Chapter 2
Leadworth, England 2010
"That was great Doctor. This was the best wedding present I could've imagined." Amy Pond said in her excited way. She and Rory stepped out of the TARDIS and onto the walking path up to the house where she and the Doctor first met.
"I'm glad that I could be of service Pond. We aim to please."
"Yeah, thanks Doctor. It was great." Rory was less enthusiastic as his wife. The Doctor looked at him and smiled that boyish grin of understanding. Rory came into his own as a person when the crack in Amy's wall was finally resolved. There was still a great deal of reluctance to him, and why not? The dangerous in the universe were incalculable and he finally got the girl. As adventurous as he was becoming, there was still a greater part of him that just wanted to keep Amy safe.
Amy on the other hand was a different matter altogether. She would jump into the situation with a giddy feeling of a school girl getting her first kiss. She'd been through one of the most trying experiences of her life, and knew that the universe changed around her. For all the hell she endured with the crack in her wall, the ridicule over her imaginary friend the Raggedy Doctor, and losing everyone she cared for around her; there was still a greater fascination to see what else was out there.
She looked around at Leadworth. It was the same, yet different. She always wondered if others he traveled with felt the same way. She couldn't have imagined it would be otherwise. Amy turned back towards the Doctor and Rory. "So, what's all this about then? Is Leadworth going to be overrun with aliens again?"
"Not as such. Actually, I'm dropping you two off for a small time. I will be back, but there are things that require my immediate attention and it's too dangerous for you two to come with." The Doctor replied with a whispered and calm tone.
"Doctor…" Amy retorted with a tone of contempt and warning.
"I know, I know! I will be back, Pond. Then we three can be off to anywhere and any when. Is that a word? Well it is now. In any case, you've got a ticket here for £20,000. That should buy you a nice honeymoon other that Leadworth."
"The whole of time and space and you want me to go some place on Earth?"
"Don't knock Earth, Amy Pond. You of all people should know that there's more here than meets the eye and you have the distinct privilege of knowing what to look for and seeing the deeper picture. Very few people get that!" She looked into his eyes. The young face giving way to the eyes of a soul older than the stars. It was times like this where she wanted to argue and more or less would've run into the TARDIS and left with him regardless. She saw though that he was in one of his dead set moods. This generally didn't mean much to her, but she also knew that pushing him too far was a bad idea too. The problem was she never knew when she was going to push that little bit too much.
"Fine, but you better be back Doctor. If you don't, I'll find you!"
"Oh, without a doubt!" He gave that smirk once again. With that he turned back to Rory and shook his hand. "Go and have a marvelous time. Go to Manhattan, Hawaii, Japan… there's so much to do, just have an adventure."
"Thanks Doctor. I truly appreciate this."
"I knew that about you, Mr. Pond." Rory laughed a little before catching what the Doctor said and lost all expression. With that the Doctor entered the TARDIS and the sound of it entering the time vortex filled the area. He went over to the console and started to pull levers, turn knobs, and once satisfied that the ship was on course, he turned his attention to the message center of it.
The ticker tape message was clear "HELLO SWEETIE. MEET ME AT THE GREAT HALL ON FIRNOS. COME ALONE." He didn't know what it was about, but knew the message was from River Song. River was a mysterious person to the Doctor. She knew him, but it was indeterminate when they had first met. She had a bad habit of running into him with the most extraordinary of circumstances. He remembers first meeting her the day she died. From there, she reappeared just shortly after his regeneration and has been tracking him all around time and space. The truth is, he liked her. She was full of answers and adventurous spirit. The problem is that he liked to solve mysteries and she was a mystery wrapped within an enigma. It never set well with him.
Firnos was another matter altogether. He knew the Great Hall well. Some alien race came to Earth many, many years ago and decided that they loved the Vikings. In some sort of homage to the primitives in which the found so fascinating they created a hall that has become one of the most seediest parts of the galaxy. He thought it interesting that she would want to meet there rather than find some place more appropriate. He knew of a small restaurant on the edge of Andromeda, but it wasn't his game.
He wondered if he'd meet the her in the order of their last meeting or if this were another earlier version of her that still knew him. Being a Time Lord, he was used to all sorts of paradoxes and the timey-wimey things that were related to meeting with other travelers. However, she was another story altogether. Meeting her was an adventure all in its own. He was intrigued, but he wasn't always pleased with this guessing game of who and what she was. Professor River Song's perplexity was fascinating to say the least.
It was a short trip to Firnos. He wish it would have been a bit longer, and technically he could have made the trip longer. Take a side trip to the deepest jungles of some alien world and see if he could find some rare mineral or plant. Perhaps even pick up yet another companion. Amy would enjoy it. Then again, maybe not. He hadn't completely been oblivious to the fact that she wasn't thrilled when they first met River. It was to be expected. A lot of his companions didn't like the crowding room. The TARDIS was vast, but if it had been the size of the universe it wouldn't have been big enough.
He stepped out of the TARDIS where he spotted the Great Hall across a rather busy street. He sighed a little. "Of all the gin joints in all the planets in all the universe, she had to come to this one. Ooh, paraphrased Bogie… Hope he'll forgive that one…" He strolled casually into the place and he noticed all the different aliens strewn about the place. There at the back of the hall sat a woman in a white coat. Her ruby red lips and come hither look gave way to a smile. A grin crept over the Doctor's face as he walked towards her. One of the many aliens noticed his walking towards the woman and couldn't help but decide to detain this interesting person. He didn't particularly like the look of the Doctor. The hair was wrong, the skin too pale, his outfit looked like he was some sort backwards race produced this pathetic thing.
He grabbed the Doctor's arm and stopped him dead in his tracks. There was a moment of surprise, and the Doctor looked at the alien's hand. It was a dusky red with longer black fingernails. He looked towards its face and saw yellow and silver eyes staring from a heavily pierced face. His teeth had been filed to points and the wings were obviously implanted. There were metal attachments underneath the bits of skin. The alien species was known as the Vitrax. Their species was born all sorts of colors, usually dictating demeanor. It was no surprise to find one here,. Nor was it a shock to find one with as many piercings and implants as this one had, for they were sadistic and masochistic. This one emitted a low level growl at the Doctor. "Where do you think you're going, little man?"
"Just to visit a friend of mine waiting over there. So if you wouldn't mind letting me go…"
The Vitrax laughed a bit, "I mind a lot. The woman is with me."
"I highly doubt that, she doesn't have that much a mean streak. Well, she might…" he looked back towards her. "No, I definitely think you're not her type. She prefers men with bowties."
He turned the Doctor about face grabbing both of his arms. "You're funny little man! Really funny! My sides are splitting!"
"At least you're getting a thrill out of it! Now let me give you a bit of advice, you've got me all nice an trapped here, but at this very moment my friend has a very fancy piece of technology pointed at you and is likely to shoot a limb off of you if you don't let me go. Mind you, I'm sure that I've got a few tricks up my sleeve too."
The Vitrax looked towards River with a look of confusion. He notices she had nothing pointed at him. When he looked back to the Doctor he let go of one arm and raised his fist. The massive hand was big enough to take the Doctor's head clear from his shoulders. "Any last words, little man?"
"Yes, I think you need to see a Doctor!" Before the Vitrax could comprehend what it was his prey said, the Doctor raised his freed hand and pointed the sonic screwdriver in his face. The vibration was turned up to a higher level and it started to rattle all the metal. It also didn't help that because of the intensity of the wave that his equilibrium was completely gone. He let go of the Doctor and fell to his knees. His stomach was queasy, the world was spinning 'round and 'round. He couldn't make out of he was actually on the floor or the ceiling.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I do have a meeting with a friend to attend." He walked away from the scene towards River's table. He smiled as he approached.
River returned the look, "Always know how to make an entrance, don't you Doctor?"
The others around their table heard the name and several expressions of surprise filled the room. More than a few backed away from the area where River and the Doctor sat. One such alien went to the Vitrax and told him he was lucky to have survived the encounter. The presence of the Doctor was legendary, and all too worrisome. The Doctor scanned the room again to see the attitude of the room since River mentioned who he was. "I don't like to name drop, but I do dance rather well. I can't help it if I'm cool. If you don't mind though, I'd like to know what so important that you wanted to see me alone?"
"Can't a girl want to see an old friend?"
"The trouble with that logic is that when you want to see an old friend, it's usually when something incredibly is threatening to kill us both. I'm not fond of dying. It has its place, but I like the idea of doing a bit more traveling before I pack it in."
She put a glass of something deep blue and steaming down and nodded in understanding. "Then straight to business. I've done a bit of traveling around since the last time we met and almost ran into you. A much different version of you on Earth."
"That's bound to happen. Depending on how far you went back, I'm all over Earth. Nothing concerning about that."
"There was more than one of you. There were several of you. I counted at least three of you chasing a fourth."
"What? How did you know they were all me?"
"One talked to the other, and referenced that they were Doctors and the one being chased mentioned the others were versions of himself as well. He said the others would be along soon enough. Not to mention the fact that I had traveled with you once."
The Doctor looked stunned. He didn't remember any of this. None of himself chasing another. Time was in flux, he could tell it. It wasn't right that they should be crossing their own timelines like that. What was it that they were doing? What was so bad that would make him hunt another version of himself. "The one they were chasing, what was dressed like?"
"Rather Victorian. Almost as if he was out of an H.G. Wells novel."
"That's bad, very bad. Actually, that's worse."
"What's the matter Doctor?"
"That was my eighth regeneration, he was Doctor that fought in the Time War. He was the one that ended the Time War. If the others are looking for him, it might be to stop him from doing what's necessary. But how would they know? Someone would have had to told them. They wouldn't understand, they would just know the horrific nature of it all."
"If they stop him, the Time War will still rage on?"
"Oh, yes. The Daleks and the Time Lords will burn a great deal of the universe to cinders before it ever gets resolved. No, no, no… this cannot be happening. I can't allow it to happen. I have to convince them that this isn't the way."
"You'll need help."
"I have to do this myself."
"Doctor, you need someone who might have enough persuasion to talk your otherselves out of this. I might be able to do that."
"River, no. As it is, I'm a little more than cross you went back to look in on me. I know when I met you the first time. I don't need you causing more problems than that. Promise me, River."
"Alright, Doctor. I promise, no more looking you up. I still think you need some help."
"I'm going to get it."
"But you said that you had to do it yourself…" she stopped to consider a moment.
"Other versions of yourself. You're going to try to convince them to help you."
"Guaranteed they didn't go to my two previous incarnations. They stopped with the eighth because any other versions would obviously be in agreement with the actions that the previous committed."
"All those Doctors in one timeline. That has to be exciting."
"It never works out. We manage to save the day, but we don't get along. It's hard to win an argument with yourself. It would send a lot of people into therapy on Earth. I wonder if Amy could recommend someone? Of course I don't think they're quite up on the necessity of meeting oneself under threat of paradox. Mind you, I don't think many Time Lords were either."
"You're amazing Doctor, you know that?"
"Of course I do! I'm the Doctor! I'm dressed for success." He adjusted his bowtie and stood up.
He ran out of the door and headed back to the TARDIS. As he started the engines his jaw set itself in a hardened look. The idea of this many Doctors running around appalled him to no end. He wasn't sure it was really a good idea to involve the others, but what else could he do? He couldn't be sure he could convince the earlier incarnations that he was right. He also wasn't convinced that the other two would be able to either, but he needed to try. His eighth regeneration was far too important to the Time War. They couldn't understand that without the Time Lock placed on it, someone could go back and change the Moment. That one bit of time when Gallifrey and the Daleks burned was the final blow in the war that ended it all. Rassilon himself had changed certain things to make the Master a gateway for the return of Time Lords. It wasn't bad enough that the resurrected the Master, but then to change him to the extent of making him so unstable was unthinkable. It didn't matter much as the Master was dead. The Doctor paused a moment at the thought. It wasn't the first time the Master died. If it was possible for anyone to come back from the dead, it was him. It wasn't as if he'd never done it before. And knowing full well what Rassilon did to him, he was the one person that could undo it. Returned to the classic villainy of his original incarnations he would be that much more deadly. That's to say nothing if he's return with a set of full regenerations. This entire scenario screamed the Master. If for no other reason so that he himself could stop the Doctors one and all, take the moment, and leave himself the last Time Lord. The plot was fiendish to its core. The problem was it was all speculation. There were so many different enemies of the Doctor that would be more than pleased to do this. The Daleks have been more meddlesome since the end of the Time War. So many questions, so little answers.
