Chapter 7:
POV: Jenny
Date: May 1916
Dad's body reformed into the blonde-haired woman I had met only a handful of days ago as the regeneration energy completed its work. She fell to her knees, and looked around as she came back to herself.
She blinked weakly. "Hi. What did I miss? What am I wearing?" I smiled widely as she looked up, and couldn't stop myself from rushing to her side. "Forced regeneration. Forced degeneration," she muttered as she accepted mine and Yaz's offer to help her up. "You lot brought me back."
Yaz chuckled. "You're welcome."
Dad's eyes landed on the hologram doctor. "Guess that's me done," the hologram said.
Dad gave her a nod. "Nice work."
She nodded back. "You, too. See you around." Her image glitched, and then faded.
"Rose!" Dad tried to run to Mum's side, and almost immediately began to fall. Mum was at least able to catch her before she fell on her face. "Rose, I don't remember all that much, but…your voice. I could hear you in my mind. I heard you calling for me."
Mum smiled widely and cupped Dad's cheek. "When are you ever gonna learn, Doctor? Once you let a Tyler get ahold of yah, you'll never get rid of us."
Dad reached up to stroke Mum's cheek. "Yeah, I should know better, ay?" Her eyes shot to the TARDIS, and she struggled to her feet with Mum's help. "If memory serves, there's ever such a lot to do. Come on!"
We hurriedly followed her into the TARDIS and took over at the console as she shouted out an order for us to go into the vortex to regroup before stepping back to rest. I could feel her pride as she watched us twirl and spin our way through the sequence that set us flying into the vortex.
Yaz came to stand by her. "You okay?"
Dad blinked and looked down at her. "Yep. Thinking." She tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. "The Daleks are setting off volcanoes in 2022, and in 1916, there's a big Cyberplanet which could convert the whole of Earth…there's definitely a fix for both. But it needs to be fast. Just piecing it together."
We were quiet for a moment to let her think.
Finally, she looked to Yaz with grieving eyes. "We used to be friends. Him and me."
"We know," Mum said, and squeezed her hand. "And we know he wasn't always like that. Not when you two were mates."
Dad nodded, and then her eyes snapped up to the time rotor. "How had I not figured it out yet? Obvious, isn't it? Gonna need some help though. All hands-on deck." She rushed for the console and started back up the dematerialization sequence. "Come on girls, lots to do!" She rushed to the doors when we landed. "Anyone need a lift?"
Ace and an older, grey-haired man rushed into the console room. "Doc!" the mad cried. "How did you get here?"
"Graham!" Dad echoed simultaneously. "How did you get here?"
Ace tried desperately to catch her breath. "She's about to blow Professor!"
"That she is!" Dad shouted, and quickly shut the doors. "Get us out of here, Fam!"
"Where to?" Mum asked as we restarted the flight sequence.
"UNIT! We need Tegan and Kate!"
Within seconds, we had landed once again and Dad was opening up the doors. Once Kate and Tegan were collected, Dad quickly set about arranging us all around the console.
"Mara, grab the defibrillation coils! Okay, now it's really crowded in here. Just how I like it. I'm gonna need every one of you. Stand where I put you." She couldn't keep the smile off of her face. "You all good, everybody okay?"
Everyone, that is except those of us with the surname Tyler, started spouting questions and thoughts.
Dad held up a hand. "Sorry—no time!" She turned to Graham. "Where's Ryan?"
"Patagonia," he answered.
Dad nodded. "Right. When I say now, activate everything." She rushed away to take care of some other detail with Mum in tow. The two of them had been inseparable since she'd been brought back.
Graham looked to Yaz. "She still hasn't started explaining anything then." He glanced at Mara and I. "Has she always been that way?"
I chuckled. "Actually, I think she explains more now than she used to."
"Alright, Jen!" Dad shouted. "Take us to the Cyber-planet."
I nodded, and got Mara to help me weave around companions as we took the TARDIS through the vortex to our destination. Within a few minutes, we had landed with a thud and Dad was dragging Mum outside.
"You lot stay here!" I shouted as Mara and I rushed to the doors. "Wait for her signal on the comms!"
There was some grumbling, but we ignored it as we rushed after our parents across the planet's surface back toward the Qurunx. Dad stopped in front of it on her knees.
I heard Mara wince as we stopped not far behind her. "You okay?"
"It's just my blaster wound. The outside is healed, but the ribs are still settling in."
I nodded and turned my attention back to Dad. She was talking to the Qurunx. "I will see you're released. But I need one more thing of you. Maybe two." She stood and rushed off toward the Master's TARDIS, then.
We followed, and I shuddered when I still got the eerie feeling from the console room.
Dad had already linked up the comms. "Everyone still in position? Good! I'm in the Master's TARDIS—he's clever, I'll give him that. Using a TARDIS to power the spatio-temporal movement of a Cyber conversion planet. What a mind. And what a TARDIS. Type 75." She glanced at us. "Bit flashy for my tastes, but way more powerful than mine. Except he pushed his TARDIS right to the edge. Burned out half his systems. Marooned himself here, so I'm linking the two TARDISes. We're gonna use mine to jumpstart his. When I say now, you all in my TARDIS activate the controls I allocated. And here, Mara, Jen, Rose—you know which controls we need."
The three of us nodded, and rushed to the right parts of the console.
Dad looked between us, and nodded when she was satisfied. "Now!"
We rushed around the console as though it were on fire as we started up the right sequence. Around us, the Master's TARDIS started to power up, and I winced when I fully heard her discordant song in my head. This poor thing had been horribly twisted by the Master.
"Dad, we best hurry!" I shouted as around us everything began to shake and the console started to explode.
Dad nodded as we choked on dark smoke. "This has to work!" Her eyes trained on the viewscreen as we watched the Cyber planet hop through time. "Yes! Temporal hop of one hundred and six years, done! Now for conversion!" She launched the next process by slamming down one of the controls she'd always taught us never to touch. Under any circumstances. Ever. "I really hope this works!"
A moment later, Tegan's voice sounded over the intercom, and my hearts thudded out with relief. "Did she just freeze volcanos into steel?"
Dad laughed. "Yes I did! Turning multiple planet-threatening situations into public art. You're welcome!"
Mum grinned. "Love it when she does that."
Dad smiled back before returning to the comms. "Might need UNIT to coordinate some of that metal off the floor the gulf, But better that than an Eco disaster and ocean on fire." She threw down another lever and turned to run back out the way we had come. "Right. One last thing and we're done."
We followed her out across the landscape back towards the Qurunx, still in the form of a human child, though it was starting to glow.
Dad pulled out her sonic. "Let's get rid of this shield." She waved the sonic until the image of the child faded away to reveal a small colorful ball of energy. "Pure sentient energy. One of the great mysteries of the universe," Dad said softly, "I'm sorry for what was done to you. I'm sorry you were taken, and that you've been harnessed. But no one can control you now. That machine is deserted. Channel your power down into this planet. Take that TARDIS with it. Disintegrate everything and you'll be free."
The Qurunx flared and then focused a sharp beam of highly intense energy onto the planet's surface. Dad turned back to us. "We best get out of here," she said, and then laughed. "What a universe. I will never understand it."
We ran after her, but paused when the sound of creaking doors came through the crashing of the Qurunx destroying the planet. "Doctor!"
My hearts stopped as we slowed and turned to find the Master crawling out of the doors to his TARDIS.
Dad shook her head. "You lost. You gambled and lost."
He grunted. "Maybe. But not as much as you're about to." He held up a remote and pressed a button. The Qurunx let out a ear-piercing screech as its beam flung towards where Mara and I stood.
"No!" both of our parents shouted as Dad flung herself forward to push us out of the way.
"Dad!" I screeched as the Qurunx's energy beam shot through her. "No!"
Dad rolled helplessly across the surface of the planet as the Master's maniacal laughter echoed weakly. "So long, Tylers! Always a pleasure!"
Yaz rushed out of the TARDIS as Mara and I picked up Dad.
"Get back inside!" Mum cried out.
We hurried back into the TARDIS and Mum flew to the controls. Furiously, she spun and twisted until we were safely in the vortex.
"Is she okay?" Yaz demanded.
I swallowed as Mara and I set her gently down on the floor. "She'll be fine," I said. I could already feel the regeneration energy forming.
Dad's eyes cracked open as all of her companions ran to her side. She gave us a weak smile. "Extended fam." She let out a chuckle before closing her eyes again.
I let out a slow breath as her heartbeats evened out. "Right then." I stood and headed to help Mum with the console. "We best be getting you lot home."
POV: Mara
Date: October 23, 2022
It seemed to take forever before Dad opened her eyes. It was always a bit nerve-wracking, this process. You never knew if a regeneration would take until it did.
Yaz had refused to leave with the others when we had dropped them off. She'd insisted on saying goodbye first. None of us had thought that an unreasonable request, and we'd spent the last hour distracting her and ourselves with stories of our time on the TARDIS. But only the ones this version of our mum knew.
For Mum's part, I could see her getting twitchier the longer she stayed. If I had to guess, I'd think that the vortex was starting to call her back inside. She still had a long ways to go, after all. That thought had saddened me—it was all still ahead of her. The loss of her freedom on Gallifrey, saving Dad from himself, and losing him in the end.
The crystal around my neck had never felt heavier.
We all jumped when Dad sat up with a sharp intake of breath. "Did we do it?"
Yaz nodded. "We did it."
Dad looked around the console room as her brow furrowed. "Where is everyone?"
"We took them all home," Mum said. "We didn't think you'd want a large audience for what's about to happen."
The Cloister bell rang in echo of her words, and I shivered. Dad blinked. "Why's the Cloister Bell ringing? How long have I been out?" She tried to get up, and stumbled a bit until Yaz was able to prop her up.
Yaz's eyes were filled with sadness. "Doctor, look at your hand."
Dad glanced down, and sucked in a sharp breath. She looked up into Yaz's eyes, and then around to the rest of us. "But…I just got you all back….no. No, no no. That's not right." She shook her head vehemently. "I need more time. I want—" Her eyes settled on Mum. "I want more time." She looked down to her feet, and then up to Yaz. "You know what this means?"
Yaz nodded.
Dad looked to her hands again as the regeneration energy began to coil up her arms. She straightened up, and I could feel her determination. "Alright, Yasmin Khan. One last trip—where would you choose? And what flavor ice-cream?"
Yaz let out a broken laugh. "Whatever is on hand. As for the where…" She bit her lip. "I've always had one spot on my bucket list."
Mum appeared with two ice cream cones and handed them off. "Courtesy of the TARDIS, I believe. Now, where is it you wanted to go?"
"I want to see Earth," Yaz said. "The way the space station does."
I grinned as Jenny and I moved to join Mum at the console. "Brilliant choice, Yaz."
We watched them exit the TARDIS after we'd settled her in Earth's orbit. I let out a slow breath and turned to Mum. "I suppose you'll be leaving, too."
She nodded and pulled both Jenny and I in for a hug. "My girls," she said as she squeezed us both as closely as she could. "I don't know why the four of us got separated, but don't let yourselves lose her again, yeah? Even if I can't be with you, I need to know that you have her."
I couldn't help the tears that pricked at my eyelids as we stepped back from the hug. "Yeah Mum, we promise."
"Now that we're back in this dimension, we're not going anywhere," Jenny echoed.
Mum swiped the tears off of mine and Jenny's cheeks. "Oh, my girls. You're time travelers. You honestly think this is the last time you'll ever see me?" She chuckled, and I saw that bit of gold flash in her eyes again. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
We waited huddled together until Dad and Yaz came back inside. They were quiet as Dad put the TARDIS into flight, and none of us dared to break that silence.
"I'll be right back," Dad said as she escorted Yaz out.
The three of us stood, then, and prepared the TARDIS to go back in flight while we waited for Dad. It didn't take long, and soon enough we were off flying again.
Dad took a long moment to look around her TARDIS as we landed. She pulled in a deep breath and smiled. "Look after the next one," she murmured, and glanced at her hands as they began to burn again. "Shall we?" she asked.
"We just met this you," Jenny rasped. "I don't want you to go yet."
Dad gave her a soft smile and reached out to take her hand. "I know, love. Me neither." She turned then, and still holding my big sister's hand, headed for the doors.
We followed her out of the TARDIS onto a cliff overlooking an ocean. I was breathless at the sight of the sun coming up over the water. This version of Dad knew how to pick a spot to regenerate.
Dad took in a deep breath of saltwater air, and turned to glance at us. "My blossomiest blossoms." She chuckled and smiled so that her eyes crinkled. "It feels good not to be alone this time." Her eyes sparkled, and she turned back to face the sunrise. "Right, then. Doctor-whoever-I'm about-to-be. Tag. You're it." She let out a wince as the fire began to curl up her body. "Ah, that's the only sad thing." She turned back to look at us. "I want to know what happens next." Her eyes danced with the joy I could feel radiating through her hearts. "With all of you around, I bet it's going to be brilliant."
"We'll be here when you're ready," Mum said.
Dad nodded, and then burst into flame. We all squinted against the sight of the golden tendrils bursting out into the air. Her regenerations seemed to get bigger with age, and this one was no exception. For what was only a moment, though it felt like forever, everything that was the blonde woman we knew burned away and was replaced by her next incarnation.
Her light blue jacket was replaced by a darker one. Flowing blonde hair was replaced by spiky brown, and she stumbled as the flames curled away.
Dad paused. "I know these teeth."
I sucked in a sharp breath as familiar brown eyes turned to find the three of us watching him open-mouthed.
"What?" I asked.
"What?" Jenny echoed.
Dad looked down at his hands. "What?" he demanded.