Returning to the Flight deck in he can hear a signal being broadcast the same four beats over and over again.
"it's coming from Earth. It's on every single wavelength." Addams tells him.
"But you said your people were dead. Past tense." Wilfred says coming up behind him.
"Inside the Time War. And the whole War was Timelocked. Like, sealed inside a bubble. It's not a bubble but just think of a bubble. Nothing can get in or get out of the Timelock. Don't you see? Nothing can get in or get out, except something that was already there." He tries to explain.
"The signal. Since he was a kid." Wilfred says catching on.
"If they can follow the signal, they can escape before they die."
"Well, then, big reunion. We'll have a party." Wilfred says happily.
"There will be no party."
"But I've heard you talk about your people like they're wonderful."
"That's how I choose to remember them, the Time Lords of old. But then they went to war. An endless war, and it changed them right to the core. You've seen my enemies, Wilfred. The Time Lords are more dangerous than any of them." He says. Then he turns back to Addams. "Right, yes, you. This is a salvage ship, yes? You go trawling the asteroid fields for junk?"
"Yeah, what about it?" She says.
"So, you've got asteroid lasers!" He says happily.
"Yeah, but they're all frazzled." Rossiter says.
He throws a lever and two gun alcoves open on either side of the flight controls. " Consider them unfrazzled. You there, Addams, I'm going to need you on navigation." He looks to Rossiter. "And you, get in the laser-pod. Wilfred."
"Yeah?"
"Laser number two. The old soldier's got one more battle."
"This ship can't move. It's dead!" Addams tells him.
"Fix the heating?" He smiles at her and then throws two levers and powers up the ship.
"But now they can see us."
"Oh, yes!" He grabs the controls.
"This is my ship, and you're not moving it. Step away from the wheel." Addams tells him.
"There's an old Earth saying, Captain. A phrase of great power and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need."
"What's that, then?"
"Allons-y!" He yells out and pulls back on the controls sending the ship towards the Earth and then through the atmosphere.
"You are blinking, flipping mad."
"You two. What did I say? Lasers." He calls out to Rossiter and Wilfred who are still nearby.
"What for?" Rossiter asks him.
"Because of the missiles. We've got to fight off an entire planet."
They run off to get to the laser pods and he drives the ship down to the ocean. "You two, open fire." He says over the intercom as he dodges a missile. one side starts shooting.
"Come on, Wilf!" He calls and to his relief he sees two more missiles explode before they can reach them.
"And there's more. Sixteen of them. Oh, and another sixteen." Addams says.
"Then get on the rear gun lasers! You two, open fire! Now!" He calls out, watching the missiles being destroyed.
When the last one is gone from radar he looks at Addams. "Lock the navigation." He tells her.
"Onto what?" She asks him.
"England. The Naismith mansion."
Wilfred and Rossiter come back on deck and after a few minutes he asks her. "Destination?"
"Fifty kliks and closing. We've locked on to the house. We are going to stop, though. Doctor? We are going to stop?"
"Doctor? Doctor, you said you were going to die."
"He said what?" Addams asks.
"But is that all of us? I won't stop you, sir. But is this it?" Wilfred asks him.
He pulls the spaceship's nose up at the last moment, then opens the hatch on the floor. He looks at Wilfred one last time with the revolver ready and then jumps down out of the hatch. He falls through the glass dome and lands hard on the marble floor. He breaks his nose as it hits the ground and feels the glass from the dome cut his bare skin on his face and arms. He tries to lift his arm with the gun and it drops to the ground. He then tries to stand but every muscle in his body aches. He lays there and watches as five Timelords arrive at the gate. Three of them are standing and the other two are kneeling with their faces in their hands.
"My Lord Doctor. My Lord Master. We are gathered for the end." Rassilon says.
"Listen to me. You can't!" He says pulling himself into a sitting position.
"It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child."
"Oh, he's not saving you. Don't you realize what he's doing?" He says to Rassilon.
"Hey, no, hey! That's mine. Hush. Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them, because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord. Oh, yes, Mister President, sir, standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me." The Master says happily.
Rassilon holds up his metal gauntlet and as it glows everyone who looks like the Master goes blurry and then changes back to there normal self.
"On your knees, mankind." Rassilon says and the people in the room obey.
"No, that's fine, that's good, because you said salvation. I still saved you. Don't forget that." The Master says.
"The approach begins."
"Approach of what?" The Master asks.
"Something is returning. Don't you ever listen? That was the prophecy. Not someone, something." He says feeling as though he is explaining things to Kiam.
"What is it?" The Master asks.
"They're not just bringing back the species. It's Gallifrey. Right here, right now." The people in the room panic and run out.
"But, I did this. I get the credit. I'm on your side." The Master tells Rassilon. "But this is fantastic, isn't it? The Time Lords restored."
"You weren't there in the final days of the War. You never saw what was born. But if the Timelock's broken, then everything's coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-have-been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres. The War turned into hell. And that's what you've opened, right above the Earth. Hell is descending."
"My kind of world." The Master says.
"Just listen! Because even the Time Lords can't survive that." He tells him.
"We will initiate the Final Sanction. The end of time will come at my hand. The rupture will continue until it rips the Time Vortex apart." Rassilon announces.
"That's suicide." The Master says.
"We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone. Free of these bodies, free of time, and cause and effect, while creation itself ceases to be."
"You see now? That's what they were planning in the final days of the War. I had to stop them." He looks at the Master and starts to pull himself to his feet.
"Then, take me with you, Lord President. Let me ascend into glory."
"You are diseased, albeit a disease of our own making. No more." Rassilon says.
He pulls out the revolver and points it at Rassilon.
"Choose your enemy well. We are many. The Master is but one." Rassilon tells him.
"But he's the President. Kill him, and Gallifrey could be yours." The Master says and he turns and aims at the Master. "He's to blame, not me. Oh, the link is inside my head. Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back. You never would, you coward. Go on then. Do it."
He turns back and aims again at Rassilon.
"Exactly. It's not just me, it's him. He's the link. Kill him!" The Master taunts him.
"The final act of your life is murder. But which one of us?" Rassilon asks him. He see movement behind Rassilon and he watches as his mother lowers he hands from her face. His face falls as he thinks of all the things she would never see and remembers how much he has missed her. But her being their on her knees tells him that she went against Rassilon and that makes his decision easy. He sees her looking over his shoulder in the Masters direction and he realizes what she sees. He turns back around to the Master.
"Get out of the way." He says and the Master smiles and dives out of the way as he shoots the controls and the link explodes. The Timelords start being sucked back into the void.
"The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell." He calls out.
"You'll die with me, Doctor." Rassilon says.
"I know." He says. He keeps one eye on Rassilon and the other on his mother as she smiles sadly at him and then recovers her face. Rassilon aims the gauntlet at him and he hears the Master say. "Get out of the way."
He manages to take a step back and the Master starts attack Rassilon with his energy.
"You did this to me! All of my life! You made me!" He screams at him and forces Rassilon to his knees. He stands there and keeps firing energy at him until there is a bright light and the Timelords and Gallifrey disappear.
Unable to hold himself up anymore he falls to his knees. "Their gone." The Master says. "The drums are gone.
"Where's River," He asks the Master once more looking up at him.
"She's fine." The Master says. "You really don't know who she is do you?" He shakes his head. "She will contact you when it is time." and with that he press down a button on the vortex manipulator and disappears again.
"I'm alive." He realizes "I'm still alive."
He is still on his knees, overjoyed at the realization that he lived when he hears knocking. He turns his head slowly and sees Wilfred trapped in the nuclear booths.
"They gone, then? Yeah, good-o. If you could let me out?"
"Yeah." He stands up slowly and walks over to the chamber.
"Only, this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise." Wilfred says.
"The Master left the Nuclear Bolt running. It's gone into overload." He tells Wilfred.
"And that's bad, is it?"
"No, because all the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All five hundred thousand rads, about to flood that thing."
"Oh. Well, you'd better let me out, then." Wilfred says hopefully.
"Except it's gone critical. Touch one control and it floods. Even this would set it off." He holds up the sonic screwdriver.
"I'm sorry." Wilfred apologizes.
"Sure." he says coldly.
"Look, just leave me." Wilfred tells him.
"Okay, right then, I will." He starts to storm towards the doors to leave but about half way there he turns around and says angrily. "Because you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go and get stuck, oh yes. Because that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this. Waiting for me all this time." He turns to the nearby desk and runs his arm across it throwing everything to the ground.
"No really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time."
"Well, exactly. Look at you. Not remotely important. But me? I could do so much more. So much more! But this is what I get. My reward. And it's not fair!" He pounds his fist against his chest and then realizes what he is saying. "Oh. Oh. I've lived too long."
"No. No, no, please, please don't. No, don't! Please don't! Please!" Wilfred begs him.
"Wilfred, it's my honor. Better be quick." But as he approaches the chamber he hears Wilfred say. "Tell Donna and Sylvia I love them" and then he sees Wilfred reach out and hit a button. The booth turns red as an alarm sounds. "Wilfred." He screams as he watches the man keel over. The power shuts down and he stares at the old man laying in the bottom of the chamber. Tears stream down his face and he pounds his hand against the glass. He stands there crying for his lost friend until he finally turns and heads back to the Tardis.
He lands the Tardis outside of the Noble's house and walks out slowly. Sylvia runs up to him with a grin on her face but as she gets closer and sees his face the grin fades. "No," she says.
"Sylvia, I am so so sorry." he says and she slams her fist into his chest.
"You monster," She screams hitting him. He doesn't fight her and lets her hit him until she collapses against him crying. He tries to comfort her but she stands tall again. "I don't want to ever see you around here again, you've done enough Doctor." She turns and heads back to the house and he watches her go.
He sent them a lottery ticket a couple of days later. He knew it wouldn't bring back Donna's memories or Wilfred but he could at least make sure that they were taken care of.
He had spent these last three months checking on his old companions. He had to make sure that he hadn't ruined their lives as well. He found Jo's family her kids and her grandchildren living happily. He saved Luke and made sure Sarah Jane was all right. He laughed with Martha and Mickey. Then got lectured by Jack. Finally he had reached Rose.
He landed the Tardis near the park by the Powell Estate and walked over to the gate to see Rose and Kiam playing on the swings. It had been four months since he had seen them but to them only three weeks had passed. Kiam spotted him and got off the swing running towards him "Dada" He screamed, launching himself into his arms.
He held him and then turned to Rose, who was walking wearily over. "Rose, I screwed up." He said. "I hurt you and I swore I never would. If you want more kids then we will have more kids. If you want to settle down and raise them here on Earth. I will. I will give up traveling and work for Jack or U.N.I.T if it means you will be happy." He reaches in his pocket and pulls her ring out, and holds it out to her. "If you let me, I will take care of you for the rest of your days and love you for the rest of mine." She holds out her hand and he slips the ring on her finger for the second time.