TW: Glad you enjoyed it.
Gallifrey 22.3: Thank you.
In space, a ship is flying. Inside, while the rest of the crew is sleeping, a young man is cleaning some equipment, staring at it while scanning it.
"A robot on a spaceship," Donna noted.
"Robots typically don't look like humans. Cyborg is more likely," Jack disagreed, wondering how this would play into what happened next.
An alarm goes off, alerting the young man to incoming salvage. Another man is woken by the alarm and walks over to a monitor, finding the salvage is merely garbage. The cyborg says there's no salvage this far out in space and the young man tries to encourage the cyborg, Tricky to get the salvage but Tricky points out the other member of the crew won't turn back. The man insists they're equal partners but Tricky doesn't seem to believe him.
"Well this can't end well," Mickey muttered.
"This one clearly isn't the brains of the operation. And in my experience, when the muscle tries to think for itself, it always ends badly," Jack muttered as they stared uneasily.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Martha muttered.
"Because you're smart," Jane said with a sigh.
On the TARDIS, The Doctor is arguing with Clara about her insulting the TARDIS and Clara refuses to apologize, saying it's an appliance and talking to it is 'bonkers'. The Doctor wants Clara to get along with the TARDIS and offers to leave them alone, even turning the TARDIS onto basic mode. On the ship, the third crewmember has awakened as Tricky's scanners locate something 'tasty' in the mango field. It's the TARDIS.
"Magno field. Please tell me they're not going to use a Magno Grab," Jack said, catching where this was going quickly in horror.
"You know how stupid salvagers can be Jack, especially out in the middle of space," Jane said tiredly and Jack groaned.
"What's a Magno Grab?" Wilf asked as the other past viewers looked torn between confused and worried.
"A device that can create a magnetic field strong enough to disable a ship and pull it to wherever the person operating it wants," Jack said darkly.
"Think a more crude, less refined version of the tractor beam from Star Wars," Jane added.
"I really don't what to know what effect one might have on the TARDIS," Jack said as they all watched the screen wearily.
One of the crewmembers pushes a button and part of the ship opens up. The three gear up before the TARDIS is grabbed. Clara flips a switch and the power goes out. Although Clara initially thinks she caused it, The Doctor heads over to the scanner and some music that was playing on the ship starts playing. The Doctor tries to get the shields back up but accidently causes a magnetic overbuild, the console sparking. The Doctor orders Clara to stay by him and she asks if there's a button he can use to fix this. The Doctor says there is but Clara realizes he's lying to calm her down. A device the crew had used earlier rolls onto the floor and Clara picks it up before dropping it as it burns her hand before a jolt from the TARDIS sends her and The Doctor flying.
"Well that answers that question," Mickey muttered as the past viewers stared at the screen horrified.
"Those bloody idiots," Donna said with a groan.
"That's an understatement if there ever was one," Martha muttered.
"How did the device get onto the TARDIS?" Wilf wondered.
"That…is a good question Wilf," Jack paused, realizing he didn't have an answer for that.
"It'll make sense later, for now, just watch," Jane said and the past viewer watched the screen warily, feeling things were about to get even weirder.
The TARDIS is brought into the ship as the crew watches from an observation window, believing it may be an escape pod. They head to the area where the TARDIS is deposited and one of the crew attempts to open it, using both a sledge hammer and a laser saw but are unsuccessful. They attempt to use a thermal charge but Tricky stops them, picking up life signs from the TARDIS. One of the crew, Gregor says she's a robot but the third member, Bram points to the smoke coming out of the top, saying there's a broken fuel line.
"They broke the TARDIS," Donna said in disbelief.
"I'm sorry girl," Martha said and the TARDIS seemed to let out a grateful 'vwoorp'.
"Nothing could be more dangerous that a broken TARDIS," Jack said, remembering the stories of how broken Time Lord technology could be dangerous if not disposed of properly. "These idiots have no idea what they've done."
Gregor and Bram move to open the bay doors but Tricky's scanners pick up an image of shoes under the TARDIS. Gregor drags Bram and Tricky away, saying they'll tell everyone the crew was already dead when they found the ship when The Doctor appears over their shoulder, saying it's rude to whisper. The Doctor introduces himself as he reads 'Van Baalen' off their uniforms. Bram and Gregor try to claim the TARDIS was found drifting and damaged but The Doctor points out their magno grab is what broke the TARDIS, pulling out a remote he had found in Gregor's pocket, noting it's outlawed in most galaxies.
"For good reason," Jack noted grimly. "People have died from a Magno Grab."
"And these idiots still used one?!" Donna exclaimed horrified.
"Either greed or arrogance, it blinds people to reason," Jane said with a heavy sigh.
"It always does," Mickey said darkly.
The Doctor scolds himself for turning off the shield so Clara could fly before remembering Clara. When it becomes clear the crew haven't seen her, he realizes Clara is still on the TARDIS. Tricky stops The Doctor from going back to the TARDIS, saying its leaking fuel and Clara is likely already dead.
No one said a word, knowing Clara was not actually dead. Yet Jack and Mickey couldn't help but privately think it might have been better if she had died, as the Siren would be gone and The Doctor free. Yet they also knew Clara was innocent of The Siren's manipulations and so felt horrible entertaining the thought.
Seeing respirators on a shelf, The Doctor heads over to them and grabs them. Gregor agrees to open the doors for a second and grab Clara but The Doctor says that's not possible. Gregor shushes Tricky, asking about The Doctor's fee. The Doctor promises to give them the salvage of a lifetime if they help him.
"He can't possibly be considering giving them the TARDIS," Donna said as the past viewers stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Nope," Jane said with a grin. "Just keep watching."
On the TARDIS, Clara is pinned by some debris when she's awakened by a dinging. Pushing the debris off her, Clara sees The Doctor is nowhere to be seen and looks down at her burned hand. Seeing a red light flashing at the end of the corridor, Clara wonders what to do before pushing a button. The door opens to reveal a wall of fire. "Bad decision," Clara says before running from the fire as it shoots of the door. Clara escapes and closes a door to keep the fire out. She pauses as she sees what appear to be claw marks on the wall and hears a low growl.
"You all see the claw marks on the wall to, right?" Donna asked as the past viewers looked startled.
"I see it. Not sure what could have made it though," Martha noted uneasily.
"I'm more concerned about how it ended up on the TARDIS in the first place," Jack narrowed his eyes. "It shouldn't be possible."
"Spoilers," Jane said with a grimace.
As the crew gears up, Bram and Gregor argue with Gregor mocking Bram about 'not forming full sentences' before walking off. The Doctor asks why Tricky needs a blast suit and respirator and Bram says his flesh would burn up.
Jack frowned, perplexed. Jack had been around enough cyborgs to know they could survive their flesh being burned up and it was usually easily replaceable. Things weren't adding up. But he had more important things to focus on right now.
The four of them put on the respirators before heading over to the TARDIS, the doors smoking. The Doctor promises Gregor he can deliver on his promise before kicking the door open. They put on their goggles before entering the TARDIS. The crew marvels at the TARDIS before The Doctor turns on the fans, airing out the smoke. They take off their goggles and respirators as The Doctor scans where Clara was standing last, trying to locate her. Bram asks how big the ship is and The Doctor explains it's infinite. Gregor notes it'll take them hours to find Clara but The Doctor corrects days, which is why they'll find her in 1 hour, activating the TARDIS self-destruct system to motivate the crew.
"OI!" Donna exclaimed as they all stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Bloody Hell Boss," Mickey said shocked.
"Is he really planning on blowing up the TARDIS?" Wilf asked in disbelief.
"Think about what you just said Wilf. The Doctor is planning to blow the TARDIS," Jack repeated and the other past viewers paused.
"Yeah, The Doctor would never blow up the TARDIS," Martha mused.
"So it's a scare tactic then," Donna realized.
"Nice Boss," Mickey said with a laugh.
Bram tries to run but the doors close, The Doctor explaining the TARDIS is on lockdown and he'll open them when they find Clara. Gregor accuses him of trying to kill them all but The Doctor says she'll die if they don't help him. "Don't get into a spaceship with a madman. Didn't anyone ever teach you that?" The Doctor asks as the crew frantically tries to get out. The Doctor then halves the time, reducing the countdown to 30 minutes. Gregor argues Clara will die quicker now but The Doctor says they'll perform better under pressure and it's their own time they're wasting. "Salvage of a lifetime. You meant the ship. I meant Clara."
"Never think you can bargain with The Doctor," Jack said with a smirk.
"No matter what happens, you always end up feeling like you got played in the end," Jane agreed with a soft smile.
Clara enters a room with various items thrown about, including a cot and a paper mache TARDIS. As she looks around the room, Clara notices a creature with pure black skin is in the room with her. She flees, taking an umbrella with her.
"Oi! What was that?!" Donna demanded as the past viewers looked at the screen startled.
"I think we know what made those claw marks," Jack noted as he narrowed his eyes.
"But what is it?" Wilf asked but no one really had an answer.
As The Doctor leads Bram and Tricky through the corridor, Gregor falls behind, using a scanner to determine what's on the TARDIS. Gregor then catches up with the others, suggesting they split up to find Clara. The Doctor agrees but warns him not to touch anything, as the TARDIS will get huffy. As The Doctor walks off with Tricky, Gregor orders Bram to strip the console apart.
"Did he not hear a word he just said?" Mickey asked in exasperation.
"Greed and stupidity. Terrible combination," Jack said darkly, having run across many such people in his con man days.
"And the TARDIS will take this swimmingly, I'm sure," Donna grumbled, knowing thins were about to get ugly.
The creature chases Clara through the TARDIS, passing various rooms. Clara takes cover behind a book shelf before realizing she's in the TARDIS library. "Now that's just showing off," Clara said as she looked around.
"It really has a library that size?" Wilf asked in amazement.
"Oh yeah, Dad has picked up quite the collection of books over the centuries. Time Lord, Human, a whole bunches from different planets from different corners of the universe," Jane explained.
"You should check it out before we leave, there are lots of interesting books in there Gramps," Donna said and Wilf merely nodded in a bit of awe.
Bram reenters the console room and begins dismantling it when he hears voices. As he searches for the source, Gregor is walking the corridor when his scanner directs him to a room that it says has everything he could possibly want. Entering the room, Gregor finds a tree of cables with glowing orbs at the top. The scanner tells him the value of this is greater than any currency and it can be rebuilt into any system he wishes.
"And so of course he's going to take it," Martha said with an exasperated sigh.
"He's a greedy, self-serving criminal. I know the type," Jack said grimly as they watched the screen uneasily.
As Gregor begins using his laser saw to cut into one, The Doctor enters and stops him, saying 'she' won't let him do it. "I can feel a TARDIS tantrum coming on." The Doctor explains this is the Architectural Reconfiguration System, which can reconstruct particles to your wishes. Gregor asks if it's a machine that makes machines and The Doctor confirms this. As Gregor moves to continue cutting it out, The Doctor warns him the TARDIS will stop him if he tries to take it. Gregor ignores him and yanks an orb out. The other orbs go out and a loud screech pierces the air. Tricky then notices the door has vanished.
"You bloody idiot," Donna said in exasperation.
"To be fair, as much as Gregor is an idiot, I've never met a criminal who wouldn't try this once The Doctor explained what it was," Jack noted.
"Another example of Dad's oversharing getting them in trouble," Jane sighed.
"Nice one Boss," Mickey said sarcastically.
The Doctor warns Gregor the TARDIS won't let him take the orb, as it's her basic genetic material. Gregor pulls out a grenade and orders Tricky to blow up the wall. But Tricky noticed a low humming; pointing out the TARDIS is in pain. Annoyed, Gregor then prepares to blow a hole in the wall only for the door to reappear. Smug, Gregor walks out with Tricky and The Doctor following cautiously.
"He might be the stupidest criminal I've ever seen if he thinks he can walk out of the TARDIS with that," Jack said, in disbelief of Gregor's stupidity.
"Or the most arrogant," Martha muttered and Jack nodded silently.
"Probably both," Jane shrugged.
"Either way, the TARDIS won't let him leave with that," Donna muttered, wondering what would happen now.
In the library, Clara finds a book that reads 'The history of the Time War'. She begins reading it when she hears a loud bang followed by a growl. Clara hides behind a bookshelf as she sees the creature standing in the entrance to the library.
"That thing aside, Boss just leaves the entire history of the Time War just lying around?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"Apparently," Jack muttered, something feeling off about it.
"Not exactly. I'll explain later," Jane promised.
As the creature begins stalking the shelves, Clara crawls behind a different one. On a shelf in front of her is bottles labeled 'Encyclopedia Gallifreya'. One of the bottles has opened and voices are coming out of it. Clara quickly runs a hand through the mist coming out of the bottle and the voices stop. The creature then walks passed Clara and she quickly makes a run for the exit.
"What was that?" Donna asked, not quite sure what she had seen.
"Time Lord Encyclopedia volumes. Time Lords can read quickly, so instead they put their encyclopedias in recorded words," Jane explained.
"Either way, Clara got away from…whatever that thing was," Donna noted, still not sure whatever it was they were seeing.
In the corridor, The Doctor, Gregor and Tricky realize they've been walking the same area and The Doctor says the TARDIS has been diverting them. The Doctor pointedly tells Gregor they'll never reach Clara in time. Gregor tries to walk off and The Doctor and Tricky follow him only to end up back in the same spot. The Doctor says the TARDIS is creating a labyrinth and the only way to stop it is for Gregor to release the orb.
"But he'll never do that," Martha noted. "He's too greedy and stubborn."
"Which will spell problems for The Doctor," Jack said as they all grew worried for their friend.
Tricky tries to contact Bram, telling him to get out and not touch anything. But Bram finds a ladder leading down below the console and begins climbing down it. Clara finds her way back into the console room and gratefully kisses the console before realizing the door is now gone. "You can't do this!"
"What, save your life?" Martha asked dryly.
"Doubt she sees it that way," Mickey noted with a snicker as Jack smirked in amusement.
Bram is trying to climb down the ladder when the spot he touched is suddenly filled with acid. He lets go and falls to the floor. As Bram gets up, he sees the creature that had been chasing Clara earlier. It rushes forward and pins Bram to the ground, biting into him as Bram screams.
The past viewers started, Jack and Martha unable to restrain themselves. The sudden brutality had shocked them and while Bram was not a good person, none of them felt he deserved to die that way.
Hearing Bram's screams, Gregor and Tricky argue, Tricky wanting to help Bram but Gregor is more concerned about the salvage. The Doctor pulls them apart, saying something else is down there as they hear a growl. As The Doctor begins scanning the area, Tricky shouts at Gregor to give the orb back, the two beginning to shove one another.
"He's surprisingly emotional for a cyborg," Jack noted, growing more and more suspicious about Tricky.
"I've only seen cyborgs in movies, but aren't they supposed to be emotionless or something?" Mickey asked confused.
"Not emotionless, but their emotions are definitely dulled," Jane confirmed.
"So why is then acting like a regular human?" Jack wondered, not understanding it.
The Doctor shouts at them and they stop as he tells them they are multiple life forms on board the TARDIS and he's receiving a massive signal. Gregor asks where they are and The Doctor says right behind him before they hear a growl. They turn around to see the figure behind them. The figure is joined by multiple others and Gregor makes a run for it while The Doctor and Tricky attempt to fight them off.
"Bloody brilliant," Donna groaned as they all watched tense.
"And of course Gregor the coward flees at the first sign of danger," Jack said grimly, seeing everything he despised about himself when The Doctor first met him exaggerated in Gregor. "Cowards always run."
The Doctor pushes Tricky to safety before they run from the creatures. Elsewhere, Clara tries to leave but keeps finding herself back in the console room. The Doctor and Tricky also seem to find themselves back in the console room but The Doctor explains it's a replication, as the console room is the safest room on the ship. The TARDIS is trying to protect them.
"You always do, don't you?" Donna asked, looking around at the room as the TARDIS let out a 'Vwoorp'.
"It's not just the best ship in the universe because it can travel through time," Jane said with a smile.
The Doctor moves aside some junk, which disappears into the console room Clara is in. Seeing a shadow moving around the console, The Doctor realizes Clara is in one of the other console rooms. The Doctor shushes Tricky, realizing he can hear Clara's breathing. Clara, frightened, opens the door to reveal one of the creatures.
"And of course that would happen," Mickey muttered as they all watched tense.
Clara runs up the stairs as the creature chases after her. Hearing the running of Clara's feet, The Doctor realizes she let it in. As the creature chases Clara around the console and boxes her in, The Doctor begins flipping switches, explaining if he can just find her, he can reach in and grab her.
"It's sort of like that alien ship and The Fancy, they exist in the same place but they don't interact," Donna noted.
"Until The Doctor can reach through whatever dimensional barrier the TARDIS has put up," Jack pointed out and she nodded.
As Clara and the creature stare at each other, Clara wondering what it is, The Doctor performs a scan for Clara. Gregor then walks in holding a grenade, saying they're going to get him out of here. The Doctor easily deactivates the grenade with his screwdriver as Gregor's scanner scans for Clara.
"Well that didn't go the way you thought it did, did it?" Donna said mockingly as they all let out a chuckle, the tension breaking momentarily.
"You think he'd learn by now to stop thinking he could outsmart The Doctor," Martha said amused.
"He thinks he can control everything. He's a fool as well as an idiot," Jack noted.
As the creature chases Clara, The Doctor grabs Gregor's scanner, realizing it's found her. Using his screwdriver, he materializes Clara just as she creature pins her to the wall and yanks her into the room.
"Well at least they saved Clara I guess," Mickey said although he didn't sound that enthusiastic.
"Siren or not, now they can focus on getting out of there and figuring out what the bloody Hell those things are," Donna pointed out and Mickey really couldn't argue with her.
Clara angrily punches The Doctor, blaming him for the creature. He points to Gregor and Tricky and Gregor tells him Clara's back so he needs to cancel the self-destruct. But The Doctor reveals there never was a self-destruct. Gregor and Tricky are in disbelief as The Doctor laughs.
"Well that's what you get for trying to steal someone else's ship," Martha said as they all laughed.
"Think of it as payback for putting Clara in danger," Donna mocked Gregor.
Tricky asks if they're safe and The Doctor says yes aside from the monsters and the TARDIS reinventing the architecture. As The Doctor tries to turn off the fake countdown, there is an alarm and The Doctor says not to panic, but the engine was damaged in the magno grab. They need to fix it or the TARDIS will explode.
"Oh Bloody Hell!" Donna exclaimed as they all stared at the screen horrified.
"Always a setback, isn't there?" Mickey groaned.
"Well we've already established it can never be easy for Dad," Jane said with a sigh.
The Doctor uses his screwdriver to create an opening as he explains they need to head into the center of the TARDIS. The four move through the TARDIS when a shadow passes by and they stop. Tricky realizes the creatures have followed them.
"Of course they have," Jack said dryly, not even surprised as the past viewers watched tense.
Clara asks what they are but The Doctor says she doesn't want to know. They hear a creature approaching from behind and The Doctor urges the others on ahead. Clara becomes separated from the others and looks down at her burned hand, seeing words are forming on her skin. Clara then sees a second version of herself, repeating what she'd said at the beginning. Clara, bewildered, turns and runs into The Doctor. Although relieved, Clara becomes confused when he doesn't respond to her.
"What is going on?" Martha asked as the past viewers all stared at the screen in bewilderment.
"It's explained in a moment," Jane assured them.
A second Doctor then runs up behind Clara, explaining there is a rupture in time that occurred when the TARDIS was grabbed by the magno grab and the TARDIS is leaking time. The Doctor begins leading Clara down the corridor, explaining that it's merely memories, none of it is real. Seeing one of the creatures, Clara if it's real and The Doctor admits it is before it begins running towards them.
"So what are those things? Are they ruptures in time to?" Donna wondered and Jane smiled tightly.
"In a way," Jane said but didn't elaborate, to Donna's annoyance.
But she didn't press for more details, knowing Jane would not give them. So she merely turned back to the screen as the recording continued.
The Doctor and Clara run, The Doctor saying 'she' is onto them, confusing Clara. The Doctor tells her not to ask him more before leading her around a corner. They hide as echoes of themselves walk passed the creature. It wanders off.
"Boss clearly knows what they are," Mickey noted.
"Well enough to know it's a she," Martha mused, narrowing her eyes as they watched curiously. "What are you hiding Doctor?"
The Doctor and Clara walk out as they hear a ding. Clara asks what that is and The Doctor explains the fuel has spilled onto the rods, which will cool and start to break apart. A rod then burst through the walls and The Doctor and Clara jump back.
"So now even the very structure is trying to kill them," Mickey said in exasperation as they all groaned. "Can this get any worse?"
The Doctor and Clara run, barely dodging the rods before they hear a scream. Down the corridor, Tricky has been struck in the shoulder by a rod.
"You just had to ask," Donna grumbled as they watched in dismay.
"And now Tricky is trapped. Just what they need," Jack said darkly.
Tricky urges Gregor to cut his arm off to release him but Gregor refuses. Tricky points out he can get a new one as Gregor hesitantly pulls out his laser saw. The Doctor and Clara rush over and Tricky wonders why they won't cut him. The Doctor tells Gregor to tell Tricky. Tricky is confused as The Doctor accuses Gregor of being a coward. The Doctor scans Tricky, telling him while he has bionic eyes and a synthetic voice box, Tricky is in fact human. Tricky is in shock as Gregor says it was a joke meant to relieve boredom. The Doctor reveals they lied to Tricky and changed his identity to entertain themselves.
"What the fuck?" Mickey asked as the past viewers stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Exactly what Dad said. The reason he needed the gear, the reason he acted like a human and not a cyborg is because he is one," Jane explained to the others' horror.
"They changed his entire identity…for in-flight entertainment?!" Donna exclaimed angrily.
"They're even worse than I thought," Jack said disgusted as Martha glared angrily.
Wilf was rendered speechless, hardly able to believe someone could be that cruel and heartless.
Gregor apologizes before admitting Tricky is human. The Doctor orders him to cut the metal and Gregor uses the laser saw on the rods. Later, The Doctor leads the group to the power source. The Doctor tells the others to wait outside while he gets that it's safe, as they won't survive long. Clara asks what happens if they stay longer and The Doctor explains their cells liquefy and their skin will burn. "I always feel so good after we've spoken," Clara says dryly.
The Doctor enters the room while the others wait outside. As Gregor toys with the scanner, Tricky angrily asks him why he did this to him, demanding to know who he is. Gregor pulls the patch off his suit and hands it to him. Tricky looks down at 'Van Baalen Bros' in disbelief.
"No," Donna breathed as the past viewers stared at the screen in disbelief and horror.
"Your brother. You did this to your own brother?" Martha asked angrily, unable to imagine doing something like this to Tish or Leo.
"Just when I think you can't sink any lower," Mickey almost snarled.
"Never expect honor among thieves or salvagers," Jack said darkly. "There is none."
The Doctor runs over to the exit, using the screwdriver to open the door and run out. Gregor explains that he and Tricky are brothers and Tricky wonders why he can't remember. Gregor explains that he was caught in an explosion that cost him his sight, voice and memory. Tricky is angry that his own brother did this to him and Gregor explains that Tricky was always the smart one and that their father had wanted Tricky to take over, making him captain. Tricky is dismayed that he doesn't remember their father.
"So he did this out of jealousy," Wilf said in disbelief.
"Jealousy and perhaps a lust for the power being captain gave him," Jack noted.
"It's all horrible just the same," Martha said darkly and no one disagreed.
Tricky, enraged, tries to attack Gregor as The Doctor emerges from the room. The Doctor stops him, reminding Tricky that Gregor was unable to cut him up and that he helped Gregor find the one shred of decency still inside him. The Doctor tells Gregor never to forget that before he leads the three of them into the room, showing them what seem to be an exploding star. The Doctor explains it's the Eye of Harmony, calling it Time Lord Engineering, explaining the star was ripped from its orbit and suspended in a state of decay.
"That's what powers the TARDIS?" Martha asked and Jane nodded.
"An exploding star, suspended in time, so it will always explode. An unlimited power source," Jane explained.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered as the past viewers stared at the screen in a mix of fascination and awe.
The Doctor then leads them over to the door but find their exit is blocked by the creatures. They try the other door but it too is blocked by the creatures.
"Oh bloody brilliant!" Donna snapped as they stared at the screen uneasily.
Clara demands if they're going to die here, The Doctor tell her what the creatures are. The Doctor refuses, saying secrets will keep them safe. Clara argues they're not safe as Gregor scans the creatures, detecting animal DNA with a human core element. The Doctor rushes over, telling him to turn it off but is too late, as the scanner announces the creature is Clara.
"What?" Mickey asked as the past viewers stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Just wait for it," Jane said with a grimace.
Clara is stunned as Gregor and Tricky rush passed her. The Doctor apologizes as Clara realizes that they burn in here. The Doctor explains that the past and future are leaking out. The Doctor regretfully notes Clara died again.
"So the whole time, those things…" Martha trailed off as the realization hit the past viewers.
"Have been the four of them, at least from a possible future," Jack noted disturbed.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey muttered.
Clara is confused as Gregor and Tricky try to block the door. The Doctor realizes as long as they change the timeline this can't happen. He drags Tricky and Gregor away from the door, warning them not to touch or the timeline will reassemble. The creatures come in and Gregor is grabbed by his pack. The Doctor and Tricky urge him to let it go and Gregor take off his pack and runs over to the others. They knock the creature over the railing before trying to flee but the creatures surround them from both sides. Tricky rushes over and strikes them, knocking them over the railings before slipping. He falls, clinging onto the edge of the bridge. Despite The Doctor's warning, Gregor helps Tricky up and they become the creatures.
"The one time he helps his brother and it gets them killed. Or as close to killed as you can call them," Jack noted.
"There's a twisted sense of irony there," Donna said with a heavy sigh.
The Doctor and Clara flee, slamming the door shut. Gregor and Tricky begin beating on the door as The Doctor locks it with his screwdriver. The Doctor realizes they're in the engine room before they find themselves standing over a canyon. But The Doctor explains they're still on the TARDIS. The Doctor says he doesn't have a plan and so, since they're about to die, he asks who Clara is. Clara is confused as The Doctor explains his previous encounters with her, frightening Clara. Clara nearly falls and The Doctor catches her, realizing Clara really doesn't know.
"Clara really has no idea, does she?" Martha said, all of them realizing with The Doctor that Clara had no idea what was going on.
"So how can she keep appearing? And how can all these different versions of her be possessed by the Space Siren as well?" Jack wondered as he narrowed his eyes. "Clara becomes as much of a mystery as the Siren as these go on."
"It's giving me a bloody headache," Donna grumbled annoyed.
The Doctor hugs Clara tightly before realizing that none of this is real. Clara asks what he's talking about and The Doctor explains the TARDIS is snarling at them because it's injured, it's an illusion. They merely need to jump.
"Jump over a cliff. It's a literal leap of faith," Jack realized.
"Hell of a time to test The Doctor's faith in you," Martha said as she looked around the room.
In response, the TARDIS let out an indignant 'Vwoorp'. Martha looked annoyed as Mickey snickered and everyone else shot her amused looks.
Clara calls him insane and The Doctor says he's piloted the TARDIS for over 900 years and to trust him. The Doctor and Clara jump over the canyon before finding themselves in a white room with machinery floating in the air. The Doctor says they're in the heart of the TARDIS. The Doctor realizes the TARDIS engine has already exploded and Clara asks if they're safe. For now, but The Doctor explains the TARDIS will eventually erupt. There's no way for him to take care of her now.
"It's broken," Donna whispered as they all stared at the screen in horror.
"It must have exploded before then, they're too late," Jack said as they all stared at the screen sadly.
"Except obviously not, or we wouldn't be standing here," Martha said firmly.
"How'd you pull this one off Boss?" Mickey asked as they continued to watch, all of them curious about that themselves.
As The Doctor mourns the TARDIS, Clara grabs his hand. The Doctor looks down and sees the words on Clara's burnt skin. It now reads 'big friendly button'. Overjoyed, The Doctor kisses her hand and says he needs to find the moment they crashed. Taking out his screwdriver, The Doctor activates it and they hear the song the brothers were playing at the beginning. They rush into the console and The Doctor sees a crack forming in the wall, which he explains is the time rift.
"Spaceman, you genius!" Donna exclaimed as they all realized The Doctor's plan.
"He sends the device back to the moment the TARDIS was caught in the magno grab, allowing him to stop all this from happening. Almost like it never happened in the first place. Well done Doctor," Jack said with a smirk.
"Don't screw it up Doctor, you've only got one shot at this," Martha muttered as they all watched tense.
Picking up the magno grab, The Doctor explains he was the one who threw it in the rift before, which is how Clara found it in the beginning. He needs to take it there himself now. As The Doctor heads towards the rift, Clara brings up how he told her about his past encounters with her. The Doctor explains she'll forget but Clara says she doesn't want to; bring up the book and revealing she now knows his name.
"The book has his name to?" Martha asked as all but Wilf and Jane stared at the screen in disbelief.
"All that time he spent trying to protect his name, and he just leaves it lying around in a book," Jack said in shock.1
"Not exactly," Jane said and they all looked at her. "It's a test."
"A Test," Mickey deadpanned and she smiled slightly.
"Dad has trust issues, and so does the TARDIS. The book is a fake, the name is a fake. Dad left the book out to test how trust worthy anyone in the library was. If anyone ever read it, and especially if they tried to reveal his name or let him know they knew it, Dad would know they couldn't be trusted," Jane explained.
"So Clara or the Siren failed the test," Donna realized and Jane nodded.
"Not sure which one of them did or didn't, but if he wasn't under the sway of the Siren, he'd have dropped her back off at home after this was over," Jane explained.
"So why didn't any of us ever see the book?" Donna asked, realizing she has never seen the book while traveling with The Doctor, glancing at the other former Companions, who nodded to confirm they had never seen the book either.
"Because by the time you stepped into the library, you had already earned the trust of both Dad and the TARDIS. They never felt they needed a reason to test you," Jane explained.
The Doctor places a finger over her lips, saying she won't remember after he rewrites the day and she won't go looking for his name. The Doctor insists it's better that they have secrets before walking through the crack, screaming in agony.
The past viewers all grimaced; the sound of The Doctor's scream not being easy for any of them to hear. But they said nothing as the recording continued.
Time flashes back to the beginning, when the TARDIS was grabbed by the magno grab. As The Doctor tries to bring up the shield, the second Doctor appears from the rift, quickly explaining the situation and tossing the control. Clara grabs it but is burned. As she drops it, The Doctor catches it. He laughs at the words on it before pressing the button and there is a bright flash.
"So is that it? Did he do it?" Donna asked desperately as they all watched tense.
"I think we're about to find out," Martha noted.
On the brother's ship, the TARDIS vanishes from the scanner, to the confusion of Tricky. As Bram orders Tricky to get him some food, Gregor orders him to leave Tricky alone. Bram walks off, confused by Gregor's actions as a picture of the brothers with their father is shown.
"Guess that answers that question," Jack noted.
"And Gregor seems to remember parts of what happened, he's more protective of Tricky now," Martha noted.
"Sometimes, memories and feelings are so powerful they stay with you even after a timeline has changed," Jane explained with a shrug. "Not everything in the universe makes sense."
"You're telling me," Donna muttered.
On the TARDIS, Clara notes how exhausted she feels and The Doctor agrees, saying it feels like they've had two days crammed into one. As Clara begins walking off, The Doctor asks if she feels safe and she says she does. The Doctor asks her to tell him on a scale from 1 to 10 and Clara says he's being weird. The Doctor says he needs to know she's not afraid, pointing out anything could happen. Clara says she's counting on it and tells him to push the button. Clara walks off and The Doctor pulls the lever before the screen goes black.
"Well that…complicated and weird," Martha noted.
"And very confusing," Donna added and Martha nodded.
"Can't say I disagree," Jane said before checking her watch.
"How about a break for lunch and then we'll come back and finish these up?"
No one disagreed, so the g o to their feet and left the room.
Another 'meh' episode. Better than some of the previous episodes IMO but far from what I would call good.
1: More proof of Clara's Mary-Sueness. The Doctor, who has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep his name a secret, just happens to leave a book with something he has tried very hard to forget lying around and just happens to reveal his name in it? I call bs. I also like the idea that it was a test of Clara's trustworthiness and that Clara ultimately failed.