Chapter Five
River regained consciousness with stinging hands and ankles. She looked around. In another white corridor she was being suspended a metre off the ground with the aching body parts in mention bound by vibrating blue waves. River realised this was like an electrical fence used for keeping livestock, except this version was for restraining prisoners; if she moved, she would get a painful electrical zap. To her right, the Nurse was in a similar situation and fully alert.
A whining sound came from a close corridor and Davros appeared three paces in front of the captives. River guessed that Davros and his cronies had conducted a few torture and interrogation techniques in their time.
"You," Davros pointed to the Nurse, "have rampant rumours going around about you. Apparently you set a time lock around these coordinates and have imprisoned what will be a great war." He started to drop his voice and talk much quietly, but River resisted the temptation to lean in and receive an electric shock. "… And do you know the problem with this lock is?" Davros approached the Nurse and treated her to a full glare,
"AFTER THE WAR I CANNOT MOBILISE MY CREATIONS AND CONTINUE TO DESTROY AND CONQUER." Davros roared and the Nurse instinctively moved back away from the noise and jolted from the electric shock.
River was now very worried for the Nurse. How much of this could the Nurse take? Did she have any important information that could damage the war? Again, thinking quickly, she yelled at Davros, "Don't you realise it? You know how the Time Lords say that time can be rewritten. Well, we're past a certain point now where the time lock can't be unmade. It's already in place, as far as my understanding goes. You're too late."
Davros turned. Although his facial movements were limited, he was definitely unpleased. "You're a human. And I've never heard of the Time Lords saying that time can be rewritten." He wheeled his Dalek shell to look at the Nurse, "This creature created the lock and I will get what I need out of her, the information to destroy the lock, with WHATEVER MEANS necessary." River gulped. This did not sound good.
Turning to the Nurse, River noticed that given the last statement by Davros, she seemed relatively calm. The Nurse lifted her head, took a deep breath. "I did it because I love the Universe – all of it and I just love life – the good the bad the terribly awful and the absolutely hilarious." She sounded on the verge of crying, and took another shaky breath.
"I lied to the person I loved. I didn't want him to bear such a burden all of his life, on top of the enormous one he already carries. I made the lock to keep the Daleks from destroying anymore of the Universe. I had the permission of the Time Lords.
Davros was silent, listening. The Nurse had more to say. "It was the most special lock I made, the most dangerous. I made sure that the bulk of the Daleks and other evil creatures could not escape this plot in time and space, and neither the Time Lords. But I kept the memories. The memories – the most important and dangerous component. It is guise of a key, a hapless adventurer may think that they can open my time lock, but it's not real, just an intricate matrix of memories and computer simulations playing on the mind.
The Nurse slowly glanced to her left, a subtle movement. Most would have thought that she was lost in thought. But River had been in enough tricky situations to know better. She followed the Nurse's line of sight, to a vent in the ceiling. River caught sight of a bow tie – a goofy bow tie.
"And crazily enough" gasped the Nurse, "I don't think this is real. Just the projection of one of the greatest minds I know." She lowered her head, almost like taking a bow. She was done.
Davros, although evil had a great intellect, and quickly pondered the truth and fallacy of the Nurse's claim and was considering his options, "You are very wise, Time Lady, but there is one gaping flaw in your wisdom. If this time plot is unlockable, and if we are here conversing, then that means someone with memories of the Time War is here, and by my conjecturrrrrrr…" The electrically altered voice of the cripple droned out. River knew what it meant. She put her hands on her ears.
SCREEAACH. The splitting noise assaulted all of River's body. River clenched her teeth and knew it would stop in three seconds. It was her Pineapple ePal, emitting a large burst of sonic energy – much like how the sonic screwdriver works – and it was hopefully going to free her and the Nurse from their electrical restraints.
WHACK. River fell on the floor, knees first. Hands going to her laser gun and standing up simultaneously, she looked up to see the Doctor. He jumped down to stand a pace opposite Davros. River had an inkling of what might happen – something very not good. And she quickly thought about her love of the Doctor – YES SHE FINALLY ADMITTED TO HERSELF. And it was this feeling of overwhelming love that she now had to save the Doctor from himself. And fast.
River grabbed the Doctor by the arm. Yanking him, she said in her sincere voice, "Doctor, I can't image how hard this is for you. But you are alive. You are helping the Universe, always, and the Universe can't manage without you." The Doctor was not budging. He was smiling at Davros, oblivious to River.
"I'm the Time Lord on the loose," said the Doctor to Davros. Shock and fear swept across Davros' face. Despite River's great human intelligence, she was not the Dalek creator and it took her a bit longer (and some explaining) to figure it out.
The Doctor closed his eyes. He closed them so hard, and clenched his fists. It all became dark. Blackness engulfed, like the vacuum outside the TARDIS only a few hours ago. A few hours ago. Whoof, thought River, so much had happened since then. A few hours ago, just after opening the time lock. A key using memories. The Doctor. When the fog of confusion began to clear from River's mind, the Doctor turned to face her. "River, all of that was just simulated memories. I just have to block this memory out of my mind – not forget it, just command it and tell it to behave."
The Doctor grabbed her hand and looked at her. "I'm sorry for letting this get out of hand. I don't know what would have happened to you if you hadn't come around."
Overcome with great amounts of joy and confusion leaned in close to the Doctor. Logically, he put his hands around her waist. Then River quietly said to him, "Doctor I'm real. And this is real too." This remark was followed by a quick, passionate kiss, an action followed not half heartedly by the Doctor.
After a minute (or two), reunion ended (for now), the Doctor surfaced. "River, I'm sorry, but there is one more thing I need to do. He closed his eyes. Behind him, River could see the Nurse appear. She was standing up, no bounds, no hidden surprises. River stepped back to give them some space.
The Doctor turned to look at her. She approached the Doctor, and tentatively laid a delicate hand on his forehead. "You have to let it go. Keep the memories. Tell the stories so a war like this could never happen again. I …" she gulped and sniffled at the same time, "I sacrificed myself for you."
Teary, the Doctor answered, "The elder Time Lord leader explained it to me. Time Lords have always accepted the Universe as it is. No meddling in the affairs of other times and galaxies. No playing with important events. Only observe, learn and teach. But the Time War was a part of the Universe and if we – they – could sacrifice themselves to ensure that evil races could not destroy other galaxies, it would be a part of the Universe. The absence of the Time Lords would not be great. It is the way of the Universe.
A tear escaping, the Doctor continued, "My old Type 40 TARDIS was supposed to be the last to be consumed by the time lock, but the Time Lords decreed that one should be spared to educate and help the rest of the Universe to ensure that such a catastrophe could never happen again.
Now gazing into the Nurse's eyes he asked "Did you know that it was going to be me? That I was going to travel the Universe being the last Time Lord?" The Doctor continued staring into her eyes. She smiled. And waved. "Take care of yourself. Let yourself go. Adventure. Travel. Journey. Help. None of it is your fault. You are doing an immense service to the Universe. Let go, but never forget." Before River's eyes the image of the Nurse slowly vanished, like clouds drifting off. Peaceful and happy.
The Doctor turned to River. "Only the Nurse knows the answer. I'll never know. But I know as much as I need to know." The Doctor's gaze was now intense. "Sorry … and thank you. For a very long time, I needed to do that."
River stepped towards the Doctor, "Adventure. Travel. Journey. Help. I'm not the Nurse, but I'm here, Doctor, and it would be my pleasure to accompany you."
Smiling the Doctor responded, "And we'll have memories together – good, bad, awful and brilliant – and these memories will be the key to the Universe for us."
River smiled. The Doctor became slightly more animated, "Now where did that key to the TARDIS go?"