"In, in, in!" the Doctor yelled, as he used his bodyweight to keep the Tardis doors open for both versions of his companion. "Get back inside!"
Future Ruby whooshed by him, back into the Tardis, but Current Ruby froze in place. "What about them Doctor? What about the people here?" she exclaimed, just loud enough to be heard over the sound of the collapsing world around her. The air encompassing her felt feverishly hot, and vibrated with the impending doom. She thought of both of her Mum's and of grandma Cherry. What would happen to them? What would happen to all the people in this world?
The Doctor stepped out of the Tardis and grabbed her hand. "If we don't send your future self back to her own timeline, all people will cease to exist, this whole world will. The only thing that will remain are the echoes of time if we don't turn this around fast." He knew he sounded hard and rigid, but there was no time for sugarcoating the fact of what was going to happen.
She nodded and still felt unable to move, although her legs were following the Doctor in as on automatic pilot.
The other Ruby was standing in a corner of the Tardis, holding on to a railing, as the ground underneath their feet was still rumbling and shaking. She didn't say anything, just stared at the Doctor who started busying himself setting the coordinates for her return.
The Tardis groaned as if in protest, and Current Ruby noticed a few warning lights across the console. She glanced uneasily at the Doctor, who seemed to be too focused on his task to notice. Once more, she looked at Future Ruby on the other side of the console room, and made up her mind. "Doctor, wait,'' she said, stepping closer to him, careful to hold onto things as not to fall. ''Something's not right.''
The Doctor frowned, but didn't look up. ''We don't have time to second-guess, Ruby. The longer she stays here, the more unstable this timeline becomes. We need to get her back before everything falls apart.''
''But what if that's exactly what she wants? What if she's not who she says she is?"
He paused his motions for a second and glanced at her with an inquisitive look. "Do you think she's lying? That she's… dangerous?"
Ruby nodded. "She's been acting strangely, I don't know how to explain it, but something feels off about her." She side-eyed her other self, and got a hard stare back.
The Doctor lost his patience. ''Listen, Ruby, we can't just go on a hunch. Do you know what's at stake here?"
That comment struck a cord with her. "Are you kidding me? Both my Mum's and my grandma are out there, my whole world and everyone on it is about to collapse. I know precisely what is going on and that is exactly why I'm warning you." Her blood was boiling, but she didn't give up. She needed to convince the Doctor before he would make a huge mistake. "It's just the way she talked about what had happened to her. What happened to you! Yes, she has the tears and Bambi-look but there's also this coldness in her eyes when she speaks. As if she's enjoying to see you suffer.'' She swallowed back the lump that started to form in her throat. ''That's not me, Doctor. Not any version of me."
''She's been through a lot, Ruby,'' said the Doctor, although his voice lacked its usual confidence. ''She's seen terrible things, lost so much. Maybe that's why she seems different.''
''But what if she's not traumatised? What if she's working together with the Zenthari,'' she pressed, ''and her aim is to sabotage us?''
He shook his head. ''No, I refuse to believe that. The Zenthari can't have that much power. She might be scared, desperate, traumatised even, but she's not our enemy.'' He spoke with a loud voice, as if to convince himself as much as Ruby.
''How can you be so sure?'' Ruby's voice was soft now, almost unintelligible over the loud noises around them. ''You always tell me to trust my instincts, and my instincts are telling me that something's not right with her.''
He sighed. ''I understand your concern, I really do, but right now, we can't afford to lose focus. We need to get her back to her own timeline, or we risk tearing apart the entire fabric of reality.'' The internal struggle he felt was almost unbearable. He was torn between his trust in Ruby and his instinct to protect her future self.
Ruby bit her lip, feeling the weight of the Doctor's words. She knew he was right about the timeline, but wondered if he wasn't making the biggest mistake in his life.
In spite of all that, there was no time to argue, as the Tardis was already struggling to contain the growing paradox.
''Fine. But we need to keep an eye on her,'' Current Ruby bristled. ''If she does anything suspicious at all, we need to stop her.''
The Doctor gave a small, but decisive nod. ''Agreed.'' He returned to the console and put in the final sequence to send Future Ruby back to her timeline. But just as he was about to pull the lever, Future Ruby moved forward.
''You should have believed her, Doctor, you stupid man,'' she expressed with an icy voice. ''You really should have.''
Before the Doctor or Current Ruby could respond or take action, she pulled a hidden device from the pocket of her skirt and activated it while aiming it at the Tardis' console. A wave of energy pulsed through the machine, and a roaring sound came from the deepest within.
''Doctor!'' Current Ruby yelled, but even the Doctor was in too much shock to do anything.
The Tardis started to shake uncontrollably; not only the floor but its entire being, and the console spiralled out of control. Lights flashed in all colours, clock wheels turned in both directions on their own, and buttons were repeatedly switched on and off.
Current Ruby grabbed onto the console to steady herself.
The harsh reality of what was going on had now fully landed with the Doctor. 'The Tardis is out of control!'' he yelled. ''She created a feedback loop in the Tardis' temporal matrix and it's going to implode!'' He suddenly felt his legs again and ran to the console to try and safe what he could.
Future Ruby laughed. ''You're too late,'' she sneered. ''It's already happening. You can't stop it now.''
''No!'' the Doctor yelled back, not looking at her, but keeping his eyes steadfast on the console.
''Doctor!'' Current Ruby's voice cut through the tension, sharp and desperate. She watched in horror as Future Ruby began to twist and transform, slowly starting to reveal its true, monstrous form. The kind eyes of Future Ruby morphed into blazing fiery-red orbs, her slender body changed into a slimy beige mass, while her legs and feet transformed into huge, menacing hawk-like claws. The Zenthari agent had shed its disguise and fully revealed itself.
''I'm enjoying this more than I should,'' the creature spit out, its voice dripping with malice. ''But I'll experience real pleasure when I've manipulated all of you. Every incarnation of the Doctor, one by one. Oh my, it is the most delightful game I've ever played.''
The Doctor sprinted around the console, his fingers flying over the console as he fought to regain control. 'You won't destroy this world, not on this timeline, and not on any timeline'' he growled.
''Your confidence is charming,'' the Zenthari agent sneered and mocked. But don't you see? You've made a mistake, and it's going to cost you dear. We've already won, the Zenthari always win. We are the mightiest force in the entire universe.''
In a final, frantic attempt, the Doctor tried to slow the feedback loop with an ultimate combination of buttons and switches. He spun around, locking eyes with the Zenthari agent. ''We'll see about that.''
The evil laugh of the Zenthari agent echoed in Ruby's ears, sending chills down her spine.
''So bold and tough, Doctor. I thought you were the emotional one? That's right, we know all about you. All of you,'' it put emphasis on the word 'all'. ''Your incarnations may differ, but at your core, you're all the same - leaving a trail of havoc and pain, everywhere you go.''
Ruby watched in disbelief as, the creature morphed back into her likeness again, the malevolent grimace leaving its face and showing the Bambi-look, she had just mentioned before. The Doctor's eyes were filled with a mix of guilt and regret, emotions that Ruby had rarely seen in him.
''And your companions?,'' the Zhentari continued. ''You abandon them, leave them broken, traumatised - or worse, dead.'' As it spoke, the Zenthari's form shifted again, displaying faces Ruby didn't recognise: a blonde girl, not much older than herself, a redhead with fierce eyes, an older woman with sorrow etched into her features, and a man in a dark blue trench coat. One by one, they flickered past.
Ruby had no idea what was happening but it was certainly keeping the Doctor on edge and unable to move. ''Doctor!'' she tried. He needed to hear her, needed to do whatever it took to stop this monster from getting what it wanted. ''Doctor, snap out of it!''
''Oh darling,'' the creature said in a mocking tone. ''You can scream all you want, but the Doctor is currently… indisposed. Paralysed I should say. You see, I know exactly what buttons to push.''
The Tardis started to shudder more heavily, as the paradox was pressing like a massive weight onto its being. Ruby realised they only had seconds, minutes at best, before everything collapsed. Without hesitation, she made a split-second decision and lunged at the Zenthari, slamming its head against the hard material of the console. 'Doctor now!' she yelled, hoping her efforts wouldn't be in vain. ''Doctor!''
The Doctor snapped out of his paralysed state, spinning back to the console. He slammed the emergency button to inject a special boost into the system and to reverse the entire process.
The creature made a quick recovery from the surprise attack, and with a vicarious snarl, it turned its attention back to Ruby and jumped at her with such a force that she was pushed backwards. Its claws closed around her neck, leaving her breathless and gasping for air.
''Oh no you don't,'' the Doctor roared. He knew the Zenthari wanted him to step away from the console, and what better way to achieve that than by threatening Ruby's life and force him to come and rescue her. But the Doctor realised he had to keep going, not just to save Ruby, but to save the entire world. So, despite the crushing weight of guilt and deadly pressure, he continued his work on the console.
What did change though, was his initial plan. Instead of sending the Zenthari back to its own timeline, he had something else in store for the creature. The emergency button was charging slowly, while he sped his way through the combinations of buttons and switches that would end all of this. The charging indicator of the emergency button went from red into orange. ''Come on, come on!'' he urged the Tardis, edging his voice as he glanced at Ruby, her face turning pale as the Zenthari tightened its grip. Finally, the indicator hit green and he pulled the lever with all his might. ''Ruby, hold on!''
The Zenthari agent let out a deafening screech, its grip on Ruby loosening, as it was violently sucked out of the open Tardis doors, disappearing into the void outside.
The moment the Zenthari's grip loosened and Ruby could finally breathe freely again, a wave of indescribable relief washed over her, as if she'd been pulled from the brink of drowning. She collapsed to the floor and stared at the emptiness that was behind the Tardis' doors, now the Zhentari was sucked outside. With the power that was still left within her, she held onto the console tightly, as the shaking and trembling went on. ''Doctor, the timeline!'' she screamed, when the Tardis buckled around them.
''I know, hold on, this is going to be rough.'' His voice strained as he was trying to get the Tardis back under control. With a final wrench of the controls, he redirected the power correctly back into the system, and change the course of the imploding Tardis. The ship groaned under the strain, but eventually, the tremors around them ceased and she settled into a calm state.
Ruby tried to get her raspy breathing under control as she slowly released her hold of the console, her heart pounding.
The Doctor gave a a pat on the Tardis' console. ''That was too close,'' he stated. ''Too close, my dear.'' But he couldn't bring himself to look to his left, where Ruby was. Not yet.
Ruby looked at him, and she waited until he met her gaze. ''You're always telling me to trust my instincts. But you didn't trust mine.'' Her voice sounded cold and hoarse.
''I'm sorry, Ruby. I'm so sorry.'' His voice was heavy with regret. ''I thought… I didn't want to believe that a version of you could be… could be evil. But you were right to be suspicious. I've made a grave error of not believing you when I should've.''
A heavy silence hung in between them, the weight of their unspoken words hanging in the air.
A/N: It was fun to try one, but I've not written many action-packed scenes before. Hope this one's acceptable. Thank you for reading!