AN: hullo again! That was impressive- really, nearly 50% more than I asked for in record time, so I guess I owe it to you to update as soon as possible with this penultimate chapter- thanks to all of you, so much.
This chap's quote:
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.
I'm pretty sure most of you remember last chap- hope you enjoy this!
There was a bone shattering crash, and then a bright blue shockwave burst from the floor of the control room, throwing the Doctor into the air and breaking the glass above him before spreading across the whole planet. Amy fell unconscious, and the Time Warrior's hands went to her helmet as she fell to her knees.
Falling back to the ground with a thump, the Doctor hissed in pain- rolling onto his back, fairly sure of a few cracked ribs and less remarkably to him, several cuts from the fallen crystal laced across his his face, hands, shoulders and back. He looked up and saw Amy- eyes shut and limp- barely balanced on a shard of glass and one of the bronze bars.
About a metre away, the Time Lady was hanging from the bar, having slipped after collapsing to her knees- and with the skill of an acrobat swung herself up and ran to safety, ignoring the human. The Doctor swore, then shouted, "Amy!"
She didn't react, and she was beginning to slide towards the drop- a drop which would undoubtedly kill her…
Not wanting to let her out of his sight, but knowing he had to, the Doctor ran back to the teleport- ignoring the messages on the screens on the floor.
INTERFERENCE AVOIDED. BOMB DEACTIVATED.
TIME FREEZE- ACTIVE.
X
On the surface of the planet, the Doctor looked out over the shattered remains of the control room's roof- gleaming metal spires only a few inches thick, occasionally supporting shards of some kind of crystal and glass compound.
A few metres away from him, the Time Lady was on her knees, clutching her helmet. The Doctor frowned- wanting to know what was wrong, but his first priority was Amy.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped out onto the metal bar.
"Don't look down….Don't-look-down."
Arms out like a tightrope walker to try and balance his wait, the Doctor made his way across the curving pathways towards the unconscious Amy. Halfway, one of his boots slipped- and breathing fast he glanced down, at the massive drop below- before a floor covered in huge shards of shattered glass.
Looking back up, hearts hammering, the Doctor kept going- ever so slightly less confident. "And that is why you don't look down."
At last he reached the human girl, crouching on the bar- unwilling to put his weight on the cracked glass in case he broke the weak bond holding it to the metal. Reaching out and wobbling a little, he grabbed Amy's shoulders, then put his hands under her arms, dragging her a little closer.
With a sound like nails on a blackboard, the glass cracked a little more. The Doctor's eyes darted to the veining milk white lines and then back to the girl he was holding. Her head lolled- and her legs left a trail of blood. He felt a sickening wave of guilt that she'd ended up like this.
For now, he put it to the back of his mind- trying not to think about the Hathoria, instead pulling her closer- till her torso was in his arms and most of her weight was balanced on the bars.
Grimacing- trying not to think about all the ways this could go wrong, the Doctor reached out a hand- sliding it under her bloody thighs, whilst the other arm supported her lower back. Taking a deep breath- and pausing briefly to kiss her forehead, the Doctor got ready to stand.
"One…two…three!"
He heaved himself up, carrying her with him, and walked back across the bars- overly aware of the height and her weight- determined not to let her fall. He made his way back in about half the time, his worry for Amy driving him to walk faster and faster- until at last they touched land.
Breathing a sigh of relief, the Doctor gently lay her down, brushing her hair from her face and kissing her forehead again.
Behind them, there was another crack, and the glass she'd been resting on broke from the bar- falling for a few seconds before shattering with a crunch.
The Doctor flinched a little- and the Time Lady whimpered in pan. Glancing over, he saw that by now she was lying down, curled in a fetal position as her hands clutched at her helmet.
Knowing she was the one who'd hurt Amy filled him with enough anger to leave her there in pain and not bother to find out what was wrong. But he also knew she was the only other remaining Gallifreyan in this universe now the Master was gone. He owed his race his assistance at least.
Eyes hard, he kissed Amy on the forehead again before getting up and walking over to the other survivor- who'd wanted to end it all.
X
The Time Lady moaned again, eyes tightly shut- and now he was close enough, the Doctor could see the delicate arcs of white electricity over the helmet and her face.
Crouching next to her- he examined the bronze of the helmet. It was no ordinary Gallifreyan helmet- inside, flashing and twisting, were various metal gears and boxes- and somehow, it was torturing her.
The Doctor frowned- things were no longer as straightforward as he'd thought. Her hands were red from trying to pull off the helmet and being burnt by the electricity- and tears ran down her face- which was creased with wrinkles.
Unless she was well over a few thousand years old- she shouldn't be showing any signs of aging. Pulling out his screwdriver, the Doctor murmured.
"The plot thickens."
As he scanned the helmet, the woman's eyes snapped open- and though she continued to writhe in agony, she stopped moaning immediately.
"Who-who are you?"
Her voice was soft and weak, and her jaw was tight as she forced the words out. The other Time lord raised his eyebrows.
"A traitor- according to you. But most call me the Doctor."
Recognition flashed in her blue eyes and she managed a strained, tight smile. "I-I thought so. I've heard the stories….our most famous betrayer." The Doctor flinched at the word. "Our greatest saviour."
He blinked, and she tried to smile a little more whilst her hands clawed at the dust and rock.
"Are you mocking me?" He murmured.
The woman let out a shaking gasp- and now, it was unmistakable, her wrinkles had deepened and spread-so she looked like a human woman of about sixty.
"No. I- was driven mad by the…Time Loop." The Doctor cocked an eyebrow, disbelieving, but she carried on regardless, focusing on the medusa cascade behind his shoulder as she spoke.
"This…was my punishment."
The Doctor nodded to the helmet. "What, that?"
Her eyebrows pulled up in the middle as her back arched and she shut her eyes, opening her mouth in a silent scream. After a few seconds, she fell back down.
"No. Triggering Omega."
He frowned in astonishment- of all the things the Doctor had expected her to say, it wasn't that. "But you're a soldier- how is winning the war a punishment?"
She smiled a little, minutely shaking her head.
"I wasn't..always..a soldier. I discovered the plans. Protested. Threatened to reveal them to our race- the majority of whom had no knowledge of this…project." In spite of her weak state, she still managed to spit the word.
"So, they caught me- put me into armour, and attached this to my head. It's a…device- to make me human."
"Of course." He breathed, the helmet- electricity, and inexplicable aging coming together at once. The woman nodded again, just a little.
" way I'd die. But I would die human- other than my family and loved ones. Alienated from our race in my last moments. At first- it was not enough to tempt me, but then the Time Loop set in."
Her hand reached for the Doctor's- clutching it tightly.
"Imagine it Doctor. Two hundred and seventy six years. Conscious, as you repeated the same action, again and again and again. In the end- I forgot why I was there. I forgot why I didn't want this. I forgot what was hidden inside this helmet. All I wanted was to complete my task."
She paused, gritting her teeth and taking a hissing breath. By now her skin was papery- her hair pure white. It was a pitiful sight- seeing her so frail on the ground, but her eyes still burnt with fierce strength.
"You stopped me." Her voice was wondering, and barely more than a whisper. "I can't thank you enough."
Her hand, now knarled and slight, clutched the Doctor's, and he squeezed it back.
"What's your name?"
She smiled. "People used to call me Lady Rosanna. Then the Strategist. Then the Tribute. But…those who loved me…who I trusted…knew me as Elkani."
The Doctor's left him in a rush as she murmured her true name in their language. He felt a tear come to his eye as she continued to age, clearly, this device was somehow fixed. He got out his screwdriver, scanning it again.
"But why are you aging? I don't understand- it should make you human as you are."
Elkani sighed, still trembling slightly- but lacking enough strength to struggle against the currents running through her body.
"You froze the planet- and this device activated the second the Time Loop was broken. I was turning human already- it was taking off the years, but you froze me at the age I was."
The Doctor's eyes widened in realization as she continued, though she could see he understood.
"The device could still physically make me a human being- but my age was locked into my bodyclock. And by that point, it was still 864."
Distressed, the Time Lord took her hand- holding it in both of his and searching her face. "I'm sorry."
Her lined mouth stretched into a weak smile. "As am I."
Meeting her eyes for a second, the Doctor snapped into action- scanning her helmet and then smacking the screwdriver against his thigh, swearing under his breath as he thought furiously, trying to save Elkani.
He froze when her hand rested on his knee.
"It is too late now. But…I am content. You stopped Omega. I do not have to die with that blood on my conscience."
She shut her eyes, but opened them when he took her hand again.
"I want you to know- the Time War- it's over."
Elkani gapsed, and her eyes filled with sudden tears. She gripped the Doctor's hand tightly.
"How?"
"I put it into a Time Lock- this escaped through the rift, but now the link's broken. The universe is safe. This universe- and you escaped the Time War. You survived after all."
Tears ran down her face as she took this in, smiling as if no pain ran through her body, even as her skin paled and lightened, sinking onto her bones almost imperceptibly. Suddenly her eyes met the Doctor's.
"But then- if I die…you're alone."
The Doctor shook his head, glancing back at Amy, still unconscious on the ground.
"No, I'm not."
Elkani chuckled a little. "She's feisty, that one. We were wrong about them, I think."
The Doctor nodded, grinning.
"You know that she too will be affected by this?"
Again the Doctor nodded, though the smile had fallen from his face. "Yes. But…I love her. We'll make it through."
The Time Lady smiled, even as her hair began to drop lightly from her head like silken snow.
"I'm sure you will. Doctor- don't forget." She waited for his eyes to meet hers. "You are our saviour. Not our betrayer. That is how we remember you."
With that, Elkani shut her eyes, gently pulling her hand from the Doctor's, and rested both hands on her abdomen. She looked for a moment as if she was merely asleep- and then there was a faint sigh, and she melted into dust.
The Doctor shut his eyes as her remains were whisked away by the light wind. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he crouched, hands clasped- as if he were praying to his ancestors. Thanking them for their forgiveness under the medusa cascade.
One more chapter after this- which will be posted tomorrow evening and end this series unless there's a very convincing argument otherwise- I will write more DW, but this story is coming to an end, I hope you've enjoyed it.
Please do comment on this chapter- if anything for old time's sake, and again, thankyou for reading,
Kat