Whatever happened, the situation needed to play out.
That line of thinking gave the Doctor enough courage to open the door and step forward. She stood what felt like a factory, one massive space with a walkway where her Tardis had landed. A quick adjustment helped the Doctor redirect her landing to see what mattered.
Max Lin immediately perked up, screaming and bashing into a barrier. It looked like a strange test tube surrounded by… the cybernetic mutilations of former Rift Game competitors. This madness would end, now.
"Over here, Doctor." The Rani's voice echoed sweetly across the realm of madness. In the distance, there was a massive collection of lit-up screens and a control console setup worthy of an organ piano. Its conductor orchestrated a rhythmic clatter of keys and twisting of dials to express an unholy electronic wail.
"I'd say you were late, but my code placed this meeting at exactly the point I desired. So good to properly meet face to face."
The Doctor decided she needed a closer look. Locking up the Tardis with a turn of the key, she took steady steps towards the monitor. Eyes shifted about, taking in every detail and how far apart everything was with each step. All the little details, that's what it took to save a universe.
"Would you mind actually making this face to face?" The Doctor asked. "Just getting a bit uneasy about that ponytail of yours. Looks prepped to chomp off eyebrows."
The clattering took on a bitter tone. Swiveling around, both Time Lords look each other in the eye. She missed being able to see her friend with kindness, now there was only disappointment. The Rani never seemed to notice.
"Well, you wanted me, and here I am." The Doctor bowed. "You know the phone booth's not for show, I do take calls."
"Are you saying all this work wasn't necessary?"
"It never is, Rani," the Doctor said. "It could never be."
The Rani shrugged.
"That would only proven by a lack of results," she said. "And yet here you are, proving this the most effective way of getting what I want."
The Doctor could feel the lack of air expressed from the nearby dead, an ocean of emptiness.
"This is never the way." Anger burned in her eyes, even the Rani's hands shook despite the smile.
"Excellent," the wicked Time Lord said. "So full of rage, this will be grand to witness."
"Tell me, Doctor," the Rani ran her hand along the console while maintaining eye contact. "Would you like to hear how I plan to kill you, or be stubborn and permit me to reduce dear Max to soup." A finger caressed the bright-red button, waiting to be pressed.
The Doctor took a step back, she wouldn't dare endanger Max's life further. The Rani sighed, disappointed, and clasped her hands together.
"Doctor, I can never defeat you."
This made the Time Lord take a moment and blink away complete confusion.
"Oh," She said. "Well, I happily accept your surrender."
The Rani laughed, it was a nasty kind that seemed to split the face with glee over things that shouldn't be enjoyed.
"Do you actually believe that could ever work?"
"Well, I figure it can't hurt to try. Odds are one of you might take up the offer." The Doctor said with a sigh. "Fine then, what's your latest attempt to murder me?"
Both Time Lords said nothing. The Rani casually tapped several keys and pulled up a small village on the screens. The angles implied cameras were affixed to every major corner, creating a perfect lens to view every soul traversing the streets.
"This is Yardingale, Doctor, on the Planet Torpil. The village shall be your grave."
"Interesting," the Doctor said as she eyed the screen and gave scant glances at the console. "Looks to be Winter down there, I'm assuming we're in orbit above the little town. Something in the gravity gives it away, bit too minty to be the real thing. There doesn't appear to be any sign that this land has known conflict."
"It will be soon enough, Doctor," The Rani gestured to the armada of corpses, tanks full of Devil Leeches, Shadow Skins, and other maladies became visible. "I've been preparing to unleash perfect Hell for quite some time, but I needed you right in the middle."
"Bad idea," the Doctor hummed as she managed to count off how many of each malady was on display. "Doom and me are a bad combination. I tend spoil all that agony and torment. Real shame, putting in all that work just t—"
The Rani snapped her fingers.
Every solider, parasite, and weapon became consumed in light before vanishing.
Before she could, the screens lit up with hundreds of screams. The horrors of Ramification Nightmares rapidly tore through the populace with ease. Max and the Doctor could only watch as in a matter of minutes, the whole of Yardingale became reduced of ashes. Only the crunch of boots, slither of leeches, and abruptly silenced cries were heard on the audio.
The Doctor had to take a moment to process how she had stopped breathing, her chest hurt. That pain turned to anger.
"Hmm, the hypothesis promised at least five minutes for complete decimation but I do fear there were a few lingering seconds. Should I have factored in how large some homes were?"
She looked away from the screens to finally notice the Doctor towering over her, teeth clenched and hands gripping the chair firmly enough to leave nail marks even when the hands let go. The Rani looked disappointed.
"Still restrained, unbelievable," the Rani shook her head. "But, don't fret, I knew this wouldn't work without proper motivation." She pulled out a small sonic screwdriver, winked at the Doctor, and activated it.
A gong boomed throughout the interior. This caused the Doctor look at the Rani with skepticism.
"This can't be."
"But it is, Doctor, a Tardis within a Tardis," the Rani said. "I know, usually two time-bending anomalies would make All the Cloister Bells of Gallifrey scream in unison, but I worked around it. That little code of coordinates from before shut down your Tardis, put it to sleep after a quick jump and so only mine is in play. Don't be too confused, I'm giving you a present."
When the humming stopped, they appeared to be in the same place as before, but the Doctor knew better. She could taste the static particles, feel the freshness of the air. Artificial or not, the filtered air was newer… by about…
"Ten minutes," the Rani said as she jabbed into the Doctor's shoulder. "It was getting boring seeing you piece the puzzle together. I've put in a lot of work into this madness, Doctor, so allow me to be a tad impatient and explain. Yardingale is doomed, I sent my nightmares and they'll arrive ten minutes from now. On your shoulder is a teleporter." She gestured to the blinking yellow square on the Doctor's lapel.
"You have until they arrive to find a way of stopping my mass-produced Apocalypse."
Yardingale still remained on the monitors, the people completely oblivious. Some part of her wondered about paradoxes, but technically so long as the armada were stopped once leaving the Rani's Tardis the whole universe should remain intact.
"I'm sure you're already thinking about how to best play the hero," the Rani said with a smirk. "But I have designed this so that your less-than kind nature will be this village's only survival. It will take a Monster to stop this Hell. You met him once to know he's effective, at your trial."
The Doctor's skin prickled with an unholy chill.
"Funny how Gallifrey records are easily stored, even redacted trials can be easily discovered." The Rani stood up, the Doctor didn't acknowledge the action. She pulled out a piece of pale paper that shined with eternal radiance that only Time Lords could develop. While reading, the Rani made her voice deeper, slightly mocking, but catching the Master's old tone.
"There is some evil in all of us, Doctor, even you. The Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature. Somewhere between… your Twelfth and Final incarnation."
She crumpled the paper, laughing manically. The Doctor was frozen processing words from long ago and their greater danger now. The Time Lord offered no resistance at being spun around.
"How many changes, Doctor?" The Rani leered. "What with clones from hands, a Doctor for War, and even gaining a new regeneration cycle; I do believe we are owed a Valeyard."
And so the game was revealed, all an excuse to bring out a devil.
"Won't work, I beat him ages ago."
"EXACTLY!" The Rani cheered. "You beat him, and him being you, ends the story. No further Doctors because of a closed loop, where you circle back only to be ended. Or maybe you dabble about, but ultimately, I no longer have a Doctor to worry about."
She raised a hand, hovering over the badge on the Doctor's lapel. Teleported into a warzone. A mixing pot for all things vile, to create someone worse.
"I can stop your war without getting dirty." The Doctor said firmly.
"No," the Rani said. "But you will try, and my little patch will make you pop back here every time you die. And you'll volunteer to try repeatedly to save a doomed village. Desperation will breed darkness, bringing out the Valeyard. Little Max will watch as the greatest protector of the universe loses their soul."
The Doctor gave Max a reassuring smile, seeing her friend fight to break free only to fail.
"Then again," the Rani said sweetly while inching closer to the patch. "Should the strain simply kill you off before the Valeyard can be born, know I may… mourn. Maybe even shed a tear."
With a wink and solid slap, the Doctor was sent to hell.