"So there's this man. He has a time machine," the Doctor began his lesson. Arthur quietly listens to his words as the alien goes up to the gallery. "Up and down history he goes, zip zip zip zip zip, getting into scrapes. Another thing he has is a passion for the works of Ludwig van Beethoven. And one day he thinks, what's the point of having a time machine if you don't get to meet your heroes? So off he goes to 18th century Germany. But he can't find Beethoven anywhere. No one's heard of him, not even his family have any idea who the time traveller is talking about. Beethoven literally doesn't exist." He stops for a moment. "This didn't happen, by the way," he added, realizing that Arthur believes his words. He's just giving an easy example so the boy can understand today's topic. "I've met Beethoven."
"Was he a nice man?"
"Nice chap, but very intense. Loved an arm-wrestle," he replied. "No, this is called the Bootstrap Paradox. The time traveller panics. He can't bear the thought of a world without the music of Beethoven. Luckily he'd brought all of his Beethoven sheet music for Ludwig to sign. So he copies out all the concertos and the symphonies and he gets them published. He becomes Beethoven. And history continues with barely a feather ruffled."
The Doctor starts picking up his electronic guitar. "But if that's the case," Arthur slowly said.
"Who put those notes and phrases together? Who really composed Beethoven's Fifth?" He grins as he's playing Beethoven's Fifth.
▪︎▪︎▪︎
Bennett comes out of the Tardis as Arthur closes the door. "Sorry about that. Had a prawn sandwich. Might have been off," the man apologized.
"Ah-ha. Don't worry," the Doctor assured, kindly rubbing Arthur's arm at his. "Shall we go?"
"Just one sec, I've just got something in my boot," O'Donnell said. The Doctor walks away with Arthur.
Soon, they're walking past fake shop fronts, a telephone box and a poster of Stalin.
"Why have we gone to Russia?" Bennett pondered.
"Er, we haven't," the Doctor denoted. "We're still in Scotland. This is the town before it flooded. The Tardis has brought us to when the spaceship first touched down. But here and now, it's the height of the Cold War. The military were being trained for offensives on Soviet soil."
They find the spaceship with its rear ramp down, parked in front of the Orthodox Church. They all go inside. The missing stasis chamber is in place, and a wrapped mummy is lying on the other one.
"Oh, is that the pilot?" O'Donnell guessed. "My God, look at the size of it."
"No, that's the body."
"What do you mean, the body?" O'Donnell asked the Doctor.
"It's a hearse, isn't it?" Arthur elaborated.
"The suspended animation chamber's still here, and the power cells for the engine," Bennett informed.
"And there are no markings on the wall," O'Donnell pointed out.
"Yet," the Doctor added.
"Greetings!" A Tivoli with undertaker clothes, running towards them.
"It's him. That's the ghost from the Drum," O'Donnell recognized.
The alien gets within an inch of the Doctor's nose. "Remarkable." He's doing so with Arthur. The Doctor instinctively shields the boy from the alien. "Oh, and humans, too." He takes a card and gives those to each of them. "Albar Prentis, Funeral Director."
"You're from Tivoli, aren't you?" Arthur guessed, remembering his lessons.
"The most invaded planet in the galaxy! Our capital city has a sign saying, 'if you occupied us, you'd be home by now.'"
"Yes, I've had dealings with your lot before. I can't say I'm a fan," the Doctor grumbled, remembering that adventure without fondness. Especially when knew what was inside Arthur's room... God, never in his life did he wants to murder somebody on the spot.
"No, we do tend to antagonise," he giggles.
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah, yes. Of course." Prentis runs up the ramp. "This is the Fisher King. He and his armies invaded Tivoli and enslaved us for ten glorious years! Until we were liberated by the Arcateenians. But, thank the Gods, soon we'd irritated them so much, they enslaved us, too!" He laughs.
"My first proper alien, and he's an idiot," Bennett remarked.
"Mine's full with tooths," Arthur consoled. "And technically, the Doctor's an alien."
"And now, in accordance with Arcateenian custom, I've come to bury him on a barren, savage outpost," Prentis added.
"You mean the town?" O'Donnell asked.
"He means the planet," the Doctor clarified.
Prentis runs back down the ramp to the Doctor. "Although, at the risk of starting a bidding war, you could enslave me. In the ship, I have directions to my planet and a selection of items that you can oppress me with."
"Listen, we've come from the future. You're about to send some sort of signal. How do you do it? Is it a special pen?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The technology you use. The thing that wrenches the soul out of the body and makes it repeat your coordinates for eternity. Give it to me now, I'm going to take the batteries out."
"We don't have anything like that," Prentis replied, laughing. "Even this belongs to the glorious Arcateenians."
"So who sends the message?" Arthur asked, only to make Prentis sniffs at him.
Annoyed, the Doctor pushes Prentis away. "Back to the Tardis," he said. "I need to talk to Clara and Claudia."
▪︎▪︎▪︎
"Doctor? Doctor, are you all right?" Clara asked as they were all inside the Tardis.
"Yeah, fine. So listen, the spaceship, it's a hearse," he told, but stops. "Clara, what's wrong?"
Clara looks uncertain so Claudia speaks. "Another ghost has appeared."
"What? Who? Has someone died?"
"Doctor, it's you."
This time, Arthur asks back. "What do you mean it's the Doctor?!"
"I mean what I said, Arthur," Claudia sighs. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."
"Are you okay?" Clara queried.
"Yeah. Well, currently," the Doctor replied.
"What does it mean?"
"It means I die."
"No, not necessarily. We can change the sequence of events so..."
"This isn't a potential future. This is the future now. It's already happened. The proof is right there in front of you. I have to die."
"No. You can change things." Clara stares at Claudia. "Right, Clau?"
"I can't. Neither does Claudia. And don't even dare to mention Sunny in this conversation. Even the tiniest change, the ramifications could be catastrophic. It could spread carnage and chaos across the universe like ripples on a pond. Oh, well, I've had a good innings." He glances at Arthur. "Sorry, Sunny. This regeneration... it's a bit of a clerical error anyway. Don't let River knows."
"Not with us! Die with whoever comes after me or Clau or Arthur. You do not leave us!" Clara cried. "Please... Not after Delaney..."
Arthur quietly shut his eyes. A hard proof. That's all he needs. A hard proof that his suspicion was right. That in this timeline, Delaney Redwood already died. Something that he never wants to believe, but it happens anyway.
"Clara, I need to talk to you just on your own," he said, picking up an earset into his ear. It seems like a private conversation. Arthur doesn't know what they're talking about. But he can guess it's too much for him to know. As much as it irritates him, considering this is about the Doctor's death, he needs to calm down. Just like every time he's angry with his bullies at the orphanage.
After a while, Clara finally calms down and their conversation resumes without private.
"So. Ghost me. You've got a better view than me," the Doctor began. "How do I look? Any signs of trauma, any scars? Any clues as to how I die?"
"Clau?"
"Your coat," Claudia noticed. "The right shoulder... it's torn. Here." Claudia holds up the phone from Clara and broadcasts the image.
"I assume I'm just saying the same thing as the others."
"No. You're saying a list of names," Clara denoted. "Our names, mainly. Moran, Pritchard, Prentis, O'Donnell, Arthur, Doctor, Clara, Claudia, Bennett, Cass. Who's Prentis?"
"The mole-faced chap," he replied. Then suddenly, the screen changes into pitch black. "What's the matter, Clara, what's happening?"
"You've moved inside the base now," Claudia answered.
"What am I doing?"
"Er, nothing. You're... you're just standing there," Clara described.
"I'm not trying to kill you? Why am I not trying to kill you?"
Arthur slaps his back. "Don't encourage that!"
"No, wait, you're moving," Clara added, "going toward the control panel... Oh, no. He's opened the Faraday cage. He's let the other ghosts out."
"I need to talk to me now," the Doctor said.
"Didn't you hear me? You opened the Faraday cage. The other ghosts are outside. Shouldn't we be hiding?"
"In a minute. I need to talk to the ghost me."
"Sometimes you're an idiot," Claudia growled, putting the phone off so the Doctor and Arthur can see Ghost Doctor.
"Okay, Doctor, you're on," Clara offered.
"Doctor. Such an honour. I've always been a huge admirer. This is really a delight. Finally someone worth talking to. So firstly, why are you here?" He asked. But Ghost Doctor turns away. "Clara? Claudia? What's happening?"
Clara retrieves her phone. "Er... Er, you-you've just stopped. Oh, no, wait, you've started again."
"'His message has changed. He's saying something different'," Lunn translated. "'He's saying...'"
"What?" Clara asked.
"What?" The Doctor also asked.
"What?" Lunn mumbled, likely surprised by Cass' answers. "'He's saying, 'the chamber will open tonight.''"
"Clara, Claudia, now the ghosts are out, go to the Faraday cage. They won't be able to get you in there," the Doctor advised. "Oh, there's a problem."
"What a surprise," Claudia retorted.
"The phone signal won't be able to get through. What you'll have to do, Clara, Claudia, put the phone outside, and you can watch it through the little round porthole. And when you see it ringing, if it's safe to do so, go out and answer it."
"Okay," Clara noted, "how long are you going to..."
"Clara, listen to me. Don't let that phone out of your sight. I need to be able to reach you, I need to know everything my ghost does. Do you understand? I'll come back for you. I swear," he swore before the call ends abruptly. "Come on." Then, he stops. "Oh, wait a minute. Not you, O'Donnell."
"Why not?" O'Donnell frowns.
"Someone needs to stay here and mind the shop. What if Clara calls?"
"The last bloke that said something like that to me got dangled out of a window."
"Maybe the Doctor's right. Maybe it's best if you stay here," Bennett alleged.
"Never going to happen. Seriously, have you two met me?" O'Donnell walks between the men. "Come on, kiddo," she grabs Arthur and leaves the Tardis.
▪︎▪︎▪︎
"So you know me?" Arthur asked as they were walking. "In the future?"
"Well, not exactly," O'Donnell replied, looking behind. The Doctor and Bennett follow them. "I used to work in military intelligence. Read about you and the Doctor." She stops for a moment, looking straight at his face. "You wanna know?"
"I can't. If I know something that I'm not supposed to, it will damage my timeline and others and causes a fracture of the universe."
"That's gotta be suck. Never know your future while others do."
"It is annoying," Arthur admitted sighing. "I just... I just wish I don't need to wait..." he stops talking and catches something else in the front. "Mr Prentis!"
Hearing his scream, O'Donnell, the Doctor, and Bennett run to his body. "Prentis. Prentis!" The Doctor called to check for a pulse. Nothing.
"Guess that dead body wasn't so dead after all," O'Donnell commented with the statis chamber already opens.
"And now we've got the writing," Bennett pointed out at the wall.
"The Fisher King did it himself," the Doctor realized. "The future is still coming."
▪︎▪︎▪︎
Outside the church, Arthur touches a few drag marks in the soil. "Let me guess. He's taken the suspended animation chamber to the church?"
There is a big roar.
"Pretty much," the Doctor agreed, picks Arthur up, wraps his body with his jacket.
"What was that?" O'Donnell asked.
"We need to get back to the Tardis. Now!" He suggested. They run, but a louder roar makes them stop and duck into a narrow passageway. "It's cut us off."
"Let's split up. Go on, Bennett," O'Donnell prompted before moving.
The Doctor, Arthur, and Bennett make it into a fake bathroom at the end. Bennett jams a chair under the door handle. They can sense something big is stomping and roaring as it approaches. The Doctor holds Arthur's mouth and nose from making any loud noise while the boy clasps the back of his neck. Their eyes spot a huge shadow from their hideout.
The sounds slowly fade. And then a big roar, followed by a scream. Bennett pulls the chair from the door.
"No, Bennett! Wait!" The Doctor warned but he didn't listen. He hurriedly runs forward, and slowly walks up when he and Arthur spot O'Donnell's body lying on the floor with Bennett taking her hands.
"Who's next on the list?" He queried, lays O'Donnell down, takes off his glasses and stands to face the Doctor. "That list your ghost was saying, that's the order in which people are going to die, isn't it? I mean, I've only just figured that out. But you knew that all along, didn't you?
Moran, Pritchard, Prentis, O'Donnell."
Arthur leans his head against the Doctor's shoulder. A sudden realization hits him.
"I thought perhaps, because her ghost wasn't there in the future, like Prentis's was, I thought maybe... maybe it wouldn't happen. Maybe she stood a chance."
"Yeah, but you didn't try very hard to stop her, though, did you? It was almost like you wanted to test your theory. So who's next?"
"Me," Arthur answered quietly. Too quiet. "He's going to kill me."
The anger in Bennett's face still can be seen, but he seems to soften a little. And perhaps, guilt as well.
"Any plans?" The boy asked the Doctor, looking at him without any fear. Funny how he feels now. He had witnessed so many deaths. It seems death itself becomes something he accepts in these weird circumstances.
The Doctor strokes his hair as he put him down. "Not yet, but I'm doing it."
As Arthur takes a few steps outside, Bennett asks the alien. "How can he be calm about that?" He frowns.
"Because it's better to accept that rather than dwelling on it," the Doctor grimly told him. "He knows both he and I are a dead man walking."
"But he can't die here! O'Donnell said..."
"Exactly," he cut him off and slowly takes some steps. "He can't die here... because he died later." His eyes flashed with rage and pain, taking Bennett aback. "Which is why I will make sure he won't die here. At any cost."
▪︎▪︎▪︎
"Sooooo... plan?" Arthur asked as they all get back inside the Tardis.
"Big day for you and Bennett, Sunny," the Doctor grins. "Time travel, twice!"
"Whoa, really? When are we going to?" Bennett asked.
"Off the map. Out of the rule book. What if I don't die? What if I refuse? I'm going to go back to the base and take others because that's what I do. And I don't see anyone here who's going to stop me."
The Cloister Bell tolls and the Tardis materialises.
"She doesn't sound happy," Arthur pointed out, his head feels a little fuzzy. "Oh no."
"What?" Bennet frowns.
"I think... she sends us back," the blonde winced. "She's scared, Doctor."
The Doctor clasps his hands on the Tardis' console. "Why won't you let me?" He wondered but soon forces himself to find another plan. "Bennett, Arthur, stay here."
"But you can't!" Arthur argued. "He'll kill you!"
The Doctor kneels. "I promise I will be back. He won't kill me. Wanna know why?"
"Because you're an idiot?"
"Who told you that?"
"River, Delaney, Claudia, Clara..."
He huffs. "Don't listen to that, Sunny. You know why."
"I know," he grins. "You're the Doctor. You're always fine."
"Exactly," he agreed, hugging him while giving Bennett an understanding look. The man nods.
▪︎▪︎▪︎
After making sure everything's smooth down, the Doctor. goes down a metal staircase to a storage area with metal support posts. The open suspended animation chamber is here. "I've come from the future," he announced. "I've seen the chaos you cause. The bloodshed."
"Tell me what you have seen," a raspy, deep voice demanded.
"Ghosts."
"Ghosts?"
"Souls wrenched from the dead. Repeating directions to here, to this spot, over and over."
"How many ghosts do I create? How many!"
"Four that I know of. Maybe five by now. Probably more since I left."
"My ghosts will make more ghosts. Enough to bring an armada. Enough to wake me from my sleep."
"What will happen when your people arrive?"
"We will drain the oceans and put the humans in chains."
"This world is protected, by me," the Doctor declared.
"Yes. One man, lost in time. The seed of their destruction is already sown. They will die. The message will be sent. My people will come, and you will do nothing to stop it, Time Lord," the Fisher King claimed. The Doctor finally can see his appearance. "Time Lords. Cowardly, vain curators who suddenly remembered they had teeth and became the most warlike race in the galaxy. But you, you!" The Doctor staggers bent backwards over the open suspended animation chamber. "You are curious. You have seen the words, too. I can hear them tick inside you. But you are still locked in your history. Still slavishly protecting Time. Willing to die rather than change a word of the future." He stops for a brief moment. "Oh, but there's more. There's... that child." He gleefully laughs. "The Explorer. The boy who sailed across universe is cursed with a powerful gift beyond anything. You and the child will be a strong beacon. How many ghosts can I make of you?"
Tempering down his panic and anger, the Doctor speaks. "You know, you've got a lot in common with the Tivoleans. You'll both do anything to survive. They'll surrender to anyone. You will hijack other people's souls and turn them into electromagnetic projections. That will to endure. That refusal to ever cease. It's extraordinary. And it makes a fella think. Because you know what? If all I have to do to survive is tweak the future a bit, what's stopping me? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The ripple effect. Maybe it will mean that the universe will be ruled by cats or something, in the future. But the way I see it, even a ghastly future is better than no future at all." He ponders that time in Mars. With so many deaths he can't save. At Arthur's. "You robbed those people of their deaths, made them nothing more than a message in a bottle. You violated something more important than Time. You bent the rules of life and death. So I am putting things straight. Here, now, this is where your story ends."
The Fisher King growls and aims his weapon at the Doctor. "There is nothing you can do."
"I've already done it. The words have gone. I got rid of them. The future I saw, none of that will happen now. The message will never contaminate my friends. No one will die. No one is coming to save you. That's the thing about knowing you're going to die. You've got nothing left to lose."
The Fisher King pushes the Doctor aside and stomps away. He sighs, thanking the universe that the Fisher King listens to his lies.
And now, he needs to do his work.
▪︎▪︎▪︎
Bennett and Arthur quietly stand inside the Tardis.
"You and O'Donnell," Arthur began. "Were so much than friends, weren't you?"
"She never knows," he mentioned sadly, holding his shoulder. "She used to tell me so many stories about you and the Doctor. How amazing you are and stuff."
Arthur shook his head, shy. "I'm not amazing."
"Not now, but you will. I mean, heck. I don't even believe it myself."
"This is security protocol seven one two." A voice spoke. Arthur and Bennett spot a hologram Doctor near the console. "The echelon circuit has been activated. Please stow any hand luggage and prepare for departure."
The Tardis dematerialises. "W-What's happening?" Bennett asked, holding into the rail.
Arthur checks the console. "I think we're going back into the base," he realized, wincing.
"But what about the Doctor?" He asked again, looking at the door. But when he turns around, Arthur's gone. "Arthur?!"