In moments of intense danger, memories surge forward. Images, both vague and more sensation than sight, surface to calm the mind when troubled. This action is known as 'life flashing before ones eyes', a result of adrenaline trying to urge a body to some better moment before its end. With two hearts, the affect is doubled to an unspeakable level.
The Doctor's mind bombarded him with whole films of prior lives. His struggle with Mr. Raven's mind and the terrible accusation forced him to experience seeing the life he thought was true. From an old man living in a junkyard who changed rapidly until recently a woman who fell to Sheffield. But now there was greater history left unchecked. The brief history of the Doctor and greater story of Timelords…meaningless.
This revelation numbed him while he and Mary soared down but did not hit the street. Something large collided with them. They bounced slightly and the woman grabbed him to keep the Doctor from tumbling off. Some combination of a bouncy castle and air mattress cushioned their landing. The vehicle however, made very little sense.
"A bloody carriage," Mary muttered as the mattress deflated enough to make it easier to slide into the compartment below while two horses pulled them quickly along lightless streets. "Were options that slim, Wally?"
"You should be thanking whatever fairy godmother managed to arrange us anything that could run, M." A deep voice called out, the driver. "Everything short of pogo sticks stopped working for five blocks in all directions, in London. Your little concert at the clock shop helped us at least get a clear idea of where you were. Thank the blackout for keeping every MP busy too. So, who were those blokes on the roof and who's this punk?"
"Answers later, Wally, just get us somewhere quiet." Mary took a moment to reach her hand out the carriage. "Thank you."
A gloved hand grasped hers firmly, the smile on her face made it seem she had not expected to know this connection again.
"It's the pact, M," the man said warmly. "If you ever find yourself in Hell."
"The Devil meets me first." Mary finished the sentence happily. They shook hands once more for commitment then released. Her sincere expression quickly soured as she sat opposite the Doctor.
"Start talking."
"Um, but you said que—"
"Questions for Wally only require knowing enough to help clear up why he most definitely stole a carriage to save us a nasty fall. You have it worst. There are things you've known this whole time, secrets kept despite looking me in the eye for trust. The lies end now."
He always managed to be clever enough at keeping the moment when questions were needed far away with distracting adventures. Averting a few planetary disasters easily occupied most people. But Mary's patient glare promised nothing mattered more than what the Doctor needed to say. Attempting any escape seemed impossible, especially considering Wally's bulk implied in the driver window a man who could easily lift their horses if necessary. More and more, the Doctor learned how little power he had when in a vehicle with Mary Cinder.
But what in the Universe could he dare call truth.
"…I'm not human."
"Well, that one's obvious, 'Time Lord'. Let's get more specific."
"That's… going to be complicated."
Mary leaned in, the burning green of her iris glowed with cold fury.
"Have somewhere you need to be?"
Before something coy could be used defensively, a colder thought struck him. The Tardis, hearing her cry was so much he had wished for a third heart to bear the agony of what had been felt. His ship, the oldest companion, had endured many horrors but Mr. Raven's attack… the Doctor feared what would remain if they survived long enough to find it. His sorrow not easily hidden, and Mary's eyes grew soft but she remained vigilant to listen.
"I'm…," But he stopped himself. His usual method of introductions, true introductions to what he was and how to stop the other wordly threat were frozen on the… aliens tongue. Even calling himself 'Timelord' felt like it simply added to the secret bad joke.
"I'm an alien, but everything else I could tell you… is a lie."
"How does that work?"
Mary showed remarkable patience, clearly seeing the deeper wounds the D-He had kept hidden usually with the lie.
"I… was made to grow up thinking I'm from a planet called Gallifrey. Timelord, an alien with two-hearts who travels stops the monsters."
"But I've been told all of that, all of my story, was some grand lie to make me forget about being an experiment. Timelords aren't my species… they're my progeny."
The term Timelord Prime dug at his skull and made him grimace.
"I finally found out, but now I'm wondering if its even worth keeping up the lie… now that they're all gone." Again, he thought absent-mindedly.
Mary listened, probably with the acceptance that nothing said would be any crazier than what they had just encountered. It was also insanely vague, something that irritated him too.
"This man is a Gorfeli, they use tools that absorb light, creating shadow slaves of their victims. But their main tool is a pair of horrific eyes that can rip out a person's consciousness, their souls. Without the eyes to keep it controlled, their minds would shatter. But with both eyes… he could drain whole countries with a glance."
That was all the Doctor had to share, the only things he knew to be true. Mary was quiet, not even blinking while hearing about a reality beyond her planet. She then leaned back against the carriage, closing her eyes. They spent several minutes in silence, the slight jostle of their carriage making gentle turns along the panicked screams of Londoners suffering in sudden darkness.
"What was the lie exactly?"
The question felt indifferent compared to the weight of realizing the universe infinitely larger. In a lot of ways, he felt a similar aura from when they sat down to eat some chips. This was his side of the conversation now recognized.
"Y-You heard what I said."
"Yes, I heard you talk of doubts your actions clearly lack."
She leaned in, no cruelty or anger anymore, Mary only studied his perplexed face.
"Why were you in my getaway car? What was the plan meant to be before it spiraled into this sudden carriage ride?"
The Doctor tried to be aloof, but the woman's gaze trapped him. Drained of all energy for quirky cleverness, he chose to be candid.
"Either you got the eye, or I would have. That energy was too concentrated to ignore. I'd take the eye, find out who it belonged to, and run very far away with it. Until the city… the until the planet was safe." The Doctor rarely had the peculiar opportunity to explain a gambit among companions, usually they were busy with the next adventure to care about specifics even they weren't too aware of at the time. The thief kept her thoughts guarded behind unblinking eyes. A smile abruptly burst out with laughter.
"Seriously," Mary teasingly chuckled. "Listen to what you just said and dare tell me those are the words of an uncertain wanderer."
He had to stop himself from responding, choosing instead to follow her advice. That command forced him to not only process the last hour of madness but also the greater effort for the last few days. If there was any regret, he would confess only what Mary clearly understood.
"Even if this role of 'Doctor' were some manipulation, I've heard worse lies," her face grew dark. "Not all of us have the comfort of being able to pick and choose what we wish to be recognized as, Doctor, don't deny yourself the joy of a wonderful persona out of misplaced guilt or penance. Because I have a feeling the only result will be suffering, but not yours alone."
Her words helped the Doctor remember. When Amy and Rory were… taken from him, he lost faith in the work. Living in his sky prison until Clara yanked him back to Earth. Brilliant Clara, bringing out the best and worst of the Doctor with ease. With every cherished companion lost, another helped the Doctor come back to do what they did best.
Bill
The Fam
… Donna
Recent times with familiar faces gave him some peace but the greater dread remained. The lie of Gallifrey and Division weighed heavy on his hearts. Ego worships a vacuum, it took a carriage ride to remember while his pain and loss outnumbered most civilizations, many still suffered. From the lies, a truth returned.
The Doctor is always needed.
When I close my eyes… I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count!
And you know what you do with all that pain?
Shall I tell you where you put it?
You hold it tight… till it burns your hand…
And you say this…
No one else will ever have to live like this!
No one else will ever feel this pain!
NOT ON MY WATCH!
A lesson he once spoke to stop all out war between two species desperate to keep their home. While in more recent forms, the effort was to keep distance from danger and protect more peacefully, there still needed to be a response. Suddenly, things started clearing up. The Tardis may be out of commission, but there was work to be done. The struggle with self could wait. Right now, the Doctor was needed.
"What's on your mind, Spaceman?"
Mary's spirits seemed to rise with his own, the charm of seeing another fully.
"Plenty," He stood abruptly… and immediately staggered back down to his seat after banging his head on the carriage roof. Mary managed to stifle her laugh behind a quick smirk.
"First things first…ow…," he muttered. "Second, we need to get the eye."
"Why? I shot the thing. Unless this Raven creep has dust pan and lots of glue, I'm pretty sure we're safe."
"Not if he gets the other eye. They come in pairs, one for each socket. The one you broke will heal soon, and I'm certain he's already getting the other one."
Mary's dread resurfaced easily. She only had the briefest hit from the eye, him taking the full force was the only reason she survived. It helped, having someone on hand who knew the stakes. But… he could not take advantage of someone on the run. A sudden hand cut him off from severing ties.
"Doctor, do not mistake my desperation for ignorance. From your very dramatic description, it wouldn't matter to leave London if Mr. Raven could wipe out everywhere else too. Besides, I am between jobs at the moment."
She leaned back, arms crossed, leg draped over the other; despite fear in her eyes, Mary Cinder was braced for war. Another important lesson finally returned. The Doctor always helped those who helped others in their time, that would never change.
The Doctor mirrored her posture, flashing a large grin while offering his hand.
"Ms. Cinder," He said. "Care to be partners and save London?"
She leaned in and he did the same until their faces were inches apart. The strain of hardship marked them both despite youthful vigor. Hands remained close, but intentional distant.
"Two conditions," Mary's determination blazing bright. "I will be referred to in no other way save for Mary, and certainly not 'Ms.'"
The Doctor nodded, noting the driver Wally's shiver in his broad shoulders when he misspoke.
"And your second condition?"
Mary's smile took a wicked curve while she grasped the Doctor's hand.
"Breakfast is on you tomorrow, and I demand a hearty meal."
The Doctor nodded, confirming it with a soldi shake.
Now properly working together, it was time to save London.