Spoilers for The End of Time
Several hours earlier:
The Doctor snuck through long narrow corridors, careful not to make any sounds. The source of the signal was close, he could feel it. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from up the hall, and he dove into a storage closet just in time to see a robed figure pass by outside. The Doctor sighed. He couldn't risk being caught. He had infiltrated the Time Lord capital building in order to find the signal to the Drums. Of course, getting in had been easy. He knew all the codes, and his Time Lord DNA allowed him to slip past scanners without posing a threat. There was barely anyone in the hallways, as the High Council was most likely watching the War play out.
He grimaced, remembering. The War had been terrible. His older self was probably out there right now, trying to reason with the Council. But of course, to no avail. Soon he would end the Time War for good; saving the Universe but destroying his own people. Voices coming from the corridor shook him back to the present, and he listened closely.
"…must be stopped. There's no telling what could happen," said a voice.
"Have faith in our leader," replied another sternly. "Rassilon knows what he's doing. He will end the War. And we will triumph."
"Of course," agreed the other, no doubt admitting to his superior.
"Once the Calling is implanted into the Master, we can escape into the future and rule the Universe through consciousness alone. We will be unstoppable."
The first Time Lord remained silent, and their footsteps soon began to fade as they continued down the hall.
Meanwhile, the Doctor was frozen in place, his mind working furiously.
'Once the calling is implanted into the Master, we can escape into the future and rule the Universe through consciousness alone.'
Of course! That's why the Drums were in the Master's mind. The Time Lords were using him as an escape plan. They must know that both he and the Doctor survived into the future, and they're using him to rip a hole in Time and Space. The Drumming; it was a connection to Gallifrey from within the Time Lock. With the connection passing through the Master, he would become a gateway into the future.
Genius, thought the Doctor. Absolutely brilliant. He mentally slapped himself. As ingenious as their plan was, he had to stop it. He would save the Master; and destroy his people for the second time.
It was dark. The Doctor was hiding in the conference room, watching as the Council formed their plan. Rassilon was at the head of the long table, Time Lords along either side, and the Shaman at the opposite end. She was old and wrinkled, with matted grey hair and swirling tattoos all over her body. She was smiling, parchment scattered about the table around her, as she tapped on the wooden surface. The Doctor had seen that look before. It was a look of insanity; prolonged exposure to the Untempered Schism causing her mind to slip. Oh, but she was smart. She had looked into Time itself, and seen what is meant to be seen by no one. She had a plan. A plan that would save the Time Lords from destruction.
The Doctor's eyes widened in horror as he realized what the old woman was doing.
Tatatatap, tatatatap, tatatatap, tatatatap…
It was the Drums. The Shaman tapped on the table, four times, over and over again. She was grinning now, and her expression held insanity. That's it. She had the source. Grasped in her hand, was a dark stone with swirling purple lights encased within. The Doctor recognized it from old stories when he was a child. It was a solidified piece of the Untempered Schism. That was what he needed to boost the signal.
Then, something in Rassilon's hand caught his attention. A White Point Star. He was about to throw it through a rift in Time and Space, no doubt to make the final connection with the Master. He had to stop it. As quietly as he could, he slipped out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the rift. Just as the diamond left Rassilon's fingers, the Doctor pressed the button, changing the target so that it would appear somewhere far away; hopefully in dead space. The TARDIS would find it, and lead his past self to Gallifrey.
Of course, as soon as the sonic went off, all eyes were on the Doctor. Rassilon stood, teeth bared.
"What have you done?" he snarled. "You have doomed Gallifrey!"
Before he knew it, the Doctor was secured by two guards and drug forward to the Lord of the Time Lords. Rassilon grabbed his jaw, angling his head sharply. "You will pay," he whispered menacingly, eyes ablaze with fury. "But this is only a minor setback. We will escape. And you will be forced to watch – Doctor."
The Doctor woke up hours later, to find himself contained in a cell. He had been stripped of his sonic screwdriver and tracking device, left with nothing but his suit. He grabbed the bars in a fit of desperation.
"Let me out!" he screamed as loud as he could. Then, out of the darkness, stepped a woman. She stood there outside of the Doctor's cell, watching him through big brown eyes.
The Doctor stared back, and his eyes stung with tears. He knew this woman; he was sure. He backed away from the bars and let out a choked sob. "Please," he whispered. "You have to help me. Rassilon means to destroy the Universe."
"I know," answered the woman with a soft voice. "I know of his plan, and it is wicked. I do not possess the strength, nor the skill to overcome him, but you do." She stepped forward, now just mere inches from the cell. In her hand was a silver key. She unlocked the bars, and opened the door slowly. Out of her pocket, she brought the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and held it out to him. He took it.
"Thank you," he whispered, eyes glazed with tears. The woman suddenly pushed him out of the cell, taking his place as prisoner and locking the door. The key evaporated.
"They will know you have escaped, but my presence here will delay them," she explained urgently. "Now go."
"Thank you," he murmured again. "I'm so sorry—"
"Go!" the woman cut him off. "Save the Universe, my son."
The Doctor nodded, and left without another word. A single tear streamed down his face, and he wiped it away quickly. This was no time for sentiment. He had to hurry.
The Doctor had made his way through the long, winding corridors. He continued on by memory, not stopping until he reached the Shaman's room. The door was chained shut, but the Doctor easily opened it with his screwdriver. He stepped into the dark room, closing the door with a click. Bright light suddenly filled the room, and the Doctor had to shield his eyes. When they finally adjusted, he looked up to see the old woman hunched over a desk, looking at him with mild interest.
"I know who you are," she rasped. "The Doctor. The outcast. The shunned Time Lord. You have come home at last." Her voice was high-pitched and sing-song. She cackled. "And such a long way you have come." Her hollow eyes scanned his body. "The last of your kind, and you have returned to destroy us for good; to save the one that you love."
"I'm sorry," murmured the Doctor, stepping closer to the woman. "I'm so sorry. But I have to do this."
"Then do it!" screeched the old woman, laughing madly. "If you can, Time Lord, do it. Kill me and all of Gallifrey in cold blood."
The Doctor clenched his jaw, tears welling in his eyes. "I have no other choice," he tried to defend himself. "You mean to destroy the Universe!" He dropped to his knees. "It's the only way to save him…" The last words were a whisper.
"Foolish child," murmured the old woman, her tone growing soft and filled with Wisdom. "There is always a choice. But you alone must decide what is right."
The Doctor stared at her, then dropped his head in defeat. "I can't…" he whispered. "I can't do it. Not again…"
"You possess a good soul, Doctor," she rasped. "And so I shall carry out your Fate. I will not burn with Gallifrey." She gave a final cackle of laughter, before plunging a long, twisted blade into her own chest. The Doctor stared, horror-stricken and unable to move. She was still laughing as the life faded from her wrinkled body. When the golden light began to swirl around her, the blade exploded, and she was dead.
The Doctor stayed frozen on the cold floor. She had killed herself. But why?
Then, with a face of stone, he knelt down beside the body and closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry…"
He stood and took the shiny, smooth stone and pocketed it. Then the door burst open suddenly, and guards rushed into the room, surrounding the Doctor.
"The Shaman is dead!" one of them shouted, and the entire room broke out into chaos. The Doctor found himself contained up and dragged away, plasmic handcuffs binding his arms behind his back. And now he understood.
'I will not burn with Gallifrey.' She destroyed herself before the Doctor could destroy her. And he being found with her dead body would only ensure that he would suffer alongside them. There was one last thing he could do. Twisting his body into a painful position, he managed to reach into his pocket and grasp the sonic screwdriver. He held it against the stone and pressed the button, boosting the signal. He hoped it would be enough to restart the Master's hearts.
Something hard and blunt hit him in the back of the skull, and he was knocked out cold.
Alright. I have to say that I am quite happy with this chapter. I had no idea what I was doing at the beginning, but it all worked out quite nicely.
The woman who helped the Doctor out of the prison was in The End of Time. She was the one who spoke to Wilfred, and also appeared beside Rassilon once they escaped the Time Lock. She is presumed to have been the Doctor's mother, but I kind of left that part open for the reader to decide.
Hopefully you liked it. Please review!