A/N: And Chapter Two is here! :) Now if you haven't read the other episode of this series then this opening might confuse you, so I would recommend going back to read them, but basically The Doctor and a friend are going into his memories and now they are taking a break as Alex can't figure out what just happened. (And since that explaination sucked... it might just be better to read the earlier episodes :P)
Also a massive thanks to whomever it was who gave a review. I don't mind getting anonymous (sp? :P) reviews that's a-okay with me :D I'm glad you've been enjoying the series and I will venture to make every episode better than the last :) Enjoy it and please review! :D
His Darkest Hour
Chapter Two: With Friends Like These...
"Sorry," I groaned, pulling myself out of the cream chair near the doorway and pulling the switches he'd pointed at, " but my head hurts. Run me through it one more time?"
The Doctor's face re-appeared from the insides of a trunk, gripping something tightly and glaring at it as though daring it to try and hide from him again. He sighed deeply. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder how you lot manage in everyday life if you can't wrap that mind of your's around some basic Quantum mechanics."
"Yeah," I laughed, "because it's impossible to even have breakfast in the mornings without requiring some use of Quantum mechanics."
"You can't actually!" The Doctor said grinning widely. "You see-"
"Please Doctor," I pleaded, "my head is already hurting enough trying to figure out the space-time ball of wibbly-wobbly stuff. Don't make breakfast time a headache as well."
The Doctor slid beneath the console to fix the component in place. "Quite right I suppose. Who'd want a headache right after a long night's sleep, especially," his voice strained as he tried to force it in and then I heard a clunk and the console seemed to grow brighter. He stood up to face me. "Especially with all the exploring that could be done!"
It was nice to take a break from the interface, it seemed that the deeper we delved into this story the harder the ride became. I wanted to know what The Doctor had found and why it needed all this information to protect others from it, but it seemed that The Doctor was very aware of the strains of his murky past. Still... "You know you haven't actually explained why you needed to blow those Daleks up Doctor. And why did you have what looked like a heart attack afterwards?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I have explained, twice actually, but you just haven't been listening Alex!" The exasperation in his voice just made me smile.
"What you mean all that mumbo-jumbo about "gravitic anomalisers" and "time-space pathways"? You might want to go just a little bit slower this time."
The Doctor rolled his eyes, snapping a lever down and indicating I should probably take a seat again. "Right," he sighed, beginning his usual, confusing travel around the console, "You remember what For called me earlier?"
"A barly-humanoid traitor?" The Doctor winced.
"Not that no. Try again," he called from the other side of the console.
I had to think for a moment, because to be honest it had been the other insult that had really stuck with me, but then I remembered. "You mean the Weak's Enforcer?"
The Doctor triumphantly pressed a button and paused to say "that's the one!" before heading down beneath me to continue adding the weird looking part to the TARDIS. "The Weak was the name our Daleks had given the older versions of themselves-"
"And those older versions called them the False?"
"Ha-ha you're getting the hang of this Alex!" His voice bounced around the room, ringing from the underbelly with glee. He soon re-appeared and played with some more buttons.
"But what does that have to do with any of it?" The doctor sighed again.
"You'll see. It'll be easier if I just showed you."
The Doctor jerked awake, his head pulsing as his mind caught up with everything. "Ohhhhh my head! I hate a bad night's sleep!" He stood up, glaring at the TARDIS console. "Why aren't you ever comfortable? For's TARDIS has grass!" Then he calmed down, whispered "sorry old girl" and slouched on the sofa, his head in his hands.
The Doctor who was watching this scene unfold beside me, said "Re-arranging a time stream, especially your own, is always dangerous, but I didn't have any choice." I opened my mouth to ask what he was on about but he just pointed to where he was slouched on the rather springy chair.
"Well," he muttered, standing up and heading over to the scanner, "time to call the neighbours." He clicked the dial three times, and an empty stone hall slowly faded into view. "For?" He said, before grinning slightly and muttering "You always did like a lie-in... For!"
A surprised grunt drifted through the receiver and then a strained noise as a man stood up and stretched heartily, his back to the screen. It took a moment for him to realise he was on the intercom. A look a shock and resentment filtered into the man's bright eyes, dulling them considerably as he realised where The Doctor was standing. "Doctor? What are you doing in that TARDIS! That's no longer your's to own." The Doctor smiled a bemused smile.
"This TARDIS is mine for along as she wants me For. And the reason I'm here? Well I'm done playing your game." For smiled back, but his wasn't as friendly.
"What game would that be, Doctor?" The Doctor transfered For's image to the main screen beside the front doors and walked up to the railings to lean on them.
"An Infinity Loop, For. You know, I found it strange that these Daleks were supposedly helping me and I found it stranger that you claimed I'd already sided with them. I just couldn't make it add up and then I found out that these particular Daleks had fought back from two centuries in the future to end this war now. But why?"
"Well I'd love for you to tell me Doctor." For's sneer extended, morphing into a sick grimace.
"Oh I will. It's because of what I was planning; to prohibit time-travel, to stop exactly that happening. But in doing so I would make this war unwinnable and the only way to win it would be to reingage time-travel, which they obviously did, so in trying to avert it I ended up creating it, as is the curse of knowing too much."
"Very good Doctor. You always were the best at talking nonsense. So you destroyed the only things left in the universe willing to help you, and stole your TARDIS back because you thought that would save the day?"
"Yes." The Doctor murmered, avoiding For's gaze. "I restructured this time line because I'm not just going to give up. I can't allow you to resurrect never-ending years of endless suffering for just one person."
"This isn't just for one person Doctor!" For seemed outraged, but his voice didn't raise at all, which just seemed all the more threatening. "This is for everyone of our friends, for every member of our families, for our people that you butchered in cold blood! This is so that we can win this war together, cleanly and fairly and not with the mass genecide of anyone I ever loved!" A tear rolled down For's cheek, which he attempted to wipe away descreetly.
The Doctor seemed to do the same, looking away for a few seconds before addressing For once again. "I'm sorry For but to be brutally honest you are young and you don't know what you're doing. I wish, I truly wish with both my hearts that I could agree with you, that we really could win it with one more try but... it's impossible."
For sniffed, glaring at his old friend with contempt burning in his eyes. "I will never give up on my race Doctor. I never thought I'd see the day when the friend I'd idolized gave up on everything close to his hearts."
The Doctor stood up, crying in rebellious tones against the truth that For was forcing him to face. "If you won't listen then there is nothing else for it! This has gone far enough! For, I cannot allow you to do this. I'm coming for you, and you'd better be ready, because this time I'm not holding back! The Time War must never be allowed to rage again, for everyone else in this universe!" He slammed his hand down onto the console behind him and watched the screen blink off.
He stood panting there for a moment, his body stiff, his hand frozen. Then he began to run around the console, furiously pounding every button within reach, but no matter how much he roared, stamped and fumed, he couldn't disguise the tears that escaped from his carefully constructed mask and streamed freely down his face.