Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.
A/N Sorry about the late chapter! Real life has been insane and I haven't had as much time to writer as I should have. Sorry, once again!
A lot happens in this chapter, particularly to do with 'End of Time Part II'
Happy Reading!
Chapter Twenty
TRANSDUCTION BARRIER BREACHED
The words were still pounding against Rose's forehead as she and the Doctor ran towards the TARDIS. It didn't take an empath to feel the panic in the air, and everyone was scrambling in fear. As soon as they had entered the TARDIS, the Doctor was pushing buttons frantically, his mouth drawn in a thin line.
Rose was idle by no means, using her comm. link to speak with her fellow Commanders on Pazithi Gallifreya who confirmed what the Doctor's readings were telling him. The barrier had been breached but only on the far side of the planet. However, it was still enough for Zagreus and his army to enter Gallifrey. To add to the bad news, the Doctor's readings told him of the second pressing danger.
"Daleks are hovering over the breach," he said sharply. "They are wielding the Apocalypse Device."
"What the hell is it?" asked Rose.
"The ultimate weapon," said the Doctor, grimacing at the console. "It contains every disease and virus in the known universes and is capable of telepathic nightmares. It's just a single creature but its only purpose is to kill. Whether by infecting them with something deadly or driving them insane enough to claw their own brains out." He looked at Rose in fear. "And there is no way of stopping it."
Rose felt herself go cold. "If the Daleks enter the planet now, there will be bloodbath," she said, her voice shaking. "We won't even know who to fight first."
The Doctor nodded grimly. "Which is why I intend to hold them off in the skies," he said.
Rose nodded quickly. "I'll fight Zagreus and his army on land," she said, moving towards the door.
The Doctor's nostrils flared and Rose only had a split second to brace herself before he was upon her, kissing her like he was seeing her for the last time.
"DO. NOT. DIE," he stressed, punctuating his words with kisses to her mouth.
"I don't intend to," she said, closing her eyes. "Same goes to you."
She opened her eyes again, just in time to see the Doctor nod. With a final peck against his lips, Rose left the TARDIS, entering the coordinates given to her by the Commanders into the device on her wrist. Even before the TARDIS could dematerialise, she had vanished from the Capitol.
The skies were in mayhem. The Dalek ships had descended over the singular breach in the transduction barrier, but were waiting, as if they were too afraid to cross the barrier and enter Gallifrey.
The Doctor had once described the transduction barrier to Rose. Unlike Arcadia, which could be envisioned as a bubble, the transduction barrier was like a thin film stretched tightly over Gallifrey. All it took was one tear for the barrier to be breached, and the tear would get wider from the source, pulling a gaping hole apart until it was lost. The transduction barrier had held off collective Dalek and Anti Time assaults for over a century in this war alone, not even counting the years before the war. Despite all its fortifications, it was bound to break.
The Lord General's TARDIS sent out a beacon to his forces, getting them to converge over the breach and prepare themselves to defend it from the Daleks. For all that he knew about the Dalek's hesitation to battle Anti Time, he knew there was no such fear in them when it came to facing Time Lords.
They had to prepare for a carnage.
Down on the surface of Gallifrey, it was pandemonium. The Horde of Travesties had converged on Rose as soon as she had arrived, and what scared her more than anything was how terrified the Horde was.
"Where's the Host?" demanded Rose, unable to stop trembling at the fear emanating from the Horde. They had never been afraid, not even while battling armies of Neverpeople. To see them shaken up was frightening to Rose unlike anything else.
"He's gone, my lady," said Lady Veriszani.
"How can he be gone?" asked Rose, her eyes flashing in anger.
"It's how they got in," said Veriszani quietly. "They engaged him in skirmish, driving him and the Horde he was fighting with towards the barrier. It's how they caused the breach."
"How is that even possible?" asked Rose. "The Host cannot be killed by Anti Time."
"He wasn't killed by the Neverpeople, my lady," said Veriszani.
Rose's eyes went wide but before Veriszani had a chance to elaborate, Rose saw the usual silver glow that signalled the arrival of the Neverpeople. What made her pause though, were the beings alongside them, who were nothing like the silver shadows, but appeared to be flesh and bone humanoid surrounded by a red mist.
"What the hell are those?" asked Rose, as the Horde seemed to shrink in fear at the mere sight of them.
"They are calling themselves the Meanwhiles," said Veriszani, her voice shaking.
Rose could guess why they called themselves that, but she didn't have time to discuss it with Veriszani. "Where's our closest shield?" she asked.
"Not too far away from here," said Veriszani. "I assume you mean not counting the one in front of us now."
Rose nodded absently. "Evacuate everyone from here. Every organic being goes behind the other shield," she ordered. "We don't want an Anti Time epidemic on top of everything else."
Veriszani's eyes sharpened. "What are you planning?" she asked.
Rose looked at her and Veriszani took an involuntary step back at the vortex shining in her eyes. "I plan on leading the Horde into battle," she said, her voice having an echoing quality to it that struck fear in the hearts of every Time Lord in vicinity.
"You heard her," said Veriszani, raising her voice. "Retreat!"
Rose turned to face the approaching army of Meanwhiles and Neverpeople, as the troops retreated. She moved out towards them, her eyes taking on a furious golden gleam. The Horde was still afraid but as the vortex inside Rose surged angrier than ever, they moved to her side, ready for her command.
She had always promised the Doctor that she would be careful, and that she would never put herself in a position where she might lose control. That went out of the window when she saw what they were faced with and that they had killed Narvin. The burn had always been there in her mind, held back by bonds she had put in herself. She only had to loosen them and it was the same euphoria that had enveloped her when she had burst from the confines of Torchwood. Or when she had destroyed the Dalek Emperor.
A feral smile lit her face and the golden glow brightened in her eyes. The Bad Wolf was ready.
What happened next could only be described as carnage. Those behind the shields were stood in awe, watching as the Lady Commander sliced vortex energy through the air, turning everything in her path to dust with a swipe of her hand. The Horde surrounded her, cradling her almost protectively, holding off attacks around her.
A lot of them fell at the hands of the Meanwhiles, the red energy almost as visible as the golden vortex energy. Time started to distort and anyone with a lick of time sense could feel a vacuum forming around the Lady Commander. She was altering time, moving it to shield herself, the vortex merciless in its slaughter of beings that it deemed unworthy of existence in this universe of time. The army had consisted of hundreds of Neverpeople and Meanwhiles, but by the time the vacuum burst, the only person left standing was her. Even the Horde had fallen, turned to dust at their own hands once they had served their purpose.
Veriszani was the first to recover. "Medics!" she shouted. "Get our Commander back to the medbay."
Nobody moved, still staring in shock to where the Commander was still standing, the golden glow around her getting duller and duller, until she stumbled and fell to the ground. It propelled the medics into action and they transported to her side in an instant, checking her vital signs.
"Well?" demanded Veriszani, having come with them.
"She's still breathing," said Surgeon Lieutenant Zadermose. "We have to get her to the medbay. She's suffering from exhaustion."
"Any other injuries?" asked Veriszani. "Or infections?"
"She's clean for Anti Time," said Zadermose, shaking his head. "No other injuries."
"Move her," nodded Veriszani.
"Yes, my lady," said Zadermose, preparing Rose's unconscious form for transport. "How many did she kill, do you think?" he murmured to Veriszani as he worked. "My lady?" he asked when Veriszani didn't reply.
Zadermose looked up and saw how frightened Veriszani looked. He followed her gaze and nearly fainted.
"She killed only the welcoming party," said Veriszani, her voice trembling.
The rest of the Neverpeople and Meanwhiles were now gathered in troop formation, standing quite still as if waiting for command. Unlike the mere hundreds that lay dead, the army was lined up as far as the eye could see.
The Lord General's TARDIS received an emergency beacon, calling all the troops to defend Gallifrey on land. He was told that the potential bloodbath it would cause if the Daleks followed them would pale in comparison to the alternative. When he saw Zagreus' army lined up and ready to attack, he went pale and ordered the troops to return to Gallifrey through unmoving lips.
He himself went towards the first shield, and was met by one of Rose's fellow Commanders, Lady Veriszani.
"Lord General," she greeted, her composure slipping in her fear.
"Do we know why they have not started attacking yet?" he asked sharply.
"No, my lord," she said. "But that's not all," she added quickly when he moved to walk past her to the medical enclosure. "We have lost the Horde of Travesties and the Host."
The Doctor's jaw clenched and he nodded shortly. "Has the War Council…?"
"They know," she nodded quickly. "They need you to decide if we must withdraw behind Arcadia now."
The Doctor's nostrils flared and he was silent for a few moments. "Yes," he said finally. "Give the order, Lady Commander Veriszani."
"My lord," she nodded and hurried over to the comm. link in their Time Station.
The Doctor went inside the medical enclosure, having heard that Rose had been injured in battle. But he found her sitting in bed, trying her shoes back up. Her white dress was in tatters, torn at the hem and muddied beyond belief.
She looked up when he entered and nodded. "Give me a moment," she said, gathering the hem of her dress and tying it into a knot to the side so that she wouldn't trip over it. The enclosure was empty, but for the two of them, and she found a threadbare cable knit sweater and put it on quickly, huffing when the zip broke and she had to simply let the ends of the grey sweater hang to her side.
"We are retreating behind Arcadia," said the Doctor.
Rose jumped down from the bed, wincing when the old black tights she had dug out ripped again just above her knee. "I heard," she nodded. "They aren't attacking. I don't like it."
"Maybe they will ask for a surrender yet again," said the Doctor, rolling his eyes.
Rose checked the device on her wrist and smiled wryly. "Zagreus would have asked by now," she said. "When have you known him to pull punches when it comes to declaring his victory?"
The Doctor frowned thoughtfully at that. "It's true," he agreed. "Tell me about the new creatures."
Rose looked down at her wrist device as she spoke. "They are humanoid," she said in a small voice. "Flesh, bone...blood. They…" she cleared her throat and looked up at the Doctor, a calm mask in place. "They are beings whose existence has been stuck in limbo because of the war. That's why the Horde was so scared of them. The Meanwhiles are uncertainties, existing in our universe for a moment and gone the next if the timeline is altered."
The Doctor grasped her hand tightly, and squeezed it when she tried to pull away. "You did what you had to," he said.
"What about the Daleks?" asked Rose abruptly, not wanting to talk about it. "Did they use the Apocalypse Device?"
"No," he said. "Just their energy weapons and things. They must have had some idea of Zagreus' forces since they don't seem too eager to come down to the planet as long as they are here."
"Wouldn't it be great if they took each other out?" asked Rose as the two of them left the medical enclosure together.
"I don't think we are quite that lucky," he murmured to her before walking over to Lady Veriszani. "Are we ready to withdraw?"
"Yes, my lord," she said. "Are you alright, my lady?" she asked Rose.
"Yes, thank you, Lady Veriszani," said Rose with a small smile. "The army hasn't changed its position?"
"No, my lady," she answered. "They are still just waiting."
"Alright, we are withdrawing," said the Doctor. "My TARDIS will be the last thing beyond Arcadia. After that our shields will fall to provide support to Arcadia. Understood?"
"Yes, Lord General," said Veriszani, the sentiment echoed by the Commanders who had heard his orders via comm. link.
"Withdraw!" He ordered in a sharp voice and the air was filled with the sound of dematerialising Time Stations and TARDISes. The Doctor and Rose made their way to his TARDIS, though he didn't dematerialise just yet. Zagreus' army still didn't move, as they half expected them to.
"I don't like it," Rose muttered under her breath yet again, watching the army on the scanner. They had higher numbers, it was obvious to see, so why weren't they attacking?
"Neither do I," said the Doctor, his eyes fixed on the scanner. A beep alerted him to the fact that everyone had gone past Arcadia and into the safety of the Capitol. It was only him and Rose outside the shields, and with quick precision, he piloted them to Arcadia and beyond into the Capitol, the TARDIS materialising inside their quarters.
"Waiting on your command, Lord General," came the voice over the comm. link.
"Divert energy on my count," said the Doctor, his eyes fixed on a monitor that held the schematics of the shields on Gallifrey. The concentric shields that he had described to Rose a long time ago were marked in blue, but the shield of Arcadia was shaped like a bubble around the Capitol and was a deep red colour. "And 3...2...1...now!"
Rose watched in wonder as the blue shields fell one by one, and Arcadia got stronger until the last of shields was gone and Arcadia was a bright orange colour. "Is it done?" she asked, just to confirm.
The Doctor exhaled sharply and nodded. "Come on," he said and the two of them left the TARDIS, only to find someone waiting for them in their quarters.
"Susan," said the Doctor in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Braxiatel asked me to fetch the two of you as soon as Arcadia was fortified," said Susan, attempting a smile that fell a little flat in the face of her exhaustion.
Unlike the Time Lords and even Rose, Susan was mainly human, and despite not having aged due to Gallifrey's shields, she was beginning to feel old. At the Doctor's request, she had stayed inside the Capitol, but it was quite certain that she did not have long to live. She couldn't regenerate and had already lived past the average life expectancy of a human, and even with the Doctor's and Braxiatel's connections, they couldn't alter her physiognomy when she was in such a frail state.
On the rare occasions when Rose saw her, she got the feeling that Susan was annoyed at being reduced to doing virtually nothing that she deemed important. She wanted to be on the frontlines fighting, but the nature of her duties had lessened in their danger over the years until she was left performing administrative duties and coordinating communications for the War Council and the troops on the frontlines. To her credit, she didn't complain, nor did the quality of her work suffer, but Rose knew she was unhappy that she couldn't help more.
"What now?" asked the Doctor, looking worried.
"He didn't say," said Susan, shaking her head. "He's waiting."
The Doctor nodded, and he and Rose followed Susan as they went down to the War Council's chambers. The whole council was there and they stood up and bowed as the three of them entered.
"Where's Romana?" asked the Doctor, directing the question to Braxiatel.
He pointed at his ear where a bluetooth-like headset was resting. "She's with the High Council," he answered.
"What's happened?" asked Rose at once, knowing that it must have been important if both councils were meeting, albeit separately.
"Androgar," said Braxiatel and the Time Lord nodded quickly, switching the screen for all of them to see.
"As you may see," said Androgar, pointing to a small speck on the screen which seemed to be heading for Arcadia. "Our scanners picked up this projectile a few microspans ago."
"What is the projectile?" asked the Doctor sharply.
"Based on its trajectory, velocity and schematic, I would say it's a one-man spacecraft," said Androgar. "Very primitive."
"Any weapons?" asked Rose.
"None on the exterior," said Androgar. "The occupant could be carrying something though."
"How soon before we have a clear visual?" asked Braxiatel.
"45 microspans," said Androgar and bit his lip before proceeding. "That's not all."
"Well?" asked the Doctor.
"We traced its flight path," said Androgar. "It came from Zagreus' command post."
"Blow it out of the sky," came the response from one of the younger commanders.
"It is not that simple," said Androgar, shooting a glare at him. "We have no inkling of who is onboard that craft."
"Sending an envoy isn't Zagreus' style," said Rose. "Doesn't he like to broadcast his voice?"
"You are not wrong," said Braxiatel, inclining his head towards her. "So, how do we…?" He was cut off by an alert notifying an incoming transmission. Androgar looked at Braxiatel who nodded. "Answer it."
"There is no need," said Androgar. "It is broadcasting all over Gallifrey."
The confusion was palpable in the room, but when the static on the monitor cleared, a man dressed in full robes of the High Council was visible. He had a balding head of grey hair, but his eyes were sharp and unwavering, as was the firm set of his mouth. The Time Lords seemed stunned as they stared at him, before each one of them sank down to their knees in unison.
Rose glanced around in shock, but a firm pull on her hand by the Doctor propelled her to imitate them. She glanced at the Doctor, who shook his head, asking her to be silent. He was shaking lightly and Rose had never seen him quite so furious yet scared. She looked at the screen and saw that the man was now smiling, as if the sight of the Time Lords on their knees pleased him.
"I will speak to the Coordinator," the man announced and Braxiatel got to his feet.
Rose couldn't help but admire the calm mask on his face as he approached the screen and went back down on his knees. "My lord Rassilon," he said, his voice dripping reverence. "How may we serve you?"
"The question is not how you would serve me, Lord Coordinator," said Rassilon. "The question is how do we end this farce of a war and regain our rightful place as the supreme power of this cosmos."
"I apologise, my lord," said Braxiatel at once. "But without your guidance, we are afraid we might not succeed."
"I understand," said Rassilon, relishing the words with a twisted sense of glee that made Rose's stomach churn. "Which is why I am now here."
Braxiatel's calm mask wavered for a moment before the reverence was back. "May we ask how you managed this incredible feat, my lord?"
Rassilon raised an eyebrow and Rose could feel the Doctor holding his breath. She herself was tense, unsure of how Rassilon would react to being questioned. As she had guessed, his jaw clenched and his chin tilted up in arrogance.
"I have my ways," he said in an icy tone. "But I will elaborate since I assume everyone is curious to know." He smiled that arrogant smile once more. "I come from the camp of Zagreus, but not as a hostage or an infected abomination, but as his slayer. Once, I was trapped with him in a universe without time, but now, I come back to my home, to my greatest creations, and I bring you the death of Zagreus as a gift!"
There was a resounding cheer that echoed through the Capitol. The two Councils though were completely silent, though a lot of the Commanders were looking relieved. Rassilon's smile widened at the sound, but far from reassuring her, it gave Rose an unpleasant sensation in her stomach.
"But how do we rid Gallifrey of his army, my lord?" asked Braxiatel, choosing his words cautiously.
Rassilon looked like Braxiatel had asked just the right question. "Watch," he commanded, and the screen split to show them the part where Zagreus' army of Neverpeople and Meanwhiles was still waiting. Rassilon raised his hand that had a gauntlet on it which glowed blue, and the beings began to scream in horror. The echoes of their screams rang through the Capitol, as every one of the Neverpeople and Meanwhiles died in horrible agony, until there was nothing left of them on Gallifrey. No bodies, no remains, just dust.
Rassilon lowered his hand as the gauntlet stopped glowing blue and smirked at them, his face the only thing visible on the screen once again. "All that, without the use of my staff," he said arrogantly. "Think what I can do once I take my place as the rightful President of Gallifrey and have all my artefacts. This war shall be no more. Gallifrey shall be feared and revered, just as it has always been. We shall ascend! The Time Lords shall rule! For Gallifrey!"
"For Gallifrey!" The cry rang out clearly, as even the people in the Council chambers repeated it, and Rassilon's cold smile became wider and wider at the triumphant cheers. Rose glanced at the Doctor and he looked sick. She didn't have a chance to question it though, as Rassilon held up a hand for silence.
"Prepare your welcomes for me now, Time Lords of Gallifrey," he said.
Rose felt a hand over her shoulder, but a voice whispered in her ear before she could turn around and look at who the person was.
"Do not look," said a woman's gentle voice. Rose glanced at the Doctor but he hadn't appeared to have seen anything. "He can't see me," said the woman. "None of them can."
Rose nodded slowly, trying to make it look like a natural movement.
"For all our additional senses and telepathy, we are quite unable to see the obvious," said the woman and she appeared in Rose's periphery. She was quite old, had short black hair with a single streak of white, and was dressed in a spotless white pantsuit. "Time Lords," she added as if that was a joke enough.
Rose looked at her best as she could without making it too obvious that she was seeing someone who was invisible to everyone but her. Rassilon was still speaking but all Rose could hear was the blood rushing in her ears and woman's gentle words.
"This is the only time you shall see me," she said, a small smile on her face. "As soon as Rassilon gets to the Capitol, he shall see fit to resurrect me. I am not certain how he plans to end this war, but if I know him at all, it will not be a good way. I know how my words shall be received. He will probably punish me by making me cover my face like the Weeping Angels. Arrogant idiot."
Rose's lips twitched and she did her best to swallow her amusement. None of this was truly funny.
"You're right," said the woman, playing with the simple pearl necklace around her neck. "It is not funny. But you must fight to do what is right. Do not falter, Rose Tyler. And more importantly," she paused here and Rose saw her eyes drift over to the Doctor. "Do not let him falter. Tell him…" the woman had tears in her eyes and she swallowed before continuing. "Tell him that he is forgiven. That he will do the right thing. That I was always proud of him. Always."
Rose blinked, tears gathering in her eyes at the softness of the woman's tone as she spoke of the Doctor. She had a fair idea of who the woman was now, which was only confirmed when her eyes roved over Braxiatel for a moment, unspeakable sorrow etched on her face.
"You are something incredible, Rose Tyler," said the woman finally. "I leave my dear boy in your capable hands. I am afraid I shall see the other one die."
Rose nodded once again, the tears spilling from her eyes when the woman ran a comforting hand over her head.
The loud cheering of Time Lords made Rose jump and when she glanced around, the woman was gone. She looked at the Doctor, who wasn't joining the cheering, and looked tense.
Rose looked at the screen hastily and saw that Rassilon had gone. Around her, there was talk of a welcoming committee and the High Council had walked into the War Council's chambers, and the Commanders were still cheering as the Chapter Cardinals, Chancellors, Romana and Braxiatel conversed in hushed tones, looks of happiness on everyone's faces except Romana and Braxiatel.
She got to her feet and saw the Doctor whispering something to Susan. She frowned but left the chamber. The Doctor caught Braxiatel's gaze once and at his nod, he took Rose's elbow and led her out.
"Where are we going?" asked Rose in a whisper.
"Away," he said.
"What about the war?" asked Rose.
"Listen to them!" said the Doctor harshly and Rose finally focused on what the chant was.
"Gallifrey rises! Gallifrey rises! Gallifrey rises!"
"They think they have their saviour," he said, his words still harsh when he whispered them in her ear. "They couldn't be further from the truth."
"He destroyed Zagreus and his army," she protested weakly, her mind still whirling with everything.
"Because they had outlived their use," he sneered. "Rassilon doesn't care for anyone but his own sense of superiority. He shall see the entire universe perish if it means he remains all-powerful."
"So, what?" asked Rose as they went inside the TARDIS. "Are we just going to run away?"
"Far from it," said the Doctor grimly. "You heard him, he wants the troops to kill every Dalek in the sky. We are going to do just that but before he has a chance to enact whatever his insane plan is."
"It will be a hard thing to do," said Rose, realising that she had completely missed that part of Rassilon's speech.
The Doctor smiled wryly. "You could always refuse," he said.
Rose managed not to roll her eyes but it was close. "No," she said. "I never could."
A/N Thanks for reading. What did you think?
I will do my very best to have the next chapter up by Saturday. See you then!