Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or Carrie.
Hello again, hope you like the new chapter.
This is based on the 1976 movie Carrie not the book or any of the later adaptations.
The Master Chronicles 13 - Rising the Dead
Volag-Noc, Mutter Spiral…Year 261147…
Prisoner scrubs really do not suit me, Jaime thought with depression as she lay on her bunk in the cell.
They had been working a scheme on Triksella, just a small one to acquire some useful resources for a future scheme when it turned out the man that they had been scamming was caught in a sting operation by local law enforcement. They had been meeting with him when he was arrested and therefore, they were arrested too. They might have been able to talk their way out of it but the robots had scanned the Master and her for past crimes as a standard procedure and the stupid machine had arrested them both on the spot and before they knew it, they were in Volag-Noc for what might be a very long time…the Master had a sentence of 4 billion years while she had been lucky and only been given thirty thousand years!
Oh, she really hoped the Master had a plan to get out of this Jaime thought with a sigh, she had tried to escape herself but the cell was ridiculously strong and the Governor, Lok was a real hard case. A machine he was not prone to actual mercy or compassion, he was possessed of a cold hard logical view on things so no argument would sway him. She had been stuck in this cell for almost a month now and wondered if the Master had decided to just abandoned her and escape on his own which angered her but she resolved to wait as there was little else that she could do.
A sudden wheezing made her sit up and she looked around to see a Tardis materialising around her, her eyes wide with amazement at the experience but then realised it wasn't the Master's Tardis, the control room was completely different. Much lighter with white roundels covering the walls and the control console was suspended from the ceiling by a crystal tube that also contained the time rotor inside it.
At the console were two women, both in Timelord dress and one of them was holding a gun pointed at her dressed in combat armour with dark brown hair and pixie like features while the other operated the console an older woman with greyish white hair and a drawn face, Jaime immediately started planning in her head how to close the gap between them and take it the gun from them but then the wheezing continued and she saw the Master, dressed in prisoner scrubs like her appear in the strange console room. He apparently knew both of the women and sneered as he looked at them dismissively.
"Cardinal Ollistra and her little trained monkey Veklin. To what do I owe the honour?" The Master said with little worry or concern. Veklin bristled at the insult.
"Oh, the Master. The eternal troublemaker and jailbird." Ollistra said with a snarky voice and flicked a switch and containment vortex shields appeared around the Master and Jaime. Jaime tested it and found herself trapped in an even tighter cell than before, only now made of energy. Her anger mounted and almost snarled at Ollistra and Veklin, Veklin just looked at her with disdain while Ollistra scoffed.
"So, you have found yourself an 'unnoble savage', how like the Doctor." Ollistra said and the Master who had been relatively calm up to that point snarled at her.
"Do not…compare me to that fool!" He warned her and decided to get to the point. "If you broke me and my associate out of prison then you must have a reason. So, what is it you want? A mission for the High Council? The War Council? Or maybe something more personal?" He asked pressingly and Ollistra almost scoffed at his presumption to try and press for information but decided since she disliked being in his presence to get this over with as soon as possible, the Master to her at least was even more revolting than the self-righteousness of the Doctor. With the Doctor you knew what he would do even if he hated you, the Master on the other hand was a wild creature you simply couldn't control.
But her options had been dwindling lately and she needed someone capable of completing the mission. Veklin would have tried but she didn't have the skills required…the Master on the other hand did.
So, since she knew her hold over him would be temporary at best, she would have to be very careful.
"Indeed, I have a job for you and your companion…if she even deserves to be called that." Ollistra said looking over at Jaime with an arrogant look of superiority and scorn. Jaime looked furious at the insult and had she not been confined by the force field; she would have killed Ollistra over and over again till she ran out of incarnations.
"Well then, get on with it. The less I have to hear of your prattling the better." The Master said with a scowl, he was not keen to be forced into anything but if he knew Ollistra it was likely she would make him suffer until he did whatever it was that she wanted and he would rather spare himself the pain.
"I thought so." Ollistra with a satisfied smirk which only enraged the Master and Jaime more. "Now, this is what I need from you."
High School, Chamberlain, USA…1st May 1979…
Carrie White took her seat in class; she already heard the insults being thrown at her and ignored them with all the practice of years of being the outcast and the target of bullies. She knew better than to try and fight back, that only brought more pain and no-one would ever help her. The teachers turned a blind eye as they simply didn't care while other students who were low down on the social order and outcasts liker herself enjoyed kicking her just as much as the bullies, it always made them feel superior when someone was worse off than them.
She kept quiet and made herself as small as possible in the hopes that they would forget she was there but knew it wouldn't work as they always remembered to have a go at her and it wasn't like the teacher would help her, she thought sadly…Mr Fromm was a miserable old man that cared about no one.
So, it surprised her and everyone else in the room when instead of the balding man in his late fifties an attractive woman in her mid-twenties with dark brown hair, dressed in pair of black flared pants and a green blouse stormed into the room. She had a stern face and told them without even bothering to look at them.
"Mr Fromm has unexpectedly gotten himself into some trouble and so I have been called in to take over his class at rather short notice. I am Miss Paley; you will call me that." The substitute teacher saw as she put her bag on the desk.
"Paley the prune." Chris Hargensen said as she chewed her gum with a laugh that was echoed throughout the class. Miss Paley turned, looking her straight in the eye and Chris suddenly became uncomfortable as did Norma who was sitting next to her especially when Miss Paley came over and stood right in front of Chris and leaned down so their faces were almost touching, the whole class going silent.
"Now, you see I have seen plenty of girls like you in my time. Rich, pretty girls who have never had to lift a finger in their entire lives. That think that being pretty and popular is important and that it will coast them through life, especially since their daddies will always take care of them or their boyfriends as the case might be. But they never think about what happens when they get old, when they lose their looks and aren't pretty anymore. Then they find men aren't so interested especially when a new younger and better-looking model is coming along. They end up old and alone because no-one wants them anymore and soon enough poverty sets in and they find themselves without friends as they surround themselves with people who are just as shallow as they are." Miss Paley said with a scorn that could have cut through stone. Chris was getting paler and more scared each moment this went on, but Miss Paley wasn't finished yet.
"Now, I happen to know that you, Miss Hargensen have failed to actually put in any work for most of this year and currently are only getting through because your daddy is a lawyer who threatens to sue the school if they fail you. This would continue till you graduate but unfortunately your daddy is currently having some rather difficult issues with his taxes or rather the ones he hasn't paid. I know this from my boyfriend who is currently working in the District Attorney's Office, and that your daddy might be looking at up to ten years in jail and being disbarred from practicing if he is convicted which would lead to the ruin of your entire family. So, you have the rest of the month to finish all the outstanding work or I will fail you and you flunk out of school. My advice is to be quiet and do the work, I don't make threats, I make promises." Miss Paley said with a cold voice that sent a shiver through the entire room.
Chris was sitting there terrified of the woman that had eyes like grey-blue ice chips, glaring at her with the intensity of car headlights at night. Norma next to her was almost shaking and neither said anything more as Miss Paley went back to the front of the class and sat down in her seat.
"Now, I believe you are all supposed to write a poem. I honestly do not care how good or bad it is as long as you have one. Normally we do it in alphabetical order but I will do it the other way round this time. Carrie White, you are up." Miss Paley said with her stern voice not changing at all and Carrie froze at being called up so soon, she normally was last and so she didn't have to sit there for long and take the laughing or whispers of how pathetic she was for long but now she would be in class with it for so much longer. She slowly got up from her desk, keen to get it over with and as she got to the front of the class, Miss Paley pulled out a pair of ear defenders and told her.
"Each of you will wear these so you can't be distracted by other sounds, even your own voice. You speak the words on the page with all the feeling you have in you. Look at the paper not the people." She said and without waiting simply put the tight and heavy ear defenders over Carrie's ears.
Carrie immediately could hear nothing and was disorientated by this but with the hard look of Miss Paley she looked down at the piece of paper in her hand and started reading.
"Jesus watches from the wall but his face is as cold as stone. And if he loves me as she tells me, why do I feel so all alone?" Carrie started saying, written in the closet at home after her mother had beaten her again and locked her in there to 'pray for forgiveness' when she had done nothing wrong! Her anger started coming through as she read her poem, driving out her nervousness and giving weight to her words that she couldn't hear.
When she was finally finished and looked up as she took the ear defenders off, she was surprised to see all of the class looking at her with shock and confusion as if not sure themselves at what just happened. Carrie honestly felt her heart sink as she thought it had gone badly but then Miss Paley pulled out a small cassette player and told her.
"Now I want you to hear what you sound like when you let other feelings in."
She hit the play button and Carrie heard something honestly that she didn't recognise, it was her voice but it was full of emotion, mostly anger and each word sounded hard as it came out but there was no faltering, she just talked with confidence and it gave her words so much more weight. She couldn't believe that her talking! It was too strong a voice to be her, she thought with astonishment.
"If I teach you nothing else then this is it, confidence is not something someone can give to you. It is something you give to yourself, when you stand up and say that you are going to do this. That you can do it and will because you want too. Not for anyone else, but for yourselves. Carrie spoke from the heart and it gave her confidence." Miss Paley told her and it shocked all of them, Carrie most of all.
With that the rest of the class began to sit quietly and do as she commanded, Carrie was aware of all the stares she was getting but she honestly was so confused at how her voice had been so different, how she had been different.
- x -
After English she had science, Chemistry in fact and again much to their surprise another supply teacher was standing in.
"Mrs Harper was unfortunately in a rather nasty traffic accident last night, caused by Mr Fromm who was drink driving so I will be taking the lesson." The older man said with white hair and a carefully trimmed beard, wearing a tweet suit. The class stayed quiet until he called out the register and eventually told them all.
"Now, my name is Mr Frederick. I have read the syllabus and it honestly feels lacking to me. So…we are going to be doing some new experiments." He told them, holding up the textbook. "Find one in the book you want to do and show me how well you do it. Come on then, chop chop." Mr Frederick said with an impatient clapping of his hands.
It was a bit of a mix between success and failure, some choosing really easy ones while others chose harder ones and failures happened to some while others pulled them off.
Carrie had chosen a simple one, largely as she had no partner to do it with. She managed it though and was about to leave when the bell went until Mr Frederick called her back.
"Miss White. A moment."
She froze, not sure why she was singled out when so many others had done worse than she had but reluctantly turned around and faced him. She came back over to his desk and he was surprisingly gentle.
"Miss Carrie White, you don't do particularly well in school despite signs of higher intelligence. Why did you try such a simple experiment when I know you could have done something more challenging?" He asked her calmly and without pressing too hard. Carrie bit her lip as he was still quite intense.
"I was working alone sir. I didn't know if it would be a good idea to do something more complicated without help." Carrie answered and Mr Frederick nodded.
"Yes, I can see why but I think Miss White you could have done it if you believed you could." Mr Frederick said plainly which surprised her, something that was happening a lot today. "You can do better Miss White, forgive me but I have heard of your mother's…proclivities. I know growing up with her wouldn't have been easy." Mr Frederick said with sympathy in his eyes, that was upsetting for Carrie as she didn't like to be reminded of mama here.
"You know, it's alright to be angry. To actually admit how you really feel, take it from me Carrie…anger is more useful than despair." Mr Frederick said with a sad look in his eyes. "Think on what I said, you have every right to be angry Carrie. Angry at your mother, angry at your classmates, angry at the town for turning a blind eye to what's been happening. Think on what I said, you are so much more than they could ever be." Mr Frederick told her before getting up himself and leaving the classroom which meant Carrie was standing there confused and unsettled not certain what to think or feel in that moment.
- x -
That day when lunch break started, the teachers went to the Staff Room to eat their own food.
The Master and Jaime, as Mr Frederick and Miss Paley respectively stood with Miss Collins, the gym teacher as they ate their rather disgusting sandwiches.
"So, have you been teaching long?" Miss Collins asked with a smile at her new co-workers. The Master answered with a relaxed smile.
"Oh, it was my chosen career once. But then I decided to go out and explore the world, now that I'm older it felt right to come back and pass on some of what I learned." The Master said with a friendly smile that would have convinced anyone, he wasn't even lying as he had once been a teacher at the Academy back on Gallifrey before leaving to become the Master. Miss Collins nodded approvingly and turned to Jaime who sipped her coffee before answering.
"Not really, this is one of my first jobs but you never know, I might stay on." Jaime told them with a fair amount of confidence.
"I'm interested in what you said to Chris Hargensen. That girl has always been a troublemaker and full of herself but whatever you said put the fear of God into her and she was as meek as a lamb all day." Miss Collins said, hating the girl with a passion and wishing she could do whatever Miss Paley had done to make her behave. Jaime just shrugged before telling her.
"Basically, I just gave her a glimpse of her probable future along with a dose of reality. Give it time though and she'll be back to her old self." Jaime said with obvious disgust for people like Chris, they never could really change. Their attitudes might soften a bit but ultimately, they always revert back to their old selves eventually.
The next couple of days passed without incident, Jaime was unfortunately right in that it didn't take long for Chris to regain her confidence at least when it came to bullying other students.
Carrie White among them, in possibly the worst way yet.
After gym when Carrie had been showering with soap, the only place she had any real chance of doing that she started bleeding. Carrie had no idea what was happening, she was terrified and as she went to look for help…the girls who fully understood what was happening of course took advantage and led by Chris began to yell and throw stuff at her.
Carrie wasn't able to understand and still in a state of panic, she screamed in terror and suddenly all of the girls found themselves being thrown back as if by a strong and sudden force they couldn't see.
The girls were shocked and none of them had any idea what just happened when Miss Collins came in and took control of the situation. She cradled the girl in her arms to try and calm her down before explaining to her just what was happening.
- x -
"The poor girl had no idea just what a 'period' was! I mean…something so natural, a part of being a woman…how could her mother not tell her?" Miss Collins said later in the staff room, still in shock over what had just occurred.
"Indeed, I have seen many religions in my travels but her mother is wilfully spreading ignorance and her own warped version of the bible, completely cut off from reality or even Christianity itself." The Master said, staying in the part of the gentle and wise teacher, shaking his head sympathetically. "The woman is mad; her religion is a symptom of her madness not its cause. Why have none of the authorities done anything to prevent it? The girl is clearly being abused." The Master said, pressingly.
Miss Collins didn't know what to say, the truth that no one wanted to admit to but was pretty much the same reason for everyone else in town staying away from the situation was that no-one wanted to get themselves involved in such a thing, it was easier for all of them to simply look the other way and do nothing than get themselves in the middle of the madness. She knew it was true of every single person who had seen what happened to Carrie and yet did nothing. Margaret didn't even belong to the local church due to her extremism, harassing others and being incredibly unpleasant. No church in town would have her and even the local pastors refused to have anything to do with her.
And yet despite many feeling some sympathy for Carrie, no one would do a thing to help her.
Including her, Miss Collins thought with shame.
Still, the reaction of the girls in the shower room had finally motivated her to remove those rose-tinted glasses and finally do what she should have been doing from the moment she realised just what was happening, protect the girl and try to help her now. She only hoped it wasn't too late for the girl to have a normal life.
The Master meanwhile was intrigued by what had happened in the shower room, not the bullying although he wondered just how badly the girl must be being treated for it to delay her periods for this long. Most human females got theirs much earlier than this and yet Carrie was over half-way through her teens by now. It was hard to see with her baggy clothes that looked homemade but she was also underweight which probably hadn't helped. Combined with significant psychological trauma that the girl still had empathy was an impressive feat in itself, personally he would have hoped she didn't but either way he had a use for this.
"I noted the girl has a lot of skill in science, what she really lacks is confidence and would benefit from some one-on-one teaching." The Master said, pretending to come up with a solution that he knew Miss Collins the fool that she was would let him take to get the girl off her hands. "Miss Paley would be accompanying us of course as she said the girl has some other things that need to be worked on."
"That sounds great." Miss Collins said with a smile, glad as the man seemed to have a kind manner about him not to mention if anyone could teach Carrie to stand up for herself it would be Miss Paley.
- x -
"Now remember, you have a voice." Jaime as Miss Paley said with a sternness that would have scared an army drill sergeant, let alone Carrie who was deeply nervous about her strong personality. "Don't be afraid to use it. If getting angry helps, then do it. You have hidden your feelings for far too long." She told her sternly.
"Miss Paley, you must remember not everyone has your confidence." The Master reminded her gently which Carrie was grateful for as she and the science teacher worked on chemistry and physics. Some of what he seemed to be teaching her went way over her head but it was interesting Carrie thought with a smile coming to her face as she liked this. Sadly, the time to go home came and Carrie reluctantly picked up her bag and coat, seeing her reluctance the Master seized on the moment.
"You know Carrie, if you wanted to, we could all go down to the Police Station and make a report. If you do that, then they have to do something." The Master said, playing the part of the kind, concerned teacher as gaining the young girl's trust was crucial for their plan.
Carrie however looked down at her shoes, not able to meet his gaze as she told him.
"No…I…I…I just can't." Carrie said with fear of her mother and love for her at the same time even if Margaret had done nothing to deserve it. Both the Master and Jaime made frustrated faces even if that had been exactly what they expected and Jaime began to take a bracelet off her wrist. She held it out to Carrie who stared at it in surprise.
"Go on, take it. It was given to me by someone who wanted me to be confident and it always helped me when I needed to be. Maybe it's time I passed it on to someone who really needs it." Jaime as Miss Paley told her.
Carrie was reluctant to take it, partly because it didn't belong to her but also because she was terrified of breaking it or Mamma breaking it. She saw it was a simple thing, a number of cut crystals on a string but the way they simmered in the light made it look almost magical.
Eventually Jaime got impatient and she put it on Carrie's wrist herself, the girl didn't struggle though and seemed to want it even if she didn't want to say so.
"If you ever feel yourself getting scared, then concentrate on the bracelet." She instructed Carrie who looked at it with confusion. Not sure how this would help but nodded as she didn't want to annoy the very stern teacher. She nodded and left the room, missing the fact that the Master and Jaime both smiled with satisfaction. The poor girl never had a chance.
Those crystals were not normal crystals, they were by-products created by some of the time weapons used by the Time Lords in the war. They had used similar crystals on the Chronopsychos named Alice Pritchard when they had recruited her to 'The Rage' Project, they amplified the powers of psychic species but also had the side effect of increasing their anger and frustration.
Carrie had already tapped into her powers once under high emotion, let's see if they could 'encourage' her to see just how far she could go the Master thought with an expectant look on his face.
Carrie arrived home not long after, clutching her bag to her chest for comfort as she knew just what was waiting for her on the other side of that door, she thought with dread.
She opened the door, eager to get it over with and much to her fear her mamma was waiting for her.
"You are sinning." She said before Carrie could even get a word out, and slapped her hard on the face. Carrie felt the sting on her cheek and then her mamma before she could even scramble to run away, she slapped her again with such force that she fell to the floor. Before she could even try to get back up, she had been dragged by her mamma kicking and screaming into the closet and mamma then threw her into it, all the while screaming at her to pray for forgiveness. Slamming the door shut so Carrie was trapped.
Carrie banged as hard as she could on the door, screaming to be let out tears running down her face. The injustice of this, being ambushed the moment she had gotten through the door and hit for no reason! She hadn't done anything wrong! She thought with rage swelling up inside her so fast that she didn't even have time to think about it in the heat of the moment. It was like a volcano, she honestly had no control of it and suddenly, the door in front of her cracked!
It cracked so hard that it split in two. Carrie was so angry though that she didn't even care to think about what had just happened and pushed hard against the door and it fell to the floor broken. She looked around and saw her mamma had fled. Carrie seethed with anger for a moment before suddenly she found herself calming down, the suddenness of her rage shocked her now that she was able to think more clearly but not as much as the door suddenly breaking. She looked down at the broken door and was so confused, what had just happened? She thought, she hadn't hit it that hard and yet it had snapped like a twig.
She was so confused, not sure what was going on and wondered just how she had done it?
- x -
Sport's Field Detention, the Following Day
"So, you see they are being punished." Miss Paley told Carrie as they both looked out across the field where Miss Collins was putting the girls that had been screaming at her in the shower room through a 'boot camp' style detention as Miss Paley had referred to it. "Better yet they have to do this or they don't get to go to Prom."
"No Prom?" Carrie asked with surprise, knowing about it obviously but never imagined she would ever go. For those girls, that would be a nightmare she thought with satisfaction, smirking a little which felt weird on her lips as she never smirked. Smiled very rarely but never smirked.
She then saw Chris Hargensen stop and stalk her way up to Miss Collins as the other girls stood there watching, defiance pouring out of her. Carrie felt her good mood fade as she realised Chris was trying to get out of it. She felt a great deal of satisfaction though when Miss Collins smacked the girl right across the face, loving the sight of Chris getting hurt, the darkness of those thoughts made the crystals simmer more brightly around her wrist and a nearby ball on the volleyball court lifted up and fired straight at Chris.
It hit hard on the back, knocking Chris over and leaving her face first on the field. The other girls and Miss Collins went over to her and they looked around at the volleyball court but saw no one there.
Carrie was actually grinning for a moment before she realised that it was actually her that had done that. She honestly blinked in surprise before suddenly feeling bad for her hurting someone, she wanted to run but Miss Paley was looking at her strangely.
"Carrie, did you just do that?" She asked her eyes studying her carefully. Carrie wanted to run but Miss Paley told her with a gentle smile. "I think we need to speak to Mr Frederick. Maybe he knows what is going on." Miss Paley suggested carefully before leading the girl to go meet the science teacher.
Unknown to them however, Sue Snell was looking at the pair with confusion. She didn't see how Carrie could have been responsible for the ball being thrown at Chris but at the same time she couldn't shake the feeling that she had been. She was feeling bad enough for what had happened in the locker room showers before and now she had started trying to be more observant.
To not make such a mistake again, to not be so cruel and horrible and so she decided to not only to help Carrie go to Prom but also to find out just what was going on around here.
- x -
"And the ball just took off and flew at the girl's back all on its own the moment Carrie looked at it." Miss Paley told Mr Frederick after dragging Carrie to see him. Carrie herself was unsure of just what had happened and the science teacher sat there listening carefully before telling them with an intrigued look in his eyes.
"Telekinesis. I have heard of such things and seen a little in my time but never that someone could manage such a feat at such range! That is quite an impressive gift you have my dear." Mr Frederick said with an impressed look in his eyes. "Maybe we can work on it together? The three of us." He suggested.
Carrie was surprised at the offer and wanted to say yes straight away, she had always been the outsider in this place. It was dull and boring and she had always been treated like dirt by everyone and told she was not special.
But…she was Carrie thought with a great sense of vindication. She was special! She thought with her heart singing, she could do things that no-one else could do! She was desperately eager to explore the things she could do but then a shadow of doubt crept into her mind.
"Mamma…she'd wouldn't like it." Carrie said, her voice trembling and looking down at her shoes which annoyed Miss Paley who took a hold of her chin and made her look straight into her eyes.
"Then she can suck it up! If she gives you any grief then send her to me. I will deal with your horror of a mother." Miss Paley told her with a firm look that would have intimidated anyone.
"This is your special gift, Carrie; I think you owe it to yourself to learn just how far you can go with it." Mr Frederick told her with a kind smile. He looked at her encouragingly and Carrie felt her worries and insecurities fade as she nodded slowly, eager to get started and see just what she could do.
- x -
Chamberlain High Street, Saturday Morning…
Carrie honestly had no idea just why but the first weekend after discovering her powers Miss Paley took her shopping!
"Here, jeans. I swear by them." Miss Paley said as she held up a pair of tight-fitting jeans against Carrie and judged her size. "Yeah, these should fit. Then we get you some t-shirts and some shoes. Then I'll get us some lunch." Miss Paley said with an offhand remark which confused Carrie.
"Miss Paley. Why are we doing this? I haven't got any money." Carrie told her and Miss Paley rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"I'm paying silly girl. If you are going to fit in and if you are going to master these skills you have then you need to be confident. A modern and proper wardrobe will go a long way towards helping that. You deserve to look good Carrie, not to mention get some good food down you. Mind and body go hand in hand so what is good for one is usually good for the other. Now, I think these will look good on you." She said, pulling out some long sleeve t-shirts and some halter tops. Carrie blanched at the sight of them but was soon forced into a changing room and the moment it was confirmed that they fitted, Miss Paley bought them, the jeans, some boots and shoes and then took Carrie for lunch before an appointment at the saloon, even making her dump her own clothes for the new ones.
Carrie honestly had no idea just what was happening but as she sat there having her hair and nails done, she felt like she was in another world. This sort of thing just didn't happen to her and she didn't know what to make of it.
When she finally saw herself in the mirror…she didn't recognise who was staring back at her.
The girl there was good looking, honey blonde hair which had some shine and fullness to it, her face had some blusher and eyeliner to make her eyes look bigger and more luminous while she had her nails painted a lovely shade of pink. Her outfit was a halter top in red and white which left her bellybutton exposed, blue jeans that clung to her and flared at the bottom with sandals which had a raised heel. She even had new underwear that was much more modern than the handmade stuff her mother had always given her.
The girl was fashionable, the girl had boys in the street staring at her with excitement on their faces.
The girl, was her.
Carrie could hardly believe it; it was too incredible to even think about. She was struck dumb by it before Miss Paley had to take her gently by the elbow and guide her away from the mirror in the end, she had been so surprised by her new look.
She walked up the high street with Miss Paley, carrying the bags between them and she was wondering just how she was supposed to pay Miss Paley back for all this when a horribly familiar voice called out!
"SIN!" Margaret White screamed out and she stormed over towards them, Carrie already felt whatever confidence she had gained slipping away as she saw the enraged look on her mother's face. Her nose was flared like an enraged wild beast and her entire face was purple with rage, without any hesitation she smacked Carrie hard in the face, so hard in fact in sent her down on the sidewalk and she honestly so stunned that she couldn't protect herself from being kicked right in the stomach straight after.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN SIN IN FRONT OF ME!" Margaret screamed at her and went to kick her again and Carrie curled into a protective ball but the kick never came, Carrie looked up tentatively and saw her mamma was being restrained by Miss Paley who had her pinned to the wall.
"LET GO OF ME YOU VILE CREATURE!" Margaret screamed but Miss Paley wouldn't budge and held Margaret there and looked enraged herself.
"Vile creature?" Miss Paley said with a sneer. "I have been to many places with many different gods and I can honestly say nothing makes me doubt god's existence more than you. A supposed godly woman who kicks the crap out of her own daughter probably to make up for something you did. I mean what are those seven deadly sins again? Gluttony, lust, greed, sorrow/despair, wrath, sloth, vanity and pride? Well, right now you are so prideful that you think you have the right to smack your own daughter around in public! You are so filled with wrath that you smack her in the face and kick while she's down. You envy her youth and good looks so you make her look bad, dressing her in bad clothes so you look better. You keep all the best clothes and things to yourself in the house. Quite a few of your own there." Miss Paley said with disgust as some cops approached them, having seen them from up the street.
"Ma'am you need to come with us." One of the officers said as he took Margaret in handcuffs and dragged her kicking and screaming into their nearby patrol car. "We'll need a statement from you both." The other one said and Carrie who had only just gotten to her feet with tears in her eyes was terrified. Not just of Margaret but of her mother being arrested, but Miss Paley stepped in and told them.
"I'll give a statement. That woman has gotten away with this long enough. Carrie, she has been starving and abusing you for years! She hits you! She screams at you! She starves you! That is abuse and it's not right. She has no right to take out her anger and misery on you! She is a horrible woman who only wants to hurt you! Why else would she do these things? My mother was never like this! No real mother is, they love and protect you! You deserve better!" Miss Paley said with a hard edge to her voice.
Her strong will was already making Carrie think about what she was talking about and anger started growing about how her mother treated her. The glass nearby started to shake and Miss Paley thinking quickly told the officers.
"She can stay with me for a while, until we know exactly what is going to happen." She told them and led Carrie gently away.
- x -
Nearby the Master as Mr Frederick watched with a sinister smirk on his face, he hadn't been lying when he said that he had seen such powers before and that Carrie was unique. She certainly was he thought with sinister intent and was glad that Jaime had removed her before she exposed the police to her powers by showering them all with glass.
Anger and strong emotion were definitely the key to making her powers flourish he thought with satisfaction although to get them to the level he needed wouldn't be a fast process. He needed to build them up and her body too so it could handle the strain. Not to mention be in good shape for what was needed from her.
Arranging for Margaret White to be present and for two policemen to be there had been all too easy, she would be removed from the situation for a while, until he had reached the final part of his plan.
- x -
Science Lab, Chamberlain High…One Week Later…
"Now, don't be afraid to use your feelings Carrie, one thing we have noted in all these tests is that when you let your feelings loose, your powers grow stronger." Mr Frederick said to Carrie with a calm but serious voice.
Carrie herself was standing there with her hand outstretched, around her objects moved through the air like puppets on her strings. She moved them fluidly around and with her eyes closed, it had become so much easier the more she practised Carrie thought and then she concentrated on a car that was parked outside. It shuddered slightly and she concentrated harder on it, the strain become painful till it too lifted off the ground.
But she couldn't hold it for long and sagged as the pressure got too much but Mr Frederick was smiling as he handed her a glass of water.
"Every time I think we might have hit a limit you go and surpass it. You are very talented Carrie, very special indeed." Mr Frederick said with a pleasant smile on his face which Carrie liked. He was so smart she thought, always willing to listen and had such interesting stories to tell. Not to mention he had managed to help her a great deal with developing her powers.
Miss Paley too, Carrie thought with a smile. Under that harsh exterior was a woman that did care, one that made sure she ate right and took her on runs for exercise, Carrie now looked like any other sixteen-year-old, at a healthy weight for her age and size not to mention reasonably fit physically. All of which made her actually blend in at school for the first time and Miss Paley had protected her from mamma.
Speaking of mamma, Carrie thought with a slight unease, she was still in jail until the authorities decided to do something with her. She worried about mamma despite herself and Miss Paley would quickly remind her that mothers weren't supposed to behave like that.
- x -
Outside the science lab though, unknown to Carrie or the Master someone was watching.
Sue Snell had been watching Carrie for the last week and had noticed her afterschool lessons with Mr Frederick and Miss Paley. It had been hard to do so without being seen but she had managed to catch a look at some of what they were doing.
She blinked in surprise as she saw objects floating all around Carrie, she honestly couldn't believe what she was seeing and was wondering briefly if she had gone mad but sure enough as she rubbed her eyes and checked again it was right in front of her. Carrie was standing in the centre of the room and objects where floating around her like they were puppets on her strings, moving as she held her hand out in front of her.
Sue had never been one for science fiction or even fantasy stories as a whole, far too grounded but she couldn't deny what was right in front of her. She began to remember that when Carrie had been freaking out in the shower room then all of a sudden, they had all been knocked over by what Sue could only describe as a powerful wave that she and the other girls had never seen coming. In the heat of the moment Sue like many of the girls had just forgotten about it.
Now however, Sue was starting to realise that Carrie had likely been the one to do it. Honestly Sue was completely shocked at this and had to go to the library and did some reading of her own on telekinesis, reading whatever few books they had on the subject and most of it was useless, just theories and apparent stories of actual cases of it that couldn't be proved.
Sue honestly wasn't sure just what to think, Carrie was doing what many said was impossible and yet doing it with apparent ease. It was just astonishing and made her wonder just what else Carrie might be capable of?
But another question was pulling away at her, constantly making her look at Mr Frederick and Miss Paley with suspicion in her eyes. She honestly had no idea why they were being so kind to Carrie? It might be she thought with some doubt in her mind that they might be just being kind but somehow, Sue just couldn't fully believe that. They were buying Carrie a new wardrobe, feeding her, taking her in, helping her workout to improve her body's fitness and training her to use those powers she had.
Her suspicions felt harsh but you just didn't do all that without getting something back in return. So why were they doing it? Sue asked herself with frustration, not able to see just what they were getting out of it?
She had already asked Tommy if he would take Carrie and while he hadn't been happy about it, Tommy had agreed.
She meanwhile would try to learn as much as she could about these two…something just wasn't right Sue thought with worry at what they might be intending for Carrie. She had managed to learn by taking a peek into school records just where the two had previously worked and she would need to make some calls.
- x -
Prom Night, Chamberlain High School…A Week Later…
The school gym had been decorated into a representation of moon love in paradise. Music played from the speakers and the entire hall buzzed with people, teenagers dancing to the music or sitting to the side on the tables they had set up having some drinks or food while they chatted to each other.
Carrie was feeling very much like she was in another world as she danced a gentle slow number with Tommy, she saw Miss Collins and Miss Paley standing to the side and giving her encouraging looks as she did and honestly, she was feeling happier than she had in her entire life. Mr Frederick who was standing to the side with the principal gave her a smile and wave which she returned along with Tommy.
- x -
Nearby Sue Snell who really should not have been here tonight as she had given up her Prom ticket and date to Carrie was using the distraction of the Prom to sneak into Mr Frederick's office in hopes of finding out more about him.
She had called the last schools he claimed to have taught at and to her great worry they had never heard of him or Miss Paley either at her previous employers. This was insane Sue thought with growing dread, how could they just get a job here without anyone calling to check that they were legit?
Sue looked through all the files and found nothing of value, no clues at all to what the man or his apparent partner were doing here. She hoped they were just studying Carrie but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that.
She then noticed a filing cabinet nearby that was partly open, her eyes were drawn to it and she grinned, hopeful that maybe she might for her answers in there. So, with hope she walked over to it and carefully pulled the cabinet open and gasped at what she saw.
It was like another room had been crammed into the tiny cabinet, Sue thought with astonishment as she gently made her way in. It was impossible Sue thought to herself in shock at what she'd found, it couldn't go through the wall to the next room as that was the science lab that she had come through to get here.
The room was much bigger than the office, black marble walls with roundels carved into it surrounded the chamber which was filled with a gentle humming that seemed to be coming from a six-sided console on a raised platform in the centre of the room. There were six columns made of brass in elaborate patterns that had a glowing light inside that reached the ceiling where a red swirling pattern could be seen.
Sue honestly had no idea just what she was dealing with, but before she had a chance to think more on her strange surroundings, she heard what could be someone coming in to the science lab and thinking quickly since it was the only way out, Sue ran quickly to the other side of the room and through another door in hopes of finding a place to hide, only to be shocked by a corridor that she had to run down in hopes of escape.
The Master and Jaime both returned to the Tardis and closed the door while Jaime activated the force field to ensure they were protected from what was about to happen.
- x -
Carrie was smiling more widely than ever as she and Tommy were announced as King and Queen of Prom, she stood on the stage with Tommy, her plastic crown on her head and a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She honestly felt as if she had found heaven on earth in this moment…everything was too perfect.
But it was spoiled when Carrie saw a group of police officers come in with mamma, she was in cuffs and Carrie honestly was heartbroken as the perfect moment was ruined. The sight of the police and Margaret White in handcuffs didn't go unnoticed either and the Principal and Miss Collins went up to see what they wanted. Carrie looked around but was unsettled that she couldn't see any sign of Mr Frederick or Miss Paley anywhere in the hall. She felt somewhat scared at their absence but stiffened her resolve she thought as old anger bubbled away, she had her powers and she was not going to cower before mamma again she thought with anger.
Tommy at her side put a hand around her shoulder and pulled her against him in an attempt to comfort her which she appreciated and managed a smile for him which he returned.
"There, you've seen her. Now tell us Mrs White, just who are those two bodies we found?" One of the police officers asked loudly to Margaret.
The mention of bodies shocked all of people present and Miss Collins asked the officer.
"What bodies?"
"We just executed a search warrant on the White Residence and found two bodies buried in the backyard. One is apparently an adult male, the other is of a baby." The Police Officer said and those that heard it were horrified at what they heard and soon all of them were talking about it. Carrie herself soon knew and was shocked beyond measure at the idea someone had been buried in her backyard all this time and she had never known. What had her mother done? Carrie thought with horror at the possibility that mamma had maybe killed someone. Tommy while shocked did his best to reassure her.
"Ralph, one of them is Ralph." Margaret admitted slowly and that made Carrie gasp as she knew that was her father's name. She was honestly was feeling like she was about throw up at the idea that daddy had been killed by her mother and then buried in their backyard. All those years of wondering about him and just where he was when he had been right under her feet the entire time.
"And the other one? It's a girl we can tell that and only a new-born when she died. Who is she?" The cop pressed; Margaret had been giving them the run-around at the station and had only agreed to answer their questions if they brought her here to see her daughter. One they knew now was Ralph White, the man had been missing for years and many had thought he had just run off but here was apparently a confession that Margaret had murdered her husband and this young child whose name they didn't know yet. Judging by the size of the body the baby couldn't be more than a week or two old at the most. It honestly made him and his colleagues sick when they had learned that and wondered what on earth had possessed them all to turn a blind eye to the woman for so long.
"God called for her." Margaret said simply and the cop growled in frustration as she was giving them the run-around again, he was going to drag her out of here in a moment and beat the answer out of her if she didn't start talking sense, that was how angry the murder of this child had made him.
"Who was she?" He demanded with enraged eyes and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, shocking some but it managed to get the crucial information they needed.
"Our daughter, conceived on a night of wicked sin." Margaret said with a far-off look in her eyes. "Our little Carrie."
That truly shocked everyone, no one more than Carrie herself who couldn't believe what she was hearing. Mamma had another girl before her? And she was named Carrie too? She thought with horrified shock but the worst was yet to come.
"Then who is that?" The officer said, releasing his grip on Margaret so he could point up at Carrie on the stage.
"She came like an angel." Margaret said with a strange contented smile on her face that freaked many of them out. "A great wind announced the angel's arrival, then the light from within as the figure placed her in my arms. She was perfect, my Carrie returned as an angel." Margaret said with a now completely detached look in her eyes which showed the depth of her madness.
The whole hall was now completely silent as they all released the truth, Carrie…wasn't Carrie. She wasn't Margaret's daughter and who knows just where she came from since it was clear that Margaret was too far gone to even remember the truth herself.
Carrie herself was in a state of complete shock, not able to comprehend all of this. Mamma wasn't her mamma? She thought with great distress. She didn't come from her and Ralph White wasn't her father! Oh no, Carrie thought with a growing sense of horror, her real name wasn't even Carrie! She had no idea just who she was or where she came from, she realised with near terror.
Then just as her emotions were now running wild, Chris and Billy who had been waiting in the wings a short way off, triggered the prank they had prepared for Carrie in revenge for all the disruption of Chris's life. Chris even now didn't consider herself to have done anything wrong and was eager to put Carrie in her place.
The bucket of pig's blood was her revenge.
It came down and splattered Carrie, the poor girl already in a state of complete confusion felt in hit her and cover her in the horrible substance. Tommy at her side was hit too but not as much as her and screamed in anger at what had been done until he was hit on the head by the falling bucket.
Then students and teachers started laughing.
Carrie could hear it in both her ears and her mind, even those that weren't actually laughing aloud were laughing at her in their heads. All that scorn was now screaming out at her and Carrie was in such complete emotional upheaval, the crystal bracelet she was wearing now glowing so brightly that everyone could see it and then her powers reacted.
All her anger, her fear, her disgust and her frustration along with all the other bad feelings that had been building up in her mind just exploded out.
Carrie screamed in pain, both physical and emotional as her power let loose a shockwave that spread outward and so great was its intensity, that the whole school building shattered like a bomb had gone off inside!
Not just the glass but the stone walls, the ceilings and everything else was just turned to a pile of falling rubble as fast as you could blink. It fell down on everyone who screamed in what little time they had left before being crushed by all the falling debris.
Even Chris and Billy were not spared as the window they were using to spy at was hit by the wave, shattering the glass and throwing it out, tearing the pair to pieces.
- x -
Protected by the Tardis the Master and Jaime both were nevertheless thrown to the floor when the shockwave hit them. Both were surprised by that and wondered just how powerful they had made Carrie if she was able to throw out a wave that powerful.
The pair got back to their feet and the Master went to scan the area.
"The entire school building has collapsed. I honestly did not think she would be capable of that, clearly, she is far more powerful than I initially thought." The Master said in genuine surprise before he checked to see if Carrie had survived by scanning for life signs.
"You can say that again." Jaime said as she dusted herself off. "I knew the crystals would amplify her powers but not that extent."
"Oh, she was already going to reach that level, we just accelerated the process." The Master said with a shake of his head. If only he didn't have Ollistra breathing down his neck he would dearly have liked a weapon like her. He had some DNA samples true but it wasn't the same. He might look into this again in the future but for now he dematerialised his Tardis briefly before rematerializing it in the now ruined gym. The Master picked up a nearby small case and with Jaime walked out of the Tardis quickly.
The rubble made the place look unrecognisable and so they carefully made their way over the uneven ground until they reached the only remaining life sign in the entire school, buried under some of the rubble.
The Master stood back and Jaime grimaced before she started using her superhuman strength to push the debris aside until they found Carrie. Amazingly she was completely unharmed if unconscious and still covered in the pig's blood.
"Remarkable." The Master said, sounding genuinely impressed. "She instinctively formed a telekinetic cocoon around herself to protect her from the falling debris."
"If she's this powerful now, how strong will she be after Ollistra is done with her?" Jaime asked with real concern. Carrie had just shattered a building and killed everyone around it in a single burst, it was concerning that Ollistra wanted to make her even more powerful.
"Don't worry my dear, I have some ideas for how to take her down if needed. Now pick her up, get her back in the Tardis and get her prepared. We have a delivery to make." The Master said with anger in his voice at having such a potent weapon slip through his fingers. Ollistra had him over a barrel though and he would have his revenge for this. He injected a sedative into Carrie just to make sure she wouldn't wake up before everything was in place.
Jaime nodded and with a look of disgust at the pig's blood picked up Carrie and carried her back to the Tardis, taking her to the bathroom to wash her clean and change her clothes. Unknown to either the Master or Jaime though, Sue Snell was still in the Tardis, hiding in a storeroom and knocked out by the impact from Carrie's wave.
Skull Moon, Far Future…
When she finally woke up, Carrie honestly had not a clue just where she was.
She looked around her and saw she was in some kind of temple made of a crystal just like the ones she had around her wrist, it was simmering in the light and looked strangely beautiful even in her groggy and confused state. She looked up and saw to with a gasp of surprise that the sky above her had three moons around a large planet that she had never seen before.
She tried to move so she could get a better look but then discovered much to her own surprise as she finally managed to fully regain her wits that her body was being restrained in some kind of harness which was itself inside a cage made of crystal. She struggled but it held her tight and when she tried to use her powers to free herself to her own horror her telekinesis did nothing!
Panic slowly started creeping through her as she continued struggling but despite her frantic efforts she just couldn't move, worse she honestly couldn't remember just how she had gotten here or how she was wearing the crimson-coloured body suit she was wearing.
"The vessel is awake Cardinal OIllistra." A voice said seemingly from nowhere and Carrie cried out with fear.
"Who are you!? WHERE AM I?!" She demanded and another voice answered her.
"Little Human, you have no way of comprehending just where you are or the truth of what you are but in the vain hope you can, I will enlighten you." The voice said, dry and sharp it lacked any warmth or feeling which only unsettled Carrie more as she continued struggling to get out of here.
"My people have been fighting a war for the sake of the entire universe and we have lost many of our greatest along the way. We usually use temporal energy to resurrect them but with the war on it has become harder to gather up sufficient energy to do that. So, we have been forced to find an alternative method and so we created this. Devised from the Chameleon Arch technology only in reverse. Using cloning technology to create a suitable form for them while scraping up enough of their personality from the Matrix to restore them."
Carrie was completely lost at this point and understood none of this but Ollistra wasn't done yet.
"You were created as a host for one of the most powerful weapons the Time Lords have ever produced. A Time Lady called Caleera, a woman born with incredibly strong psychic powers, far stronger than you could imagine. She could have been a great asset to her people if Padrac and his foolish Doom Coalition hadn't got to her first. But she was eventually killed and splintered across all of time and now we have need of her again. If the scientist responsible for making you hadn't suddenly grown a conscience and hidden you away before killing himself, we would have restored her long ago. It has taken so long to find you and make you ready." Ollistra said with vicious scorn.
"Ready for what?" Carrie asked, her voice trembling with terror as she could feel in her bones that this wasn't good.
"Just what I said, you are incapable of understanding. You are nothing but a vessel that will give my people the greatest weapon we could hope for." Ollistra said and then inside the crystal prison a blast of golden simmering energy was released.
Carrie shook as it entered her body, shaking violently for a moment before finally becoming still and opening her eyes, the golden light now inside it for a moment before disappearing. Her hair began to change from a golden blonde to a lovely shade of red and the eyes now they were not filled with gold looked green now instead of blue.
She was physically still as the Time Lord Consciousness took over and her biology was changed, her mind overwritten by a much more powerful one. Two hearts now began to beat inside her chest and her mind expanded in ways that human beings were not able to understand.
The woman now seemed confused at first as she tried to come to terms with what had just happened, she didn't know where she was and again struggled to get free but then Ollistra spoke again.
"Welcome back Caleera." She said with a note of triumph in her voice. "It took quite a while to gather enough of your essence from across time to put you back together but its time you did your duty to your people after all the trouble you caused."
"Ollistra!" Caleera said with anger in her voice, now knowing everything the evil hag had done to bring her back. Carrie had been a girl who had deserved to live! She fumed, not be sacrificed to give her a new body. "What have you done!?" Caleera raged.
"As I said, we have need of you again. Thankfully we are in possession of Skull Moon and have constructed this entire structure made of crystals to focus and enhance your powers while we use the moon to focus them through time to the right points that we want it. You will survive but I am pretty sure you will wish you didn't." Ollistra mocked her.
Caleera had only a moment to think about that before the crystals started glowing fiercely all around her including the one that was holding her prisoner. Caleera closed her eyes but could only scream as she felt her powers being forced to manifest harder than they ever had before and be channelled through the crystal.
- x -
Ollistra from her Tardis with Veklin at her side as always smirked as she saw the results of her new weapon.
Caleera's pain meant nothing to her besides she had taken steps to ensure she would survive as they would need to use her again. The war was long and enduring after all and such a weapon gave her people a substantial advantage.
She watched on the Time-Space Visualiser as the wave of destruction hit the targets she had chosen. A Dalek fleet that had changed the course of several important battles in the war at the very beginning and the homeworlds of several Dalek allies/puppets that had been important in their expansion in the war. The Taalyen, Vultarans, the Ogrons and the Morlontoa homeworlds at an earlier point in history. Not to mention some worlds that had given useful resources to the Dalek war machine, some of which were inhabited.
She smirked with great satisfaction as the screen showed the worlds and Dalek fleet being blasted by the weapon, shattering them to pieces so small you wouldn't think they had been ships or planets at one point.
It didn't take long for the effects of the changes she had made ripple through the vortex, seeing the Daleks stripped of victories and advantages they had once had and the war turn in the Time Lords' favour as a result. She felt the strengthening of her people as they gained momentum in the war and now had more victories than ever.
Ollistra was so busy congratulating herself at her own brilliance that she failed to notice that the Master, who she had used to prepare Carrie/Caleera for this moment had left a little present in her Tardis.
The entire console room was hit with a massive blast as an organic explosive the Master had cooked up while stuck on Earth detonated, his own payback for the annoyance Ollistra had put him through.
The explosion ripped through the control room and scorched everything, catching both Ollistra and Veklin in its radius. Neither was dead but both were fatally injured and stagged out of the ruined control, the Battle Tardis she was using automatically switching over to an auxiliary control room the moment the primary one was damaged.
But for Ollistra and Veklin, there was only one thing they could do to survive. Both already felt the change coming and were gripped with fury, swearing vengeance on the Master and his little pet for this as they began to regenerate.
The Capital, Gallifrey…
The Battle Tardis landed and the soldiers on guard prepared themselves for the Cardinal's arrival, they stood to attention as the door opened and all blinked in surprise at the two figures that came out.
Both Ollistra and Veklin had been forced to regenerate, they knew it was them from the elaborate security systems that identified them the moment they stepped out of their Tardis. Both had replaced their damaged clothes but now wore new faces.
Ollistra now had much darker skin with short black hair and a stern if intelligent face, she worn the same robes though and despite the change the force of her personality meant there was no mistaking her.
Veklin had replaced her Timelord armour and was now more Asian in appearance, long dark hair was tied back behind her head and her face was also stern and cold.
"Ollistra, nice new look." Her colleague Androgar said as he appeared to greet her. Ollistra scowled at his arrogant smirk, thinking it was him being smug at her misfortune. "I can report that your little plot has born considerable fruit, the war has shifted in our favour and possibly created a new time sensitive species." He told her and Ollistra was intrigued.
"Do tell." She told him, her voice stern and giving no sign of emotion. Androgar nodded and explained.
"The planet Keska, it was supposed to be invaded by the Taalyen but thanks to your interference the invasion never happened. But due to the disruption in the time line temporal anomalies have formed on the planet, giving the local species new time related sensitivity and abilities we are only just beginning to understand. They might be quite useful to us in the future. Also, many fronts have turned and victories are beginning to mount in our favour. But on the other side there has been a rather…strange development." Androgar told her.
"Define…strange." Ollistra said with caution knowing it could go in any direction. Androgar gestured for her to follow him and so with some suspicion she did so. Arriving at an observation room she saw three women all sat round a table, moving pieces around on a holographic display.
"Three of the Doctor's former companions previously erased from existence by the war have returned but they have come back changed." Androgar told her as they looked down at the three young women named Bliss, Sheena and Louise all played their little game. "They are now capable of perceiving all timelines, past present and future. The three are locked in some kind of telepathic gestalt and can perceive changes that need to be made to achieve the best outcome." Androgar told her with genuine interest in their complicated ability.
Ollistra was immediately aware of the advantages the three provided to their cause and knew to keep such details from the Doctor or he would try and take them away. But this new body of hers had many new ideas that previously would never have occurred to her.
Since the first test subjects the soldier Collis and Caleera had been brought back successfully with her new method she could begin restoring other Time Lords of the past that would be useful to them in the war. Like Omega, the Rani, Salyavin, Artron and many others that could provide valuable services to them now. Some like Omega would need to be handled carefully but it would empower them with some of their best scientists, warriors, strategists, healers and more.
More to the point she remembered the Rani's rather elaborate plan to create a Time Manipulator out of the planet Lakertya with an asteroid of strange matter. It had been ambitious and ultimately failed due to the interference of the Doctor but it still held great promise Ollistra thought as she made new plans of her own.
She would move the asteroid to another system and continue the work there, she would need to expand her cloning operation to make copies of geniuses from across history to make the 'Time Brain' for the manipulator but that wouldn't be too difficult. It would take time but when combined with their three new visionaries it would give the Timelords the unparalleled ability to manipulate time and plan for any potential problem before it even arose.
Ollistra smirked to herself as she knew now a new and better way forward that would ensure victory for the Timelords regardless of what the Daleks could come up with.
Skull Moon, just after Ollistra left…
Sue had come too in the storeroom that she had hidden in and with an aching head had looked for some kind of weapon to arm herself with and discovered a rack of golden rod like things that made a pretty wicked looking yellow beam and so she took one. She managed to sneak out of the whatever it was as Mr Frederick and Miss Paley were nowhere to be seen and when she managed to get the doors to open and leave this weird place, she was stunned to find that she wasn't anywhere near Chamberlain anymore.
Looking out over a blackened and barren landscape she looked up to see a completely different sky, gasping in shock as she saw what looked like a gas giant with three moons very close and none of them resembled the pictures she had seen of the planets in the solar system.
She wondered if she had a concussion or something and felt her head and while it ached, she doubted she was dreaming this, even pinching herself to make sure and the sharp stab of pain to her arm made it quite clear this was real.
She was on an alien planet! Sue realised much to her shock never having even dreamt it was possible but here was the evidence right before her eyes. She took an amazed breath of alien air and found it quite bitter but still fine to breathe.
Then she heard a scream which immediately made her look and saw an impressive crystal structure that was glowing fiercely, she ran towards it as she knew that voice.
By the time she reached it the glowing had finally stopped and she could look without burning her eyes out, it was beautiful the way it shimmered she thought briefly before seeing Carrie locked inside some kind of crystal cage in front of her. Her hair was a different colour and she looked at her with green eyes rather than blue like she remembered but it was still clearly her.
Sue stepped back and aimed the weird laser she'd found at the crystal, taking great care to not hit Carrie with the beam as she fired. The yellow laser hit the crystal causing it to shatter like glass but thankfully none of it cut Carrie who fell to the ground completely exhausted. Careful of all the shattered crystal Sue made her way forward and picked up Carrie who looked completely energy less, whatever they had done to her had robbed her of all her strength and began to carry/drag her out of the crystal structure.
A pair of armoured soldiers appeared in front of them as she dragged Carrie out and Sue gritted her teeth as she raised her laser only for Carrie to manage to raise her hand and use her powers to blast them back. Sue despite knowing she could do that blinked in surprise and Carrie managed to look at her before telling her.
"Go for the Tardises, over there." Carrie told her, pointing her finger towards a series of column like structures nearby. Sue didn't know what a 'Tardis' was but with no idea just where else to go she did as Carrie told her. Carrie seemed to be recovering she noticed as they made their way there, she seemed able to stand more easily on her own even if she needed Sue to steady her.
They reached one of the cylinder-shaped column things and a door opened with a wave of Carrie's hand allowing them to get inside and Sue was astonished as she saw something just like what Mr Frederick had, a large open space inside an impossibly small space but Carrie started trying to move forward and to prevent her from falling on her face, Sue walked inside with her and went to the large console in the centre which was suspended from the ceiling by a crystal tube with a rotor inside. Carrie began flicking switches and pulling levers until the doors closed behind them and a grating noise filled the room.
- x -
Caleera sighed in relief as they were away, she knew better than to think they were safe but it was enough to get out of that crystal and away from Ollistra and her ilk. Gods she thought to herself with disgust, were all her people complete monsters? She asked herself and didn't like the answer she came up with.
She had been used as a weapon by her own people…twice! She fumed and yet here she was, a physical being once more, slipping to the floor and sitting on the small steps with Sue nearby. Her entire body ached Caleera thought with a shudder of revulsion running through her at the memory of what Ollistra had just used her for.
"Carrie, what is this place? What happened to your hair?" Sue asked, looking fit to burst with questions. Caleera sighed as she realised that she would have to explain all this to Sue, she reminded her of Helen Sinclair in a few ways Caleera thought with a smile. Intelligent, curious, compassionate and willing to admit she was wrong to make amends. She just hoped Helen was okay wherever she was.
"Sue, first you have to know that my name isn't Carrie. It's Caleera and I am not human. I come from a planet called Gallifrey and a race of beings known as the Time Lords." Caleera said deciding to start at the beginning in what was a very long and complicated story into which Sue had become embroiled.
She explained just who she was, a brief history of her people and her own rather chequered past before finally getting on to just where Carrie had come in. Sue to her credit didn't interrupt and let her explain before saying with a very suspicious look in her eyes.
"So, you're not Carrie, you're an alien from another world and the school was destroyed? Not to mention we are now travelling in a time machine." Sue said and Caleera nodded with a sigh.
"I know it's a lot to take in but believe me Sue it's all true. If I had it my way, I would have stayed dead and Carrie could have gotten to live her life." Caleera told her with sadness at the effective murder of a young girl for her body not to mention all those that had died at the Prom. The Master really was a piece of work she thought with disgust, just as bad if not worse than Padrac and all the rest of the Doom Coalition. So selfish and with such a callous disregard for life, it sickened her. She knew she was not one with the right to talk given her own previous willingness to kill, something she deeply regretted now as she had discovered just how she had been manipulated into becoming a weapon.
Sue was confused and not sure what to think right now, she had been to an alien world, discovered her boyfriend and most of her friends were dead, she was standing inside a time machine and the one person she did recognise wasn't even the same person anymore.
"I can't begin to fully understand all this yet, but I want too. Can we go back to Chamberlain, talk about it there?" Sue asked and Caleera bit her lip before telling her.
"No…not yet anyway. The Timelords will know of our escape soon if they don't already and that will be the first place they'd look. We need to lie low for a while and I think I know somewhere we can go. They might help us and while we're there I'll explain everything to you properly. Thanks to the Tardis, I can take you back to Chamberlain the moment you left. I promise I will get you home Sue, I swear it." Caleera told Sue who looked uncertain but decided since she had no real choice but to trust Carrie…Caleera Sue corrected herself.
Sue nodded reluctantly and Caleera gave her an encouraging smile.
"Interesting model of Tardis this, a Type 70 Mark 3. Reliable and really strong, can break through a temporal distortion grid, can be operated by voice commands, inbuilt medical scanners to monitor the crew, automatically checks for faults and reports them verbally to us. It can even stop mid materialisation if we need too. A CIA model so it's off the grid of the usual monitoring systems. Really an improvement on those that went before." Caleera said with a smile, trying to break the ice with some casual conversation. Standing up so she could reach the controls, now somewhat recovered she stood next to the console and set the co-ordinates and just hoped they'd find the help they needed when they got there.
"CIA? In space?" Sue asked confused, and Caleera from her own memories of Earth realised what had her confused and smiled before explaining.
"No, it means Celestial Intervention Agency. The same abbreviation is just a coincidence." Caleera said before adding. "Although they often get up to the same sort of work just on a bigger scale. Now, onward and upwards." She said and Sue started smiling too.
"Onwards and upwards." Sue repeated, her heart still broken but at the same time…she was in a time machine she thought with excitement. She had been to an alien planet! It all started finally hitting her and she watched as Caleera piloted the Tardis, wondering just where and when they were going.
There we are, hope you liked it and please leave a review to let me know what you thought.
The Poem Carrie reads is from the 2002 version of Carrie.
The Crystals and Alice Pritchard referred to the Big Finish Audio Series continuing the stories of the War Master specifically 'Rage of the Time Lord' series. The Master used them on Alice to do similar things to bring out her own psychic powers.
Caleera and Ollistra are both characters created by Big Finish Productions for the audio Doctor Who series, both appearing in the Doom Coalition series featuring the Eighth Doctor played by Paul McGann. Bliss, Sheena and Louise are also characters created for their extended Time War series and all three were erased from existence by the war.
The new Ollistra is based on Amanda Waller from the DC comics as she is something of her equivalent in that universe, a cold and manipulative woman who does a morally questionable things for what she believes is the right cause. I based her on the Viola Davies version from Suicide Squad.
The new Veklin is based on Kendra Shaw from Battlestar Galactica Razor since they are both soldiers serving a very corrupt cause. Played by Stephanie Jacobsen.
Next Chapter - The Master decides to visit a very special and discreet organisation that can make people whatever you want them to be. Seeing a great potential advantage for the future and Jaime is given a task that will take her a long time to complete.