7.1
The Doctor was rather worried to discover that the young woman Turlough had brought on board this time was not Peri, but rather a Looper with quite the terrible reputation. Oh, she wasn't an MLE by any stretch, but from what everyone he'd met told him about her, Lina Inverse was not a very welcome sight.
Upon reaching the planet of Sarn, the Doctor opted not to leave the TARDIS with Turlough immediately, instead waiting for Lina to awaken (and probably Awaken). He tended to wait for Peri to wake these Loops anyways, if only to keep her from being chased by an out-of-control Kamelion.
"Gourry, don't eat that, I paid for it..." Lina mumbled. The Doctor merely raised his eyebrow slightly and waited. After a couple moments, Lina sat up and yawned, stretching.
"Good morning," the Doctor said jokingly.
"Huh? Oh, morning." Lina glanced at herself and quickly swapped the bikini she Woke up in for a copy of her typical adventuring outfit from her pocket. "What's up, Doc?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes with a smile. "If I had a pound for every time I'd heard that. Well, Lina, we've just landed on the planet Sarn, where my current companion of Turlough is due to leave, and the Master once again cheats death despite my watching him burn to ashes."
"What kind of food do they have on Sarn?"
"Typical desert fare, really," the Doctor paused. "You know, you're much calmer than I was led to believe you would be."
This time, Lina rolled her eyes. "You've probably heard a few horror stories, huh? Yeah, I do cast Dragon Slave when I'm in a new Fused Loop just to see if it works. No, I don't go around blowing up everything I come across, though I do have a little bit of a hair-trigger temper. I do eat a lot, but I need the fuel for my magic. I've actually learned how to cook a gourmet banquet to compliment my usual party's appetite. Was there anything else?"
"No, I think you've covered the basics. Shall I find us a deserted planet after we're done here for you to test Dragon Slave on?"
"No need. I've been to your Loop before, Doc, back when it was Read-Only. I have no reason to believe that it's not gonna work this time either."
"I must admit, that is something of a relief. Is there anything in particular you would like to do when we've finished on Sarn?"
"Not really. Sample some fine foods, do some research on things I didn't get to before. Just basic stuff."
"Research? I didn't take-"
"Me for the type, I know. I'm not called the 'Genius Sorceress' for nothing, ya know."
"You know, it's actually rather fascinating. I've heard so many things about all of the Original Seven, but so far a good deal of it has been exaggerated rumour."
Lina shrugged. "That's what happens when you're a legend. I've got the misfortune of being infamous in my home Loop for things that get blown way out of proportion. There's some fact in there, sure, but seriously, all I ever wanted out of life is good food, powerful magic, and a whole lot of money. Is that so much to ask?"
7.2 (Scorntex)
He was having so much fun it was almost criminal.
Oh, not being Prime Minister. That had been tediously boring the first time he'd taken the job, and he'd only been in charge for a few days (and a year, but that didn't really count).
No, the real fun was knowing that by now the Doctor was out there, somewhere in London, wondering what the hell he must have been up to when Martha Jones' apartment failed to blow up, or when the Jones family was not taken into custody. And of course there had been the wonderful, wonderful phone call.
He had tried not to let it show when he heard that voice calling his name. Instead, he'd played dumb, acting so incredibly human. And it almost sickened him to say he'd played the part well. And yet... something about the Doctor's tone sounded angrier than he remembered. A lot angrier. His un-Awake selves hadn't done something dangerous, had they?
In the end, the Doctor had hung up. Which meant any day now he was likely going to storm into Downing Street, Jones and that freakish human Fact with him. And since he hadn't actually bothered distracting those Touchdown oafs this time (after all, why bother? They were supposed to protect mankind and they didn't seem smart enough to catch a dead duck) they would probably be present as well.
So it was all going pretty good. Swimmingly, even. Oh, true, he did feel the urge to summon the Toclafane to take over Earth, destroy a large swath of mankind (maybe he'd have them remove a fraction, instead of decimating them, or have them do it in a slightly clever way), and the temptation to incinerate that President was very tempting... but he had a good thing going.
And this way Lucy didn't need to shoot him dead, or sabotage his resurrection. No, he'd... dealt with her. It have proven massively unsatisfying, in the end. He really hoped he wasn't developing a conscience. That was one of the last things he needed (although given he was on a planet of psychotic monkeys who could barely make it to their own moon, the list of things he needed was astonishingly high).
Yes, very good indeed. Which was why he was surprised when the American President still showed up. Apparently it was something to do with... actually, he wasn't even sure. He'd been thinking about those strange ant-eater things he'd seen on the television, and wondering whether it was possible to have someone make a soup dragon for him.
He hadn't been paying attention to whatever the fat man's name had been last time, but he was reasonably certain that whoever it was that had touched down with full pomp and circumstance in that bloated airplane wasn't the man he'd had the Toclafane kill last time 'round.
He was thinner for one, and younger, and considerably less hairy. He had a strangely commanding presence, as well. And the Master recognised him. He had, in his own fashion, decided to do some research on some of the beings he was likely to encounter during these Loops, to see which would be a threat to him and any potential plans. What he'd heard on this person painted an... interesting picture.
Well, interesting for a human. And a non-Looper, from all indications. But then, no-one thought he was Looping. Appearances were deceiving, and all that nonsense.
The man was staring at him with an unusual air about him. It was time to step into character. Didn't want any watching Doctors getting suspicious.
"Mister President, Sir!" he grinned. Just like his deceased counterpart, this man just glowered.
"Harold Saxon," the man said, calmly. "I do apologise for the abruptness of my visit. I could have sworn my people informed," and there was an odd inflection on his next word, "your people."
The Master's grin didn't budge. "Oh, well. These things happen. New job, all the rushing about. Probably just fell down the back of the settee. I'll have a check when I get home."
The man raised an eyebrow. "There is a more pressing reason for my appearance here, Saxon."
"Needed to stop over for gas, did you?" he grinned. "It is gas, right? That's what you Americans say. Gas."
"No," was all the President said in response. He didn't sound angry, just utterly calm.
"Then what?" he asked. The man's face remained utterly impassive.
"UNIT has approached me. They claim that an alien invasion is imminent."
The Master raised an eyebrow. "Ooh. Alien invasion? Are you sure? I thought the last two were hoaxes."
"Given their track record regarding these matters, I am..." The man paused. "I have decided to believe them."
"Could be someone had too much coffee to drink," the Master muttered.
"And yet, there are protocols," the man stated. "Protocols that require both of us."
That one was new. "Since when?" And then the man did something different. He glared. And it was actually a pretty good glare. For an American.
"Since we have been dealing with alien invasions since the nineteen-seventies, Mister Saxon."
Did the man recognise him? No. They'd never met. Well, the Master had never met him, but whether he'd met his un-Awake self, who had probably left an impression of some kind. He always did... And if he did, what then? He surely wouldn't have come expecting him to just capitulate, not against a man with a laser screwdriver, surely.
It was a difficult choice. Stay and run a boring country of insane monkeys, or see what happened next. Of course, given the man he was dealing with, it was likely a trap. And he did have a knack for escaping such things, which he did need to keep in good condition. Well, at least he had plans for dying (top of the list was not dying, but there was that bunch of groupies he'd found.)
"Alright then," he sighed. "Lead on. It's not like I have a whole country to run."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry," the man said, and from all he knew this wasn't the least bit reassuring. "You'll be briefed in no time at all. As I understand it these things have a tendency to wrap up with tremendous speed."
Cautiously, and eyeing his unknowing adversary cautiously, he boarded Air Force One. After a long, interminable time, the plane took off. After even more time, it landed at somewhere. And then he took a casual glance out of the window.
The Valiant. His Valiant, which those stupid Daleks had shot down. And here it was, back in one piece and as gorgeous as ever. What was it that stupid no-name of a human had said about it? Too something. Honestly, humans just didn't appreciate good design. A flying air-craft carrier? Who couldn't like that?
As he walked off the plane he noted his security detail being moved along by some of the President's secret service. He shot a questioning glance at the man.
"Security checks," the man explained. "Just to be on the safe side."
Toclafane was looking like a really good idea. And as he walked he saw a glimpse of the familiar brown coat. The Doctor was already there. Bless him, he had his little humans with him.
And seeing the Valiant again, all the memories it brought back. Not just that year with the Toclafane, but the work he'd put into designing it. He so rarely got a chance to build things any more, with all the rushing about the multiverse and avoiding people and not doing anything suspicious. Oh, true, it wasn't his best work, but that came of working on a budget. And he knew the sound system was definitely top-rate.
The kitchens had been a complete botch-up though. He'd made sure to have the chefs pitched off the runway the first time through.
It was slowly occurring to him that he was smiling at the memories. It wasn't his fault, it had been funny, viewed in the appropriate context. Oh, and his American "friend" was staring at him.
"Something funny, Mister Saxon?"
"Oh, just remembering something from a long time ago." The man didn't ask further. Cautiously, the Master put one hand on the pocket containing his screwdriver. He had a feeling he was going to need it.
After only a few minutes walk, they reached the main room of the Valiant. Oh, and the memories that room brought back, it made the Master feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The President stood calmly by the chair at the head of the table, and frowned. Frowning probably wasn't good, was it?
There was a small jolt, and he felt his limbs going all weak. The man stared at him. That wasn't fair! Knocking him out without so much as a conversation! That was against the rules! Wasn't he supposed to brag, or something? Isn't that what humans always did?
"Oh, you're not unconscious yet," the President explained, "I did want to talk to you first, a little lesson for later on."
Oh, crap. The human was going to brag. Bragged to death by a human. By an American! Where was the Doctor when he needed him?
"First of all, I am disappointed you walked into this so easily. I truly am. I have heard so much about you, from one of 'our' kind to another. Second of all..." the man paused, and adjusted his suit for dramatic effect.
"There is a theory on one world that, if at any point a person is captured that they should hope they are captured by an "evil" man, because the evil man will gloat, and give them a fleeting chance to live. This is opposed to the good man, who will kill without a word."
The man began to smile. "I cannot truly say I am such a good man. And I don't have my friend to vouch for me if I tried. All I am going to do is remand you to the custody of this woman," he nodded, before frowning. "Oh, yes. Paralysis. Well, there is definitely a woman there. Perhaps you've heard of her father. I understand you have a history."
Oh, no. Not that blonde woman again. How did she show up so early? Wasn't there a rule against that? All he'd wanted was to bother some humans for a few years.
"And if you're wondering how I figured you out," President Lex Luthor added, "I wouldn't worry. I recognised my world's greatest heroes in my baseline. I am very good at spotting people trying to stay hidden by now."
He looked up towards someone the Master couldn't see. "Alright, you can have him."
And then, before he could even think up a good promise of revenge, everything went horribly numb.
7.3 (Gamerex27)
"Get DOWN!"
The second Clara Awoke, she felt a strong hand grab her shoulder, and she was promptly yanked to the ground. Shrieking, she dropped prone right in time for a burst of plasma to zoom by where her head had been mere moments before.
"What's going on?" Clara demanded, sending out a Ping as she spoke. Sure enough, she was answered from just a few meters away. Quickly turning her head, she saw The Doctor in his twelfth (or thirteenth, or whatever) incarnation.
Then, she did a double take. The Doctor was missing something. Something very important.
"What happened to your eyebrows?!"
The currently eyebrow-less Doctor said nothing in response, instead whipping out his Sonic Screwdriver and pointing it at wherever those shots were coming from. From her vantage point on the control room's floor, Clara could see a shower of sparks, followed by a serpentine hiss of irritation.
"RUN!" Grabbing her hand, the Time Lord pulled Clara to her feet. Before their mysterious assailant could get its weapon working again, the two were off, hurtling through the TARDIS's corridors, as FAR away from the control room as they could get.
After several minutes of running, the Doctor came to an abrupt halt in front of a wooden door in one of the many, many hallways of the labyrinthian TARDIS. Twisting the doorknob, he dashed inside. Clara jumped in after him, and the Anchor slammed the door shut.
"There," he said. "We should be safe for now. They won't look for us in the cupboard."
"Who are 'they'?" Clara demanded. "What the hell is going on?!"
The Doctor furrowed his hairless brow in irritation. "Isn't it obvious?! It's finally happened. My eyebrows have ceded from my face, and are trying to take over the TARDIS!"
Clara was silent for a few moments, trying in vain to process this. "You're kidding me," she finally said. "What is it this time? Did the Cybermen convert your eyebrows? Were they brought to life by a big, cosmic hole in space?"
Her friend merely sighed in response, pulling a sword cane from the random pile of objects littering the cabinet's floor. "No, this just keeps happening in this Loop and its history. First, Dandy's nose popped off and tried to take over London, then U-Boat's ears came to life and actually took over London, and the Chin's...chin attached itself to Amy and conquered the Daleks!"
"And your eyebrows can shoot plasma...because..."
"No idea," the Doctor admitted, "though it probably has something to do with that glowing hair growth cream the first me tried back when I first stole the TARDIS, before I Woke up. Word to the wise," he added, handing Clara a cricket bat for self-defence. "Never put anything that glows on your person."
7.4 (Evilhumour)
The Doctor Woke up in a canopy bed with a blank face.
It was novel experience, as he usually-
There was a shatter of glasses from the window in front of him as a Dalek floated inwards.
The Doctor started to reach for something inside his pocket when;
"HAP-PY-BIRTH-DAY, DOC-TOR!"
7.5 (Crossoverpairinglover)
The Doctor had no idea why there were four Daleks following him. He had enough of those things when he was the 'not Doctor' during the war...having Dalek's follow him around like lost puppies was not his idea of a fun loop.
"RRRROOOOOOOAAARRRR!"
Though being glared at by Godzilla wasn't fun either.
"ALERT! ALERT! LARGE MUT-ATED SUPER EARTH REP-TILE!" One Dalek shouted.
"INIT-IATE COMBIN-ATION!" a second one called out.
The Doctor gulped, mentally preparing for the return of the Dalek Monitor...when the Daleks suddenly launched into the air like a bunch of missiles.
The Doctor didn't get a chance to question why, when he was rocketed into the air against his will too and found himself in that dramatic space that anime characters ended up in when they had transformation sequences or used certain types of attacks/played certain cards/ etc.
"DALEK 1, COM-BINE!" one Dalek shouted, before its armor began to shift into what looked like some sort of gauntlet. This Gauntlet then flew and attached itself to the Doctor's left arm (HEY, STOP THAT!)
"DALEK 2, COM-BINE!" a second Dalek formed into another Gauntlet, and attached itself to his right arm (DESIST AT ONCE!)
"DALEK 3, COM-BINE!" a third Dalek morphed into what looked like a giant, metallic boot and attached itself to his right leg (OKAY, THIS IS OFFICIALLY CREEPY!)
"DALEK 4, COM-BINE!" The final Dalek did the same to his left leg as the previous one, as the Doctor's body spun around and posed dramatically against his will.
"THE DOCTOR, SUPER MODE!" he shouted, also against his will.
When the transformation ended, Godzilla just stared at him in confusion as the Doctor questioned exactly what had just happened, and how that would be of any benefit to him.
Plus...what happened to the Dalek's inside the armor when they merged?
7.6 (Evilhumour)
The Doctor Awoke to see a house fall on top of him.
After moaning in pain as he started to regenerate, he heard a song that would haunt him for a long time.
"DING DONG, THE DOC-TOR IS DEAD! WHICH OLD DOC-TOR, THAT OLD DOC-TOR!"
7.7
The Doctor (eighth face) and Clara were enjoying some tea after another fun/harrowing adventure. It hadn't been a baseline adventure, because what good was being able to do something different with your life repeatedly if you never took advantage of it? However, halfway through is second cup, the Doctor checked his watch and sighed.
"I have to go, Clara."
Clara looked at him dubiously, setting down her own cup. "Tiny bit of an ask?"
"It sounds strange, considering the TARDIS is a time machine, but there is a deadline to certain events. And if I don't go now-"
"You're talking about Cass, aren't you?"
The Doctor remained silent.
"Doctor, you know whenever you try to save her you die! And there's even been a few Loops where the Sisterhood couldn't bring you back and the Loop ended! Why do you keep trying?" Sure, that was exceptionally rare, almost as rare as the Loops where the ship didn't crash into Karn, but it was a valid point.
The Doctor offered her a soft smile. "Because, Clara, if I don't try and save her, then who am I?"
Clara sighed. She always hated when one of the Doctors had to regenerate. At first she had just been a curiosity, the "Impossible Girl," then one of his best friends, then their friendship had a splash of vitriol added. But after the Loops, every Doctor had become like family to her. From eccentric (or grumpy) grandfathers and uncles, to the fun and weird cousins and big brothers. And even knowing that she would see him again, old and new faces thanks to the Loops, it felt like she was saying good-bye every time.
Fortunately, unlike the post-Trenzalore Doctor and the Warrior, this Doctor would accept her farewell hug. "Good luck. And please, come back."
"Thank you. I'll do my best. You'll see me again, even if it's him you meet next."
And as the Doctor went into the TARDIS and started taking off, Clara sat back down and waited.
The tea grew cold, and Clara slept.
7.8 (Evilhumour)
Peter Parker had to admit, he almost missed who was replacing his aunt this loop.
The scene at the bank had not only proved who she really was, but also almost made Peter feel sorry for Doc Ock.
Almost.
"I asked you, you bloody crook," his aunt yelled, twirling the bat she had pulled out of her purse around in her hand as she smashed the last metallic limb of the scientist to pieces. The old lady danced closer to the panicking man over the smashed bit of mechanical arms, desks, chairs and paper that had piled up from the one sided fight. "Who are you calling a little old lady!?" Aunt Dorothy Gale McShane-Parker glared as she punched the man in the face, knocking him out.
And to think, Peter thought to himself, this companion of the Doctor was not looping.
7.9 (Zap Rowsdower)
The Doctor was amazed.
"What!?" he yelled. "Their position's correct, just...no Gallifrey."
The Doctor and the Moment vanished from their spot inside a military headquarters to the outside of the colony ship they had been on a moment before, The Doctor's earlier incredulity (and, if he was honest with himself, a bit of excitement) at seeing a giant robot fight a giant monster all but forgotten when he had seen the ship's coordinates and stellar maps.
A small piece of Dalek casing drifted by. As the Doctor looked closer at the asteroid field surrounding the giant ship, he could see bits of recognizable orbital colony architecture on one face of some of the larger asteroids. His face paled, then he sputtered a bit about impossibility, and turned to the Moment.
"So, how, exactly, does my removing Gallifrey from the time stream lead to America fighting off alien invasions I've never heard of using giant robots piloted by teams of five child soldiers with attitude?"
The Moment shrugged, and grinned.
"Sorry, no idea. This body's a pink, though. Want to guess what color Ear-boy will get?"
The Doctor's shoulders slumped.
"No. Take me back and send out the distress call to Sexy for each of my incarnations and lets get this over with. I'll be damned before I do any of that bloody posing, though, and Sexy is only doing Megazords if she REALLY wants to".
The TARDIS, catching the tail end of the conversation, blinked her lights eagerly at the mention of the word "Megazord". The Doctor could only groan once again in response.
7.10 (Gamerex27)
"Very well," the DM said, "Bob got the highest initiative roll. What will you do?"
Silence.
"Bob?"
"YOU MUST LOOK AWAY FOR HIM TO MOVE," said the party's Cyberman Artificier.
"I thought he unfreezes when the sun comes down," muttered the DM (who, now that the Doctor thought about it, looked sort of familiar).
"IT IS A QUANTUM LOCK," the Cyberman replied. "AN INVENTIVE, IF INEFFICIENT, MECHANISM."
The DM sighed, and hid his gaze behind the screen. The Dalek turned its eyestalk away, and the Doctor, sighing heavily, shut his eyes.
He heard a die fall on the table, and a voice came in through the nearby radio. "Natural 20," it said. "I blast the Bunnycat with a Magic Missile."
"Oh," the DM sneered, "I'm sorry, but you have to say what you're doing before you roll."
"RE-ROLL! RE-ROLL!" the Dalek echoed.
While the Weeping Angel couldn't move, the Doctor could have sworn that he saw its eyes twitch. "Fine," the voice sighed. "By the way, the Angel wonders if the delivery boy will arrive soon."
"For the last time," the DM hissed, "you can't eat the delivery boy's timestream. If he goes missing here, no restaurant will want to deliver us food ever again."
7.11 (Scorntex)
It was that time of the Loop when the Doctor was feeling old. He was back in his first ever face, young and curmudgeonly and angry at the humans for not being smart enough. He'd been doing the usual, but now... now he was at the end.
Cold and old and feeling the Oncoming Hobo getting closer and closer minute by minute. And the first one was because he was stuck in the Antarctic again, waiting for the Cybermen to show up. There were a few differences right away. No mention of any "Z-bombs" this time, for one. He wasn't entirely sure whether that was good or bad.
He had been wondering about telling the Cybermen about the existence of dwarf planets, if only to see what they'd say, in those strange sing-song voices they had.
He'd forgotten about those. Good grief, he thought to himself, he really had been in this body for a long time if he was having memory issues.
Then came the familiar scenario of the Cybermen taking over the base. They effortlessly overpowered the guards, and marched confidently into the control room.
The Doctor stared blankly at what came through those doors. They looked like Cybermen, for the most part, until the head. Instead of the familiar handle-bars, they instead had... well, what looked like straw hats.
"We are the Cider-mennn," the Cy-... Cider-Leader stated, in what sounded exactly like a west-English country accent.
"Oh-arrh," another added.
At which point the Doctor, unable to help himself, regenerated laughing.
7.12 (Evilhumour)
"Oh, Twilight, I can barely hold back my love for you," Rainbow Dash swooned.
"Wait there speeder, I saw her first!" the farm pony protested, eyeing the other mares with angry glares.
"Dearies, she is mine!" the white unicorn humfped.
"No, she is mine! MINE!" the yellow pegasus shouted.
"Girls, I cannot choose between any one of you!" Twilight said moving in a tight group with the others, beginning to kiss-
"Um...what?"
The members of the Silence looked up from their pony dolls to see the shocked face of the Doctor and his companion rolling on the floor with laughter.
"YOU SAW NOTHING!" the former priest shouted, slamming the door closed and locking it this time.
The Doctor blinked at the closed door and then at Sarah Jane Smith who was on the floor.
"Doctor, do you know why I am on the floor?"
"I haven't got the foggiest of ideas but I have a feeling there is something to do with it behind this door..."
7.1: Lina's not seen very often these days, so she needs some Character Development.
7.2: Lex is one of the very few that knows that the Master is Looping.
7.3: Sound advice. And to be fair, they were very cross eyebrows to begin with.
7.4: Dalek in the window. Not the best present to receive.
7.5: And the Doctor forms the head! And torso.
7.6: Some replacements can be very odd. In the end, however, the Master of Oz was able to get Restac home.
7.7: Eight is probably the most idealistic Doctor.
7.8: Ace is the founder of the Crowning Moment of Awesome page on TV Tropes, for beating up a Dalek with a baseball bat.
7.9: Based on a canon event/Freeze Frame Bonus in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy.
7.10: Gaming with the villains. The Sontaran Barbarian couldn't make it that night, he had to crush a civilization to dust.
7.11: Actually a thing from a 2011 DC comic "Knight and Squire," as well as a reference to a real-life tradition in western England.
7.12: It's a secret to everyone. Also, when you want someone to never see something, remember to also tell them to go away.