The young Time Lord didn't dare open his eyes as he lay on the ground. He could hear the sounds of his fellow soldiers screaming as they were gunned down. He knew regeneration would not save them, not like he knew what that felt like.
"Exterminate!" a metallic voice screeched. It was followed by a laser and a body falling to the ground. A golden light began to emit from the body. Another laser and the light quickly faded away.
They came from out of nowhere. This was supposed to be a scouting mission near Mount Lung. No one should have died. Somehow the enemy knew they were coming.
"All Time Lords have been exterminated. Daleks are supreme!" the voice screamed.
The Time Lord risked opening his eyes by only millimetres, remaining as still as possible. All he could make out was the brown base and the lower row of sense globes that enveloped a Daleks base unit.
"Proceed to the mountaintop!"
"We obey!"
The base turned away from him and became smaller and smaller. He counted the number of enemies that had taken them by surprise. Three. He waited until they disappeared from his sight completely before opening his eyes fully.
The flames surrounding the Cadonflood River engulfed two of the bodies of his comrades. The lifeless eyes of his commanding officer stared back at him. The Time Lord closed the eyes, giving him the appearance of sleep. It didn't make it any better.
He slowly looked around. He spotted a small box and snatched it up. He checked its contents. Nothing was damaged. Perfect. He quickly rose to his feet. The action almost made him throw up. After a moment, he ran his hand through his hair. He could feel blood. He looked down and realized that he had cracked his head on a rock when he fell. He gazed at his reflection in the river. A large gash was pouring blood out all over his face. His messy brown hair was matted with it and it was getting into his blue eyes.
But there was no time to dwell on that. He needed to get away from the area. He turned and headed away from the river.
...
The young Time Lord was exhausted. He had lost track of how long he had been walking and was barely keeping himself upright. He couldn't even make out his surroundings. In the far distance, he could just make out the sound of battle. He tried to turn away from it but at that exact moment exhaustion overwhelmed him and he fell face down into the dirt.
The Time Lord could feel his breath against the ground. He tried to push himself back up but could not even move his arms. He managed to turn his head out of the dirt. Suddenly his mind and body became alert.
His hand had begun to emit the golden light.
Running on adrenaline, he reached into the box and pulled out a small vial of green liquid. He reached in again and grabbed two syringes. He filled both of them up with the liquid and prayed. He plunged both of them into his chest.
As soon as he did, the light exploded from his head and hands. It was so bright that he could be seen for miles in all directions. He would have to move quickly once it was over.
Eventually, the light faded. The Time Lord felt his head and was relieved that it was no longer gushing blood. He felt all around his face and looked at his hands. Nothing felt out of the ordinary.
He quickly got up, a new wave of energy surging through him and ran in the opposite direction of the distant battle. He ran until all he could hear was the sounds of nature. What was left of it anyway.
...
He stopped to rest near a large boulder. The mountains were visible behind him. It was here that he realized that it had been raining, he didn't feel it at any point during his run. He noticed a small puddle and gazed into it. Looking back at him was a clutter of messy brown hair and blue eyes. Exactly the same as before.
He let out a cry of victory and punched the air. It had worked. He quickly composed himself and headed on. After walking for what felt like hours he spotted something unusual.
Standing against the cliffside was a blue box.
He cautiously approached it. The box was covered in words from a language that he did not recognize. He touched the side of it. He could feel life pulsating from it. That was when he realised. This was a TARDIS?
"Can I help you?"
The young Time Lord whipped around. Standing there was a strangely dressed man. His green overcoat was long with a bronze grey waistcoat. His short brown hair blowing in the small breeze.
"Can I help you?" the man repeated.
The young Time Lord's mind snapped back to reality.
"My unit was ambushed along the Cadonflood River," he explained. "They came out of nowhere. They slaughtered all…"
His voice had broken. He collapsed against the box and wept. Reliving that moment had been too much.
The man knelt next to him and put an arm around him. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to.
A few minutes passed and after the tears stopped, he helped the young Time Lord up.
"Come inside."
He opened the blue box and led the young Time Lord inside. He didn't react to the inside being bigger than the outside.
The TARDIS console room was lit mostly by candle light. It had the main console a step higher than the rest of the room. Furniture filled the rest of the space around the terminal. Carpets were lined all around the console. In some ways it felt more like a home than a spaceship.
The man helped him to a seat by the console.
"I am so sorry for what you've been through," the man said. "War is a terrible thing."
The young Time Lord didn't answer. He didn't want to talk. The man understood this.
"Once you're up to it I'll take you back to the Citadel. There you can get a proper rest."
The young Time Lord nodded his thanks. The man turned away from him and started to press some buttons on the console.
Suddenly the young Time Lord began to think about what the man just said. Take me back to the Citadel. The generals were situated at the Citadel. And they had no issue with sending soldiers to their deaths from the safety of their bunkers. He realized what was happening.
The man was sending him back to die.
Before he could give it a second thought he lunged at the man. He smashed the man's head against the console. He didn't notice a silver object fall from his coat pocket.
He dragged the man towards the door and threw him to the ground. He went to re-enter the TARDIS. The man quickly got up and grabbed him by the arm.
"What are you doing? Stop this!" he cried.
"I'm not going back!"
The young Time Lord pushed him to the ground again and picked up a small blunt rock. He drove it repeatedly into the man's head until he stopped struggling.
He got up and threw the rock to one side. He hurried back into the TARDIS and slammed the door shut.
...
The man weakly lifted his head as the familiar groaning of the TARDIS filled his ears as he saw the ship begin to fade in and out.
His head collapsed. He could feel the regeneration coming but his mind was filling with rage. He had to suppress it.
Too late.
He erupted in golden light.
The final image this incarnation saw was his beloved ship disappearing from view. The transformation complete he sat up. In the brown haired mans place sat an old man. His kind eyes replaced with fury and anger.
"Doctor no more."