The Doctor ended up waking up inside her own subconscious. It looked like the Death Zone from Gallifrey, with the ruins of the Dark Tower of Rassilon nearby. She stood up and saw a copy of herself, but with grey skin, sodden clothing and hair, and seaweed covering her. It was Tantalos. "So I guess this is, or rather was, your home." Tantalos said, "My, oh my. No wonder you left here."
"I told you that Gallifrey was in ruin." the Doctor replied, "What am I doing here?"
"Oh, come on, Doctor. I took control of over a few dozen people on this craft. One mind in comparison is easy."
The Doctor's eyes widened slightly. "So I'm under your control."
"Oh, you were quite difficult to possess. I could control those humans while I was still buried. For you, I had to get really close, and I knew that I had to trick you in order to do that."
"...so you signalled that you were going to crush the ship."
"I may be a giant physically, but my mind is just as mighty. Besides, I am brilliant at multitasking."
While Tantalos was talking to the Doctor subconsciously, he was also controlling the Doctor's body. He strolled into the TARDIS, where Jessica was waiting. "Good news, Jessica!" he proclaimed, "Tantalos has been defeated."
"That's great!" Jessica replied in joy, "And the ship is still up?"
"Yes. Miraculously enough. I guess when a ship vanishes at sea, it doesn't mean that it does so by being destroyed."
"I do feel quite useless, though. I dress up for a trip to the Nineteenth Century and instead I spend all my time in the TARDIS."
"Unfortunate. It happens sometimes, and for that, I'm sorry."
Jessica grew concerned. "Are you alright?"
"Of course I am. Why would you ask me that?"
"Because you only act like that in situations like towards Khaldun in New Orleans."
Tantalos closed his eyes and breathed heavily. "I wish I did not need to do this."
"Do wha-"
Tantalos knocked Jessica out with a single punch. "That." Tantalos hoisted Jessica upon his shoulder and tossed her outside in the storm. "Now, to do my work." Tantalos put in the coordinates, warmed the TARDIS up, got to the lever, and pushed it, only for nothing to happen. Tantalos was annoyed. "I did everything right!" he yelled, "Why won't this infernal machine fly?"
Khaldun came into the console room, just woken up from his nap. "Well, that was energising." he said, "It was the exact thing that I needed?" He saw Jessica on the floor. "How is she unconscious?"
"I had to knock her out because she was going to kill us both." Tantalos answered, "Now the TARDIS won't start up."
"So you are not done here, yet."
"I'm not. I guess I have to sort Jessica out before I go." Tantalos got to Jessica's prone body with the intent to kill her. As he was preparing to snap Jessica's neck, he was hit on the back of the head by Khaldun, knocking him out.
"You're not the Doctor. She doesn't kill sentient beings."
Back in the Doctor's subconscious, Tantalos stumbled forward, clutching his head before his eyes widened massively and angrily looked at the Doctor. "Your companions are irritating!" He growled.
"Oh, thank you, Jessica and Khaldun!" the Doctor yelled joyfully to the heavens before looking at Tantalos again, "You seemed to underestimate the company I choose, Tantalos."
"The company will be irrelevant when I take your life!" Tantalos suddenly grew wings and flew towards the Doctor, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by the Doctor putting her hand up. "How are you doing this?" Tantalos said, becoming more fearful.
"Because though you're in my body, this is still my mind." the Doctor replied, "Leave this body and retreat to the ocean floor. I can easily eradicate you in my mind, rendering you permanently comatose."
"Then do it, you coward!"
"There is a difference between cowardice and compassion." The Doctor dropped Tantalos and removed his wings. "Here's the deal. In this very subconscious, we play a game of your choosing. If you win, I relinquish my body to you. If I win, your reach will be limited to a triangle on this planet's surface, the map of which will be always visible to you. You'll get to do whatever you want in that triangle except surface, but if you attempt to escape that triangle, you will be permanently comatose. No seeing, feeling, nor even thinking. Would that be the fate you would want for yourself?"
"I accept this challenge, then. I see into your memories and decide to take you on in a game of Ludo."
"Okay, then. I never expected you to go for a game of luck rather than a game of skill, But I accept. I'll have blue. You have green."
"Gladly."
That particular game of Ludo ended up going for the longest time. Well, the longest time in context to the Doctor's subconscious. Outside of the subconscious, it had only been a few seconds after Tantalos was knocked out by Khaldun. So fast were the dual minds of the Doctor and Tantalos. It culminated with the Doctor and Tantalos each having only one piece to bring home, the Doctor's being seven spaces away and Tantalos' being only three spaces away. "I rolled a four." the Doctor said after rolling the die, "I only need to roll a three so I can win."
"And you will not." Tantalos replied before rolling, "A one. I'm close to victory, Doctor. Surrender now and make all the time wasted on this game with it."
"Never." The Doctor rolled again. "Two."
"Well, it was nice seeing you, Doctor. However, now is my time." Tantalos rolled and was unhappy with the result. "A six. I can't move."
"What's the chance of me getting a one to win, pray tell?"
"16.667%. Why did you ask when you already know?"
"Never, ever, tell me the odds." The Doctor rolled the die and it landed in the one position that the Doctor was hoping for. "I rolled a one. I win."
Tantalos flipped the board on fury. "How? How did you beat me?"
"Aw, someone is a sore loser. Your fault for choosing the game."
"No! I suspect that you have cheated me, you foul Time Lord!"
The Doctor smiled. "How perceptive, Tantalos. Just some minor manipulation of probability right at the end of the game to make it so that I keep my body. It's too late for you to do anything now, anyway."
"No. If you cheated, you forfeited."
"Well, true, but remember: this is still my mind. Now," The Doctor put her open palm on Tantalos' forehead. "face thy punishment." The subconscious ended up being consumed by a bright light, forcing both the Doctor and Tantalos back to the real world.
