had been given to him and the Lady Commander of Shada, though it was only his Type 40 that was kept inside there. No one commented on the odd arrangement, and when he walked through the Capitol and went inside those quarters, he left murmurs of foolish sentimentality in his wake.

The Lord General, for his part, didn't care anymore. Not about what was being said about him, or the fact that this was the thirty ninth time in nearly six years that he had almost regenerated. None of his previous bodies had been pushed to such a limit and he was only grateful for the fact that it was Gallifrey and the rest of the Time Lords' energy that was sustaining his near-suicidal attempts. If in the future there was no Gallifrey and the protection it afforded, he might regenerate from a sneeze.

He opened his TARDIS and brushed a hand over the console in comfort as he passed through the room and went straight to the only bed he had slept in for the past six years. Her scent was almost gone from it, but he still threw himself on top of it and inhaled deeply. The ache in his body receded and the spots behind his eyes quieted down enough for him to relax bonelessly on the bed.

It was ridiculous really, the power that a bed she had slept in briefly held over him. He would have been ashamed of it, had he cared. For now, all he cared about was the fact that for a few moments he could trick himself into thinking that she was still around. Enough for him to sleep and regain his strength. Then it would be back to being the Oncoming Storm and the Lord General and all the other things that he had once thought to be more important than the name he had chosen for himself. But here, in her bed, he was always him.

He was always the Doctor.

Rose looked around at her handiwork and sighed deeply. She had no doubt that a professional technician would have made it look better, but it didn't look too bad as far as things went. The project had been her entire life for nearly six years and she had put everything she had learned into it.

It looked rather like the operator's chairs she had seen on the Game Station the first time around when they had taken the moron Adam on his first trip. She would have to be lying down on it, but instead of opening a hole in her head, she would be putting on a helmet-like contraption made from wires on her head. The probes in the contraption which were retracted for now would pierce her skin and inject themselves into her brain at precisely the right places to open her mind up for the Travesties to make themselves at home.

The prospect was less than ideal, and Rose had checked the contraption itself for years and years, making sure that she didn't actually brain herself or pierce in the wrong place. Narvin hadn't been lying when he'd said it would hurt. The physical pain would recede after a certain point but the mental pain would be unthinkable, and to say that she was terrified would be an understatement. She was also well aware that the final stages would be difficult to finish on her own. Not only would she need someone to strap her down and operate the mechanism, they would also have to stay behind and make sure that her brain was strong enough to sustain being the controller of the Travesties.

Rose walked around the empty dome, trying to prolong the inevitable as long as possible. The once pristine white surfaces were greyed and charred in some places, usually the result of her exploding something. Rose wasn't a technical person at all and tinkering had firmly been in the Doctor's territory but she had lived without him for so long that she'd had to learn things on her own that were essential to her survival. She walked up to her quarters and systematically packed up her belongings. Her clothes had gone threadbare from use, but she found the sturdiest jumpsuit she could find and changed into it, packing the rest away.

She finally sat down on her freshly made bed, having run out of things to do, and entered the key to contact Narvin on their usual frequency. He answered almost immediately as he always did.

"Rose," he said, sounding surprised. "Is everything alright? We only spoke two days ago."

She didn't answer for a moment but then spoke in a voice that was barely trembling. "It's ready," she said.

There was silence on Narvin's end. "I'll be there soon," he said finally.

"You will?" asked Rose, surprised.

"Of course," he said. "I need to make sure it is functioning properly and it will help to have a second pair of hands in case of an emergency."

"Yeah, I was going to ask you anyway," said Rose and then shook her head. "How are you going to bypass the siege on Gallifrey and the shields on Shada?"

"Coordinator's privileges," he said, with a touch of arrogance. "Though you would have to allow me access to Shada from your end. I doubt the Travesties want to escape, now that they are so close to getting what they want."

"They are quite happy," nodded Rose as she walked downstairs. "How soon can you get here?"

"Quite soon," said Narvin and then disconnected the link.

Rose shook her head, used to his abrupt manners, and went over to the mainframe to monitor Narvin's arrival. She would have very much liked to say goodbye to the Doctor or even see him one last time, but it wouldn't be possible. The Doctor would never let her go through with it, and she knew that it was very likely that he would volunteer himself in her place. She couldn't let that happen, not when it was vital that the Doctor should survive this war even if she couldn't.

She heard the light beeping from the mainframe and she lifted the shields from Shada, praying that the Travesties stayed put. As she had predicted, they stayed in their cells and Rose turned around when she heard the materialisation sound of a Time Ring and saw Narvin appearing inside the dome. He looked the same as ever, though Rose thought there were a few more grey hairs on his head. His face still held the same, neutral look which didn't change when he saw Rose.

"Hello, Narvin," said Rose, offering him a small smile in welcome.

"Rose," he nodded. "Show me?"

Rose nodded towards the chair. "You'll have to strap me down on that," she said, pointing to the clamps on the chair. "Make sure I don't struggle too much. And this is the most important thing of all," she added, holding up the contraption that would go on her head.

"May I?" asked Narvin, his eyes glittering as he looked at the contraption.

Rose handed it to him and waited patiently while he examined it externally first, and then checked the circuits and wires on it meticulously. Once he was done, he set it back down and nodded at Rose. "Seems to be in order," he said.

"Glad to hear it," said Rose. "I guess, there's nothing else but to get this over wi…" she trailed off when Narvin drew out a blaster from his robes and pointed it at her. "What are you doing?" she asked warily.

"You will not be the host for the Travesties, Rose," said Narvin. "I will do it."

"What?" asked Rose in disbelief. "Narvin, don't be ridiculous."

"I am not being ridiculous," said Narvin calmly. "We both know what it means to be the host and the prospect isn't pleasant."

"So why exactly do you want to do it?" demanded Rose incredulously. "And even if you wanted to, you couldn't. You won't be able to sustain it."

"Actually I would sustain it better than you would," said Narvin.

Rose stared at him aghast. "Narvin," she said slowly. "What have you done?"

"Nothing too drastic, I assure you," he said wryly. "I have been slowly imbuing myself with Artron radiation ever since I figured out what you were planning. The Travesties were always meant to have a Time Lord host, not a human one, however much your physiology has changed."

"It would be suicide, Narvin," said Rose, realising that Narvin had made up his mind quite well. "I am disposable, the Coordinator is not."

"Actually, a new Coordinator can take my place within hours," said Narvin. "You, on the other hand, are a bit difficult to replace. And either way, you would be a lot more useful alive and functioning than becoming a host for the Travesties."

Rose's brow furrowed at the strange way he said it. "How so?" she asked.

"Because it isn't just the Travesties I would be controlling," he said. "Those Time Lords with excess Artron energy in their systems would make excellent footsoldiers for the Travesties. The Horde, so to speak, will be easy to control once I become the host. They will march against the Neverpeople and the Daleks." He trailed off and let the implications sink in. "Such power is dangerous if it isn't monitored and controlled. No one knows this better than you do, Rose. You built this and you have worked on this for the past six years. You need to make sure that things don't go too far, Lady Commander."

Rose stared at him in silence. "The Horde of Travesties, that's what you'll be leading then?" she asked finally. "And spend the rest of your existence in agony, only to be killed by my hand if you go too far?"

Narvin gave a tired smile. "Basically put, yes," he nodded and then put the blaster away. "Rose, you know this is the best way to do this."

Rose chuckled bitterly and shook her head. "When did you figure out what I was doing?" she asked.

"A few weeks after you left Gallifrey," he answered. "You are smart, but you are no match for a Time Lord, least of all me."

"Yeah, I am getting that," said Rose, sitting down on top of the conference table. "You've planned this all along, knowing that you would be sacrificing yourself the moment that it was ready."

"Yes," he answered, without a hint of guilt.

"You could have told me," she pointed out.

"Would you have agreed to it if I had?" he asked.

"Maybe," said Rose.

Narvin shook his head. "I couldn't take the chance," he said.

"Then why not have another Time Lord build this for you? Or even build it yourself?" asked Rose.

"You know about the Travesties better than any Time Lord I could pick out and I could hardly leave Gallifrey for so long without arousing suspicion," said Narvin, like it was obvious. "Besides, you figured out the way before I did. I only caught on because I was helping you get the supplies."

Rose fell silent and nodded slowly. "So, now what? I just return to Gallifrey?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I will need your help in making sure that the process goes smoothly and then you must go back to Gallifrey. We know Zagreus has set his base on Pazithi Gallifreya. Tell Madam President Romana to send Zagreus an ultimatum. Either he and his Neverpeople choose to return to the Anti Time universe of their own accord or I send the Horde of Travesties after them."

"I don't think he'll go for that," said Rose, having heard the ultimatums that Zagreus had been sending out which ranged from demands to surrender control of the Eye of Harmony to lowering of the transduction barrier.

"Then he will die along with the rest of the Neverpeople," said Narvin with a glint in his eye. "If there is to be a battle, you must be on the frontlines, Rose. You have to make sure that my control does not slip and that I do not harm fellow Time Lords. You have to give me your word that you will intervene, should that happen."

"Narvin," said Rose, shaking her head slightly.

"Your word, Rose," he insisted.

She looked at him piercingly and then nodded. "You have my word," she said.

"Good," he said, satisfied. "Now, let's get started here." He emptied out his pockets and set the contents on the conference table. "Time Ring to take you back," he added as he put the device down next to the blaster he had pointed at Rose. When he saw Rose's gaze linger on the blaster, he rolled his eyes. "It does not function."

"You had to make me listen," said Rose flatly and he nodded as he lay down on the chair.

"Do me a favour, and don't waste your time with emotional goodbyes," he said as Rose jumped off the table and started strapping him in.

"Figures you wouldn't like emotional things," said Rose, trying to keep her tone as light as possible. "What else don't you like? Music? Art? Fun?"

Narvin snorted. "You'd be surprised," he said, when she finished strapping him in and picked up the contraption.

"Thank you, Narvin," she said sincerely.

His stern face softened momentarily and he nodded as much as he could with him being strapped down. "Remember what you promised me," he said, holding her gaze steadily.

"Yeah," said Rose softly. "Good luck, Narvin."

"Nothing to do with luck," he said, and Rose lowered the contraption onto his head.

It activated instantly, the probes branching out quickly and positioning themselves over Narvin's skull. Rose checked the scanner to verify that they were indeed the right places to pierce, and realised that they were positioned perfectly. Her finger hovered over the button which would begin the process.

"Do it," came Narvin's insistent voice. "Rose, do it."

She closed her eyes briefly, before snapping them open and pushing the button down. A loud scream tore through the air and Rose forced herself to look at Narvin as the probes entered his skull none too gently. Her hands were shaking as she checked the scanners once again, doing her best not to react to the whimpers of pain that fell from Narvin's mouth. She knew that the pain was only about to get worse.

She pressed the second switch which dug the probes firmly into Narvin's mind and cracked the telepathic receptors wide open. The whimpers turned into screams, but Rose kept going, knowing that the final step would stop the physical pain for him. The Travesties rejoiced as all the cells on Shada were thrown open by Rose, leaving all the Travesties and the Horde free. She felt their telepathic energy thrum in the air as they sought to find their host.

Narvin was no longer screaming, nor did he look to be in pain any more. But Rose could see his telepathic receptors firing energy rapidly on the scanner, and she knew he had to be in agony as the Travesties made themselves at home in his mind. The transfer was almost complete and Rose could do nothing but keep her eye on the scanner, making sure that the mental strain wasn't putting a physical toll on Narvin. At least, not enough that he would regenerate.

Finally, after what seemed like years but had only been two or so hours, the scanners abruptly went quiet. The probes withdrew themselves from Narvin's head, the puncture wounds healing themselves quickly as they did. Narvin's eyes opened but it was no longer the Narvin she had known, or even Coordinator Narvin that everyone was familiar with.

He was now the Host who controlled the Horde of Travesties.

The Lord General's sleep was disturbed by the telepathic call from the Madam President to all the members of the War Council. Emergency telepathic calls were rare, and it was the shock of it more than anything that roused him from his deep slumber. He got out of bed and put his uniform back on, having shed it just before he had fallen asleep.

Gulping down a glass of water and running a hand through his hair, he left his TARDIS and found a young Lieutenant waiting for him outside the quarters.

"My lord," greeted the Lieutenant whose name he couldn't remember for the life of him.

"Well?" he asked shortly.

Her eyes went wide at his abrupt tone. "The Madam President has requested your presence at once, my lord," she said, stammering a little.

"Yes, I realise that," he snapped. "Do you know what it's for?" he asked as the two of them nearly jogged all the way to the War Council's chambers.

"N-no, my lord," stammered the Lieutenant. "Just that it was urgent."

"Fine," he said, having reached the War Council chambers. He dismissed the Lieutenant without glancing at her, and pushed the doors open to enter. "Romana, what in the…" he trailed off when he saw the woman sitting next to Romana. "Rose?" he whispered in disbelief.

She looked just the same as she had six years ago, but no longer wearing the dark, foreboding clothes she had favoured before. Her hair was loose down her back and the jumpsuit she was wearing cut a very lovely figure when she stood up.

"Hello, Doctor," she greeted, her voice soft.

He stared at her wordlessly, unable to think of a way to respond. Fortunately, the arrival of the rest of the War Council knocked him out of his stupor and he took his usual seat without taking his eyes off Rose who moved dutifully to sit at his right. The Chancellors gave her a curious look but she had her gaze fixed on the Doctor, as if she was just as unsure as him about what she should say.

As soon as the Council was full, Romana stood up. "As you can see, we are missing one of our numbers," she said and the Doctor looked away from Rose long enough to see that Narvin's seat was empty. Romana turned to Rose. "Lady Commander Rose, you have the floor."

Rose stood up as Romana sat down, a grave look on her face. "I know many of you are wondering where I have been for the past six years," she began, glancing at the Doctor frequently as she addressed the Council. "I have been on Shada, devising a way to fight this war. Coordinator N-Narvin has been helping me and we have finally succeeded."

There were murmurs from the Council at that, and the Doctor could feel his hearts speeding up and his mind going thousands of miles an hour. Rose was now completely avoiding looking at him.

"Narvin is now the Host of the Travesties," she announced to gasps from everyone. "He has asked President Romana to send Zagreus an ultimatum. If he doesn't withdraw his presence from this universe, the Horde of Travesties will attack him and the Neverpeople."

"Zagreus will never…" interrupted Lady Genelia but Romana shook her head.

"It is a sound plan," said Romana. "Even if Zagreus does not agree to it, we have an obligation in good conscience to give him a choice."

"If we can drive Zagreus and the Neverpeople away, we can turn our attention back to the Daleks," nodded Braxiatel in agreement. "I concur, Madam President."

"How stable is Coordinator Narvin now?" asked Valyes, looking at Rose suspiciously.

"Very, considering everything," said Rose honestly. "If there ever comes a time when he isn't, there's a failsafe in place."

"What failsafe?" demanded Valyes.

"It would no longer be a failsafe if I tell you," said Rose, with just a hint of smile.

"Well, I never," blustered Valyes. "Madam President, I demand…"

"Calm down, Lord Valyes," said Romana sternly before turning to Rose. "Is there anything else?"

"Just that should a battle happen with the Horde of Travesties and the Neverpeople, I have to be on the frontlines," she said.

"That is up to the Lord General," said Romana, looking at the Doctor who hadn't moved his eyes from Rose and had gone very, very pale. "Well, if that is all," she stood up as did everyone else. "Braxiatel, I think it's time we spoke to Zagreus."

Braxiatel nodded at once and the Chancellors began to disperse, muttering amongst themselves. The Doctor was one of the first people to move and he walked up to Rose and took her elbow none too gently. "Come on," he whispered roughly as he led her out of the War Council chambers towards their quarters.

Rose could feel him shaking and she would have brushed off his grip on her if she hadn't seen the terrified look in the Doctor's eyes. She decided to go along with it for the time being, and when the doors to their quarters swung open, Rose gasped as she realised that it had remained unchanged, right down to the TARDIS in the middle of the room.

The Doctor released his grip on her but only long enough to unlock the TARDIS and usher her inside. Rose felt the warm hum of the TARDIS and closed her eyes to hold back the tears. She had missed her so much. She stayed that way until she heard the Doctor walk past her to the console.

Rose's eyes opened and she took in the sight of the Doctor facing her with a curiously blank look on his face. She crossed her arms in front of her and braced herself for what was about to come.

And the Doctor broke.

A/N End of the chapter. Thanks for reading.

I will definitely update this Saturday again, I promise, so you have less than a week until the next chapter. Let me know what you thought of this one.