The Sign of the Doctor
The Doctor had just been kneeling before the memorial on the Eye of Orion when he fell to the ground before his past self, but not just any version of himself, it was him, it may have been from before the Last Day but was still him…
"WHAT!?"the Doctor jumped to his feet and stood before his past, the days forever reviled… "It's you, how can you be here?"
His past self-narrowed his eyes; he could detect the hostility in his futures tone.
"Doctor, why are there two of you?" Sarah stepped forward in an attempt to break the tension.
"It's a grey area, you'd be better to ask my future self," the eight Doctor said still looking intently at his future self, who seemed unable to meet his eyes and when he did they showed open hatred.
"I wouldn't know this version of me is suppressed and as this is a violation of the first Law of Time I won't retain memories anyway," the tenth Doctor retorted as he tore his gaze away. "Hello Sarah Jane,"
Reaching out Sarah gave the tenth Doctor a tentative hug, while Martha, Jack and Mickey crowded in the eight Doctor moved to the blackstar controls.
"Why is he here?" the tenth Doctor asked Jack as he looked over his shoulder at his past self, his face marred by hatred.
"He answered our call for help," Mickey said looking at the Doctor. "He's you though isn't he?"
"Yes he is unfortunately," the tenth Doctor turned to look at his past. "What is it?"
The eighth Doctor turned to look at his future self.
"I don't know what your problem with me is, but we have more immediate problems Doctor!" the eight incarnation said, a slight Scottish tone reminiscent of his seventh incarnation.
"Why, what's happening?" the tenth Doctor pushed his past self out of the way as he manipulated the controls to bring up a hologram of the warships exterior, two dark orange blips were entering a geosynchronous orbit.
"Jack wasn't it?" the eight Doctor was striding down the steps towards the door, coat tails flying.
"Yeah," Jack was scrambling to follow the eight Doctor still looking back at his own version of the Time Lord.
"Any minute now we're going to be faced with intruders, I need you to identify the places of most likely entrance to this chamber,"
"Why this room?" Jack asked already starting to check in his head.
"Because inside this room is a weapon of immense power that needs to reach its destination," the eight Doctor was already making his way to his future self. "Doctor what've you got, I've a feeling I've slipped forwards through relative Time and won't be able to call Gallifrey for assistance."
"Nothing except for a screwdriver," the tenth Doctor spat back acidly.
"Okay have you identified the incoming ships?" the eight Doctor responded diplomatically.
"No there's too much damage," the tenth Doctor was still glaring at him.
"Okay what's your problem with me Doctor? I've been sent by the High Council to investigate and I'm not leaving, which means we need to work together so what's your problem with me?!"
"You don't deserve the name Doctor,"the tenth Doctor hissed at him before moving aside.
The giant warship was an omniscate Seal of Rassilon journeying through space, it was marred by scorch and gouge marks as three flies by comparison, these flies went on close sorties and when nothing intercepted them they sent transmat beams directed to find the largest empty space.
"I've rigged a transduction field, that'll prevent anyone transmatting directly in here but the rest of the ship is unprotected," the eight Doctor turned back to look at the rest of them. "Jack, Mickey locate the most likely point of ingress, and cover it. Sarah, Doctor I want you to enter the conduits and open the control grid so I can expand the field generated by the blackstars vibrations. Martha, I need you on power monitor four so as to trip the circuit when I say."
"Just one thing Doctor, who put you in charge?" the tenth self asked his hate filled gaze fixed on him.
"Precedent Doctor," the eight Doctor said back icily, his future self's attitude was getting on his nerves. "On most occasions when multiple versions of us have meet the earliest incarnation has taken charge."
"Except during the incident with the Ferutu and the Vault of Stellar Curios," the tenth Doctor said back smugly.
"Yes, but on those occasions the elder incarnation remembered the events, I take it you don't" the eight Doctor said back his tone reasonable and patient, but his future self was still glowering at him. "Okay then, what's your plan!"
The tenth Doctor smiled a little in victory as the others looked to him.
"Here's the plan…" the tenth Doctor stopped and looked blank, Jack was reminded of the time in Cardiff with the ninth Doctor when they'd gone after Margret Blain. "Like he said, good plan,"
He then made his way to the maintenance crawlway.
Turning back to the controls the eight Doctor muttered under his breath, 'I haven't had this much trouble since Cousin Satthraloppe.'
The Zygons moved through the darkened hallways until the entered archway to the blackstar, Jack stood at the ready to fire.
"Doctor, I need the control grid open now!" the eighth Doctor cried out as he did all he could to maintain the transduction field, the crawlway exploded and the tenth Doctor and Sarah fell out, the tenth Doctor turned to him and nodded.
"Martha, now!" the eighth Doctor ordered before the power conduits exploded around him, there was too much damage, what happened next was too fast to follow, within moments the tenth Doctor was on the ground rocked by spasms. Jack was being held by the neck and the other humans were unconscious, the eighth Doctor crawled over to his future self, it was obvious what had happened; he'd been attacked telepathically and had gone into a self-induced coma as a defence.
Suddenly the Doctor's vision flashed and he fell to the ground.
Jack gasped and woke with a shudder, it took him a while before he realised he'd merely been unconscious, to his left was the tenth Doctor and pacing before him was the eighth Doctor.
"Ah! You're awake!" Jack winced at the eighth Doctor's loud exclamation.
"Do you have to be so loud?"
"Sorry," the Doctor bounded over to him. "I need your help,"
The Doctor looked to the organic weave that made up the cell wall before looking back to Jack.
"My future self has gone into telepathic retreat, in order to help him I'll need to get inside his mind,"
"Okay, why do you need me?" Jack turned to him, his heads thumping had gone down a bit.
"He's my future self, I need someone inside to help me avoid anything that could contaminate the Timeline." The Doctor was already kneeling beside his future self.
"Okay, what do I do?"
"Kneel opposite me and clear your mind," the Doctor reached out two fingers to Jack's temple, he then looked down at his future. "Contact."
The Doctor and Jack found themselves in a black void with a massive tree in the horizon, Jack could see a frail figure in the distance.
"Doctor, who's that over there?" Jack asked as they started towards him.
As the Doctor grew closer a knot grew in his stomach and he broke into a run.
When they got there they saw a middle-aged man covered with blood and dirt, his clothes were in tatters and his eyes were closed. He was covered in the marks of savage torture, he wheezed with his breath as every intake of breath must have been agony, but the thing was most worrying was the figure was clearly the eighth Doctor himself.
Looking up the Doctor saw a simple High Gallifreyan signature.
"It's my signature…" the eighth Doctor murmured.
"What?" Jack's voice quiet with the shock.
"This; it's my handiwork, I did this to myself…"