Future Ruby continued recounting what had happened, her voice trembling with the weight of the memories. "The Zenthari—about ten of them—entered the building. They had an Aelorian prisoner with them. He looked awful, like he was tortured or something. I tried to make eye contact, to show him that I was on his side, but he didn't even look up.''
The Doctor offered a small, bittersweet smile. His Ruby, always trying to help others, even when her own life was in danger.
''Two of the Zenthari grabbed me by the arms,'' Future Ruby went on. ''I struggled, I really did, but they were too strong. Before I knew it, they'd bound my arms to a pillar with some kind of thick rope." Her voice wavered as the story took a darker turn. "You were still up there, floating in the air, that strange, bright glow radiating from you. I begged them to help you, to let you down, but they just laughed. They told me to watch what would happen, as it was some kind of sick, twisted show." Her voice cracked, and she paused to collect herself.
The Doctor sent her an encouraging look, his eyes urging her to continue.
"Two of them walked over to where you were,'' she said, her voice quieter now. ''One of them dragged the Aelorian with him, while the other aimed a gun straight at you. The other Zenthari just stood there, laughing and making jokes. They said… They said how easy it was to deceive the Great Doctor. That your end was near, and with it, their domination of the universe was within reach." She paused, her breath shaky as she tried to push the words out.
Current Ruby felt a strange connection to her future self, a bond formed by the unimaginable horror they had—or would—endure. The thought of what she might have to face sent a wave of nausea through her.
"They shot you. Twice. Without any warning. They shot you from below, right through both of your hearts."
A chill ran down Current Ruby's spine, leaving her momentarily frozen. She looked up at the Doctor, searching his face for some kind of reassurance, but his expression was distant, his gaze fixed on some far-off point. Until now, he had clung to the hope that Future Ruby had misunderstood, that things weren't as dire as she believed. But everything she had said pointed to the worst possible outcome.
Future Ruby tears fell freely now. "There was nothing I could do. I fought to free myself, to get to you, but they were too strong. Two of them held my head steady, forced me to watch, and my arms were still bound behind my back. Oh Doctor, it was awful…'' She paused. ''You fell to the ground, but were still radiating with that light, with that regeneration energy. And that's when they..."
"That's when they used the regeneration energy to power the machine and make it work for them," the Doctor finished for her. "They needed that kind of energy to make the machine work, to fuel there twisted plans. I should've known, of course! That's why they lured us to that planet. I can't believe they even fooled the Tardis."
Ruby nodded quietly, in defeat. "They connected these electric cords to your regeneration energy, draining all of it into the machine. The light from you just.. faded." She fumbled with her fingers and looked down at her hands. "They forced the Aelorian man to help them with the machine, and made him press all these buttons. And when they were done, they just left you there. They just left you there, Doctor. Like you were nothing to them, just a tool for their evil plan to work…''
''In this case, I was,'' the Doctor admitted.
''They eventually left me too,'' Ruby continued, ''though I was still bound."
"Were you able to free yourself?" Current Ruby asked, her mind flashing back to a long-forgotten memory of a sailing camp, where she'd learned to tie and untie knots. Surely, she could have freed herself, even with her hands bound.
"Yes, I was." Future Ruby's answer was quick, almost too quick, and Current Ruby caught a fleeting look of something unknown and ominous on her face. But the moment passed, and Future Ruby continued. "I untied myself and ran to the Doctor. To your body... To see if there was anything I could do."
Ruby suddenly realised, and her eyes widened. "Doctor, what she describes... with the regeneration, and the light-thing and all, is that how you change your face?"
He nodded in a sad manner. ''Yes. But it's a delicate process. If it's interrupted—like being shot through both hearts during regeneration—it can't complete properly and…"
''You die.'' Current Ruby finished for him, her voice hollow with the weight of the truth.
''I couldn't save him,'' Future Ruby whispered. ''He was gone.''
A sudden rumbling shook the Tardis, pulling all three of them from their thoughts. They turned to see a crack forming in one of the Tardis' walls, widening with every tremor beneath their feet.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Current Ruby asked.
"The time machine. It's creating a paradox,'' he answered, his tone urgent. ''Ruby—Future Ruby—you need to get back to your own time, now. If you stay here, it's not just your time that will unravel, but ours too."
"But I'm wearing this bracelet,'' she protested. ''They told me it would hold for much longer."
"Who told you?" The Doctor demanded.
"One of the Aelorians. I went to them to free them and ask for their help, and they gave me this bracelet."
The Doctor shook his head, his expression grim. "Let me see that." He scanned the bracelet with his sonic screwdriver, frowning when he read the results. "Whatever they told you, it's not true. The Zenthari have been manipulating you again. We need to get you to the future, now, before everything collapses!"
As if on cue, more cracks began to appear inside the TARDIS. Without hesitation, the Doctor flung open the doors, to see what was going on outside, and both Rubys followed him. What awaited them was sheer chaos.
The buildings on the street where the Tardis had landed were showing cracks and split apart, with bricks tumbling down like hailstones. The air around them seemed to shimmer with instability, vibrating with the force of the impending collapse. The ground shook heavily beneath them. People were running around in panic, screaming for help.
"Earthquake! It's an earthquake!" someone shouted from across the road.
But the Doctor knew better. This wasn't an earthquake—it was something far worse.