Time Heist
AN: I'm skipping Robot of Sherwood and Listen because I think Teddy and Annabelle would just get in the way. Now on with the show…
After our latest encounter with the Daleks, I figured it was time to see my human family again. Mom was a bit surprised to see mine and Annabelle's new look but once she knew it was me she welcomed us with open arms. After a couple of weeks, The Doctor picked us up and we went to see Clara. We parked the TARDIS right in her living room. When we saw her I could tell she was happy… and I knew why with out her telling me… she was in love. She took me and Annabelle in her room while she got ready for her date. His name was Danny Pink and he use to be a solder but now he taught Math at Coal Hill. I could tell she loved him. It reminded me of how I felt when I first met Jack… Their first date was a little rocky but they patched things up and they both had high hopes for a better second date. She wearing an open-necked white blouse with a thin black tie knotted halfway down her chest, black trousers with black heels.
The Doctor was in the kitchen watching Clara's washing machine, "The Satanic Nebula." as we walked out of Clara's bedroom, "Or the lagoon of lost stars. Or we could go to Brighton. I've got a whole day worked out."
"Sorry, but as you can see, I've got plans." said Clara as she grabbed a black jacket off a hook and put it on.
"Have you?" asked The Doctor.
"Look at me."
"Yeah, okay."
I rolled my eyes, I had noticed that my uncle had become quite thick headed in his current incarnation, "Look at her…" I said.
"Yep, looking."
"Seriously?" said Clara.
"Why is your face all colored in?" asked The Doctor, "Are you taller?"
"Heels."
"What, do you have to reach a high shelf?"
"Right, got to go. Going to be late."
"For a shelf?"
"Bye."
"Bye," said Annabelle and I as I gave an small laugh.
Just then the telephone rang on the outside of the TARDIS started to ring, "There you go, you've got another playmate."
"That reminds me," I said, "I really need to patch the phone back through the console."
"Hardly anyone in the universe has that number," said The Doctor.
"Well, I've got it," said Clara.
"Yes, from some woman in a shop," said Annabelle, "We still don't know who that was."
"Is that her now?"
"There are very few people that it could be," said The Doctor, as he went to answer it.
"Don't." said Clara.
"Why not?"
"Because, if you answer it, something will happen."
"What?"
"A thing."
"It's just a phone, Clara. Nothing happens when you answer the phone."
The Doctor picked up the receiver and the next thing we knew we were in a dark room sitting at a round table with a metal case sitting in the middle. The Doctor was holding a memory worm. He screamed and threw it on the table. I looked in my hand and saw I was holding a memory worm. I threw it away. I looked around the table and saw Clara, Annabelle, and two people, a man and a woman, that I never saw before in my life. "Doctor?" asked Clara.
"Don't touch it," said The Doctor.
"Where are we? How did we get here?"
Just then a man who had computer chips attached to the shaven right side of his head spoke and sitting to the left of Clara spoke, "Who are you? Sorry, what's going on? I don't understand."
Oh his left was a dark-skinned woman. Her cheeks briefly bulged in imitation of the worm's horns, "Argh! What is that thing?" she asked.
"It's a memory worm," said Annabelle.
"What happened to your face?" Clara asked the woman.
"It deletes your memories."
"Did you see her face?"
"How did I get here?" asked the woman.
"The same way we all did, but we've all forgotten," I said.
"And who are you?"
Just then my voice came from the case, "I am Teddy Duncan, a Time Lady from Gallifrey. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."
Then, we heard Annabelle's voice, "I am Annabelle Duncan, a progenerated Time Lady. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."
Next was The Doctor, "I am The Doctor, a Time Lord from Gallifrey. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."
Clara spoke next, "I am Clara Oswald, human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will. Do I really have to touch that worm thing?"
"Yes, you do. And change your shoes. You're next, Psi."
Then we heard the voice of the man who was with us, "I am Psi, augmented human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will." Psi took a chip from his head and looked at it.
Finally we heard the woman's voice who was with us, "I am Saibra, mutant human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."
The Case unlocked with a golden light. It opened up to reveal to screens. There was a golden K in a circle, then a shadowy figure in a hooded top started to speak with an electronically manipulated voice, "This is a recorded message. I am the Architect. Your last memory is of receiving a contact from an unknown agency. Me. Everything since has been erased from your minds. Now, pay close attention to this briefing." The image on the screen showed a planet then it zoom onto a huge building all alone on a planet, "This is the Bank of Karabraxos, the most secure bank in the galaxy. A fortress for the super-rich. If you can afford your own star system, this is where you keep it. No one sets foot on the planet without protocols. All movement is monitored, all air consumption regulated. DNA is authenticated at every stage. Intruders will be incinerated." We saw a woman breath into a tube, but it stayed red. Nozzles came out of the walls and burn her and her companion alive. The image changed to a couple placing a painting into a drawer, "Each vault, buried deep in the earth, is accessed by a drop-slot at the planet's surface. It's atomically sealed, an unbreakable lock. The atoms have all been scrambled. Your presence on this planet is unauthorized. A team will have been dispatched to terminate you."
Just then someone pounded on the door and spoke through the grill, "This is bank security. Open up." said a male voice.
"Your survival depends on following my instructions," said the Architect.
"Open up and you shall be humanely disposed of," said the guard.
"There's another exit," said Saibra.
"All the information you need is in this case," said the Architect.
Psi took a chip from his head and plugged it into the case, "What are you doing?" asked Annabelle.
"Downloading," said Psi
"That's right. Your augmented. Nice."
"The Bank of Karabraxos is impregnable," said the Architect.
I picked up a mobile phone sized item from the case and slipped it in my pocket, "Please stand away from the door," said The guard, "We do not wish to hurt you before incineration"
"The Bank of Karabraxos has never been breached. You will rob the Bank of Karabraxos," said The Architect.
We ran out the other exit and down an empty corridor. A few moments later, The Doctor called out, "Okay, okay, okay. Stop, stop, stop. Far enough." we all stop then a few moments later when he caught his breath he looked at Psi and said, "Augmented human. Computer augmented, yes? Mainframe in your head?"
"I'm a gamer. Sorry, who put you in charge?
"You're a liar," I said, "That's a prison code on your neck."
"I'm a hacker slash bank robber." said Psi
"Good. This is a good day to be a bank robber," The Doctor looked at Saibra, "Mutant human. What kind of mutant?"
"Like he says, why are you in charge now?" asked Saibra.
"It's my special power. What's yours?"
Saibra sighed and took Clara's hand. Then, she turned into Clara. She let go and changed back to her original self, "I touch living cells, I can replicate the owner."
"Your face, when we first saw you," said Clara.
"I touched the worm," said Saibra.
"You can replicate their clothes too?"
"I wear a hologram shell."
I took out the object I took from the case, "This is full of Human cells. DNA from a customer, maybe? You must have to use this as a disguise to get us in?"
"We're actually going to do it? Rob the bank?" asked Clara.
"I don't think we have a choice. We've already agreed to."
Saibra touched the object and became a gray-haired man in a suit. We walked up to the bank and Annabelle asked, "How long can you maintain the image for?"
"For as long as I like." said Saibra.
We went inside the lobby of the bank and The Doctor asked, "Question one. Robbing banks is easy if you've got a TARDIS. So why am we not using it?"
"Question two, where is the TARDIS?" I asked.
"Okay, that probably should be question one."
Just then an alarm sounded and security gates blocked all the exits, then we heard a computerized cheerful male voice, "Banking floor locking down."
"They know we're here," said Saibra.
"Banking floor locking down," said the computer. Then, one of the door opened and red haired woman walked in the room. She was dressed in a sharp suit, her hair was tied back neatly, her glasses were poised on her nose. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked in front of a couple of large men. She had a smirk on her lips.
The woman stopped in the middle of the room and turned to the door she just walked through. I looked and saw a large alien being led in the room. It had two-toed feet. It was wearing a orange prisoner jump-suit and its arms were in a straight jacket. Its eyes were on the end of flexible stalks. He was escorted into the room with some armored guards who were holding onto to chains that were tightly wound around the creature, "What is that?" asked Saibra.
"I don't know," said The Doctor.
"I hate not knowing," I said.
The woman walked up to a young black man in a nice suit and said, "Excuse me, sir. I regret to say that your guilt has been detected."
"What? That, that's totally ridiculous," he said.
"Is it, sir? Well then, we will certainly double-check. The Teller will now scan your thoughts for any criminal intent. Good luck, sir." the woman moved away and the man set his briefcase down.
"Interesting," said Annabelle.
"What is?" asked Psi.
"That is latest thing in sniffer dogs. A telepath that can sense guilt."
A high pitched sound made the man hold his head in pain, "What about our guilt?" asked Clara.
"It's currently being drowned out," I said.
"What's he doing?"
"If he has a plan, he's trying not to think of it."
"Ever tried not thinking about something?" asked Psi.
"No," said Clara.
"You may have to," said Saibra.
The creature roared and the woman stepped forward, "Ah, criminal intent detected. How naughty. What was your plan? Counterfeit currency in your briefcase, perhaps?"
"No, not at all. For God's sake," said the man.
"It doesn't really matter, we'll establish the details later. The Teller is never wrong when it comes to guilt. Your account will now be deleted, and obviously your mind. Suppertime."
The woman stepped aside. The armored guards held on to the creature's chains as it stepped closer to the man. It put its eye stalks together and a pulsating ray was aimed at the customer's head. He clutches his head and The Doctor said, "It's wiping his mind. Turning his brain into soup."
"Your next of kin will be informed, and incarcerated, as further inducement to honest financial transactions," said the woman.
"We've got to help him," said Clara.
"He's gone already. It's over," said The Doctor.
"He's in agony, look at him."
"Those aren't tears, Clara. That's soup."
The creature separated its eye stalks and the man stop screaming. One the bodyguards caught the man as he stared to fall. The front of the man's brain pan was caved it, "Account closed," said the woman, "Take him away. He's ready for his close-up." She took out a small microphone and announced to the rest of the bank, "Apologies for the disturbance. Everyone have a lovely day."
We didn't have time to think about what just happened we need to focus at the task at hand. We went into a deposit booth. The walls were red with marble columns in each corner, "Deposit booth locking," announced the computer, "Please exhale. Your valuables will be transported up from the vault."
Saibra walked up to the tube in the wall and breathed into it. It turned green. Then, she changed back to her normal self. I opened the deposit bin and inside was another case similar to the one that was in the room when we got here, "If he can break in here and plant this thing, then why does he need our help?" asked Psi
"Depends what the thing is," I asked as I opened the case.
"Okay, well, I'm no expert, but fuses, timer. I'm going to stick my neck out and say bomb," said The Doctor.
I looked at Psi," Can you bring up a schematic of the bank?" Psi plugged a small projector into his head then he attached the projector to one of the marble columns. Then a screen appeared, and a schematic of the bank popped up.
Psi turned off the projector and The Doctor did a little tap dance in the middle of the floor, "He wants us to blow through the floor." The Doctor went and took the bomb out of the case.
"Well, we'll die if we do that," said Saibra.
"Well, not necessarily. There must be a plan."
"What if the plan is, we're blowing up the floor for someone else?" asked Annabelle, "What if we're not supposed to make it out alive?"
"Oh, don't be so pessimistic. It'll affect team morale."
"What, and getting us blown up won't?" asked Saibra.
"Well, only very, very briefly," said The Doctor.
"Er, no. No way," said Psi, "You can do you what you like. I'm going to take my chances out there."
"Psi," I said.
"No, no, no. This guy, your uncle, is a lunatic."
"What do you want, Psi, more than anything else?" asked The Doctor, "Whatever it is, it's in this bank. You agreed to rob the most impregnable bank in history. You must have had a very good reason. We all must have. Picture the thing you want most in the universe, and decide how badly you want it. Well?"
"Still don't understand why you're in charge," said Psi.
"Basically, it's the eyebrows," said The Doctor. He put the bomb in the middle of the floor, pressed a button on top and it starts to build up power. We all pressed ourselves against the wall. The bomb reached full power and there was a brief flash. We turned around and there was a hole in the floor, big enough for us to climb though with a ladder running down on the side of the hole.
"Nice, "said Annabelle, "A dimensional shift bomb. It sends the particles to a different plane."
"Come on then, Team Not Dead," said The Doctor.
We climbed down the hole and we heard a guard outside the deposit booth, "Open up."
Once we were out of the booth. Annabelle pressed a button on the bomb and the hole formed back up. When we reached the bottom of the later, we were in the bowels of the bank, "Well, so, what are we supposed to do now?" asked Saibra, "What's the plan?"
"I don't know," said The Doctor, "The Architect set all this up. It should make sense. My personal plan is that a thing will probably happen quite soon."
"Ah, so that's it. That's your plan?"
"Yep."
"A thing will happen?"
"A thing. Probably."
"Hey, Psi." said Clara, "Doctor."
We turned around and saw Clara found another case.
"There you go. Thing time," said The Doctor.
I rolled my eyes and we went up to Clara. She asked, "How does he get the cases here?"
"By breaking into the bank in advance of us breaking into the bank," I said.
"Well, how did he do that? And if he can do that, why does he need us?"
"That's not our problem."
"Well, what is our prob-prob-prob-prob-pr?" asked Psi.
"You okay?" asked Clara.
"Drive glitch. It's fine."
"Guilt is our problem. Guilt, in this bank, is fatal. The Teller can hear it. Ever since that first case was opened, we've been targets. The more we know about why we're here, the louder our guilt screams. That's why we wiped our memories. For our own safety. Now, once I open this, I can't close it again."
"Would it be safer if only one of us learned it?" asked Psi
"I was hoping you'd volunteer."
"Er, why me?"
"Because you didn't need that memory worm. You're half-computer. You can perform a manual delete. You can clear your thoughts."
"Okay," he said. Psi turned the case around and opened it, "I don't know what it is. You may as well have a look." He turned the case around and inside were eight short tubes with metal ends and pins that could be pulled out of the top, "Well, what are they?"
"Not a clue," said The Doctor, as he picked the up and put them in his pockets.
"Hmm, interesting," said Saibra.
"What is?"
"You're lying."
"Er, why would he be lyi-lyi-lyi-lying?" asked Psi, "Ugh. Sorry. Stress. Drains the batteries."
"Interface with this," The Doctor walked over to a control panel.
"Do we have time for this?" asked Saibra.
"Well, why not? There's no immediate threat."
Just then an alarm sounded and the computer annouced, "Warning. Intruders detected."
I looked at my uncle and said, "You should stop saying things like that."
"Intruders detected."
"Clara, you and Annabelle stay with Psi," said The Doctor, "Saibra, Teddy, let's go and investigate."
The Doctor kicked out a grill and him, Sabria and I crawled out of the duct. We started t walk down a corridor and The Doctor asked, "Aren't you going to ask me?"
"Why did you lie?" asked Saibra, "Those hardware things, you know what they are."
"Exit strategy of sorts. How did you know I was lying?"
"I've had a lot of faces, I find them easy to read."
"That's quite a gift you have," I said.
"Gift?" asked Saibra.
"It got us in here."
"Mutant gene. No one can touch me. If they do, I transform. Touch me, Teddy, and you'll be looking at yourself. I am alone."
"Why?"
"Could you trust someone who looked back at you out of your own eyes?"
Just then we heard the sound of a moan. We followed the sound to a row of cells. Inside was a different person with a caved in skull, including the man from earlier. Annabelle, Psi and Clara caught up to us and They looked into the cells, "Oh, my God," said Clara, "Why is he even still alive?"
"I don't know," said Annabelle, "But someone is watching." She said referring to a red blinking light on the wall.
"Doctor," said Psi, "However this goes, whatever happens, don't let me end up like that."
Then an alarm sounded and the computer announced, "Intruders on the service level. Intruders on the service level."
We ran to a grill and The Doctor used his sonic to open it, "Now this says place to hide."
We called thought another duct. And we ended up in a dark room with a large glass container. The glass was fogged up so we couldn't really see what was inside, "Where are we?"
The Doctor, Annabelle and I walked up to the container and we could see the figure of the Teller inside. It moved and made a hiss like sound, "Nobody move," said The Doctor, "Nobody say a word. It's cocooned. Forced hibernation. Its power is probably dormant."
We heard running and voices outside. The Teller moved and looked at Clara, "Clara," I said, "It's locked on to you. It may still be asleep. Don't wake it."
"Okay. How do I not do that?" asked Clara.
"Keep your mind blank. Block everything. Once it locks onto your thoughts, it won't let go." The Teller growled gently. Clara closed her eyes, "It's waking up. Keep blocking your thoughts, Clara. Don't think." Then, the Teller growled.
"This way," said Psi, as he ran to another duct covered by a grill. We all made it in except for Saibra. I her her moan I turned and saw her struggle to move.
"Saibra!" called Psi
"She's still in there," said Clara, "How do we get her out?"
"It's scanning her brain," said The Doctor.
"Then what?" asked Psi.
"Soup."
"Then help her," said Clara.
Saibra cryed out in pain, "Saibra." said The Doctor.
"What should I do? How can I get away?" she asked.
"It's rooting through your brain," I said, "It's sampling all of your secrets. Any moment now, it will finish its sweep and start feasting on what's left."
"And then I become one of those things we saw sitting in a cage?"
"Yes."
"Can you not get me out?"
"I'm sorry. I don't know how, once it's locked onto your thoughts."
"Exit strategy," said Saibra, "That means what I think it means, right?"
The Doctor took one of the tubes out of his pocket and handed it to her, "Atomic shredder."
"Painless?"
"And instant."
"When you meet the Architect, promise me something. Kill him."
"I hate him, but I can't make that promise."
"A good man. I left it late to meet one of those."
She pulled the pin on the shredder and she vanish in a bright blue light. We heard the Teller roar in frustration as we crawled through the duct.
A short time later we crawled out of the ducts and into a corridor. At the end of this corridor was a big round vault door, "Right, vault. That's clear. What's not clear is what we do now," said The Doctor.
"Hey," I walked up to The Doctor, "You okay?"
"No, I'm an amnesiac robbing a bank," he said, "Why would I be okay?"
"Because of what happened to Saibra."
"What? Saibra is dead, we are alive. Prioritize if you want to stay that way."
"Oh, is that why you call yourself the Doctor?" said Psi, "The professional detachment."
"Listen. When we're done here, by all means, you go and find yourself a shoulder to cry on. You'll probably need that. Till then, what you need is me."
The Doctor walked toward the vault. Annabelle and I followed. We found a computer access room next to the vault door and inside was another case. Annabelle picked it up and showed it to Psi and Clara, "Another gift from the Architect. Shall we unwrap it?"
We opened it and Clara picked up a card that was inside, Psi attached himself to it and downloaded the contents into his brain. He winced in pain. Then he went into the access room, "Right, the system looks like it's time-delayed. There are twenty four lock codes I need to break." He said.
Just then there was a growling, "Doctor?" said Clara as she came over to the room, "It's coming. We're trapped."
"Psi, how long?" asked Annabelle.
"As long as it takes."
"It's locked on to one of our thought trails," said The Doctor, "We have to split up, minimizes the brain signals."
"What happened to your professional detachment, Doctor?" asked Psi. He held out his hand and The Doctor gave him one of the shredders.
"No, no," said Clara.
"In case it finds me. It's my choice," said Psi.
"You don't use that, okay? Promise me."
"Time to run."
The Doctor, Annabelle, Clara and I ran down the corridor, "Separate." said The Doctor as we reached a intersection. The Doctor went to the left, Clara went to the right, and Annabelle and I went forward. Annabelle and I reached another intersection and we spilt up. As I ran I heard Clara call out, "Argh."
Then I heard Psi's voice call out, "Come on! Come and find me! Every thief and villain in one big cocktail. I am so guilty! Every famous burglar in history is hiding in this bank right now in one body. Come and feast! Clara? For what it's worth, and it might not be worth much, when your whole life flashes in front of you, you see people you love and people missing you. Well, I see no one." Then I heard Psi scream out as he used the shredder.
I turned around and started to head back to the vault I caught up with Annabelle and The Doctor, then as we reached the corridor that led to the vault I saw Clara. She turned into the corridor that led to the vault first. I heard the computer countdown, "Three, two, one. Failed. Vault unlocking failed."
Clara banged and pulled on the front of the vault door, "It's not opening," said Clara, "Psi. He died for nothing."
The Doctor, Annabelle and I went to the computer access room. There was a panel with 24 lights in a circle. 23 green. 1 Red, "Multiple locks," said The Doctor, "Last one still in place."
I opened a panel and pulled out my sonic screwdriver, "It's locked with an atomic seal. It's unbreakable, even for us. The Architect would know that. He wouldn't bring us all this way for nothing."
"And get two people killed," said Clara.
"Exactly. There must be some logic," said The Doctor.
"Some logic?"
"Come on, Architect. What else have you got?" Just then we heard thunder, "A storm. The storm's tripping the system. That's what he's got, a storm."
"How would he know when a storm would hit?"
The three of us Time Lords looked at each other then The Doctor said, "Of course. Stupid, stupid Doctor."
"Of course!" I said, "Why didn't I think of that."
"Of course," said Annabelle, "That makes perfect sense."
"Of course, what?" asked Clara.
"Whoever planned all this, they're in the future," I said.
"This isn't just a bank heist, it's a time travel heist," said The Doctor.
"We've been sent back in time to the exact moment of the storm," said Annabelle, "to be in exactly the right place when it hits, because that's the only time the bank is vulnerable."
Just then the red light on the control panel turned from red to green and the computer announced, "Vault unlocked."
We turned around and saw the big vault door swing open, "The bank is now open." said The Doctor.
"Vault unlocked."
"Come on."
We walked into the vault. Inside the vault was row after row of safety deposit boxes, "It explains why we're not here in the TARDIS."
"Sorry, what?" asked Clara.
"The solar disruption would have made navigation impossible," I said, "The one time the bank is vulnerable is the one time we can't just land."
"Doctor? The code. The code that was in the last case. Look. Tech." Clara showed us the card she found in the last case it read:
TECH 251
ORG 339
PV
"Technology. 251. Find it," said The Doctor.
We looked through the racks then Clara called out, "Tech."
We didn't need a key to open the box. There was a small case inside. The Doctor opened it and inside was a large hypodermic syringe.
"It's a neophyte circuit," said The Doctor, "I've only ever seen one once before. It can reboot any system, replace any lost data."
"Psi. That's what he came for, his reward," said Clara.
"So what did Saibra come for?" I asked.
We found ORG 339 inside was a bottle, "Gene suppressant." said The Doctor.
"She wanted to be normal," said Clara.
"Everyone has a weakness," said Annabelle, "So the big question is. What did we come for?"
"PV."
"Private vault," said The Doctor.
"Karabraxos's own fortune?" I said, "That doesn't sound like us…"
We walked around the corner of the and we walked straight into the Teller.
We were taken to the office of Ms. Delphox, the woman we saw earlier in the lobby of the bank. There were two armed guards behind us one had a helmet on and one didn't and the Teller was there too. "Intruders are most welcome," said Ms. Delphox, "They remind us that the bank is impregnable. It's good for morale to have a few of you scattered about the place, preferably on view." There were CCTV images of brain dead people in the cells on a section of the wall, "Are you ready for your close-up? If you're thinking of ways to escape, the Teller will know before you've even made a move. You'll never be bothered by all that thinking again."
"Useful species," said Annabelle.
"Last of its kind, and we've signed an exclusive deal."
"Must be noisy inside its head," I said, "Painful to listen to so much chatter, so many secrets. Must drive it wild. How can you force it to obey?"
"Oh, everything has a price tag, I think you'll find." said Ms. Delphox. We could hear the storm raging outside, "The storm's getting worse. The customers are leaving. Director Karabraxos will be concerned. Our jobs will be on the line."
"You're scared," said The Doctor.
"Oh, I'm terrified. I have the disadvantage of knowing Karabraxos personally."
"If you don't like your boss, why stay?" asked Annabelle.
"My face fits," said Ms. Delphox, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must take the Teller to its hibernation. You two, dispose of our guests."
Delphox and the Teller left. The guards pushed us up against the wall, "You don't do this," said Annabelle, "I'm having a very bad day, and I do not want to be pushed around."
"You're wrong," said the guard who wasn't wearing a helmet.
"Wrong?"
"It's not that bad a day. And you're being very slow."
I noticed the guards were taking our handcuffs off, "Why are you taking our handcuffs off?" I asked.
The guard with out a helmet transformed into Saibra. The Doctor was dumbfounded, "Saibra?" was all he could say.
Then the guard with helmet on spoke and he sounded very familiar, "It looked like death," he took it off, and it was Psi, "It was actually a teleporter."
Clara, Annabelle and I hugged him, "Oh, my God." said Clara.
"Good, eh?" asked Psi ,"You think we're dead, so the Teller thinks we're dead, and we play the creature at his own mind games."
The Doctor still couldn't believe what was going on, "No, no. Wait, wait, wait, wait. What? Sorry, sorry, what? You, you, you're, you're alive?" he asked.
"Yeah, we're alive. Look at us. We're all alive," said Saibra.
"No, no, no, no. Not dead. Alive."
"There's an escape ship in orbit," said Psi, "Takes you right there. Oh, and there's this big blue box. Is that yours?"
I rolled my eyes and said, "It's good to see you both now you can get your proper reward." I handed the vial to Saibra, "It's a Gene suppressant. The antidote for your condition."
Saibra took the bottle then Annabelle gave Psi the syringe, "It's a neophyte circuit," she said, "It can reboot any system and replace any lost data."
Psi took it, and The Doctor said, "There you go. Job done, paid in full. Clever old Architect."
"Very clever," said Saibra.
"I still hate him," said The Doctor.
"Me too," said Saibra.
"Join the club," I said.
"How were you paid?" asked Psi
"We don't know," said Annabelle, "There's something in the private vault."
We headed back down into the vault and climbed down a ladder. The Doctor looked at pipe and said, "What's that?"
"Supply line," said Psi, "It's the only oxygen down to the private vault. There's another one for water, for basic life support."
"What, for a private vault?" asked Clara.
"Someone likes to hang out with their wealth," I said.
We used a duct to enter the private vault. We heard the Overture To The Abduction From The Seraglio by Mozart being played. We opened the grate and entered the room. There was all kinds of treasures from all over the universe. We saw someone sitting in a chair at a desk. The chair was quite tall and we couldn't see who was sitting in it, "Director Karabraxos?" asked The Doctor, "Excuse us, but we've come to rob you. So if you want to put your hands above your head, or"
The chair turned to reveal a woman who looked just like Ms. Delphox, except her hair was styled different. She had hands up and the music stopped, "Or?" asked the woman, "You didn't bring any weapons. That's a bit of an oversight," she pressed a button on her watch, "Security, Karabraxos here."
"You're Karabraxos?" I asked.
"One moment."
"Director Karabraxos, is there a problem?" asked Ms. Delphox from a monitor
"Intruders in the private vault," said Karabraxos, "Send me the Teller. I want to find out how they got in, and then I want to wipe their memories."
"She's a clone," said Annabelle.
"It's the only way to control my own security. I have a clone in every facility. Get on it right away."
"Yes, of course," said Ms. Delphox.
"And then hand in your credentials. You're fired, with immediate effect," said Karabraxos.
"But please, I've been in your service"
"Ever since the last one let me down and I was forced to kill it. I can't quite believe that you're putting me through this again," she turned off them monitor and looked up, "My clone. And yet she doesn't even protest. Pale imitation, really. Ha! I should sue."
"You're killing her?" asked Clara, "You just said"
"Fired? I put all of the used clones into the incinerator. Can't have to many of moi scattered around."
"Sorry, you don't get on with your own clone?" said Psi
"She hates her own clones," I said, "Frankly, you're a career break for the right therapist."
"Shut up," said The Doctor, "Everybody, just, just shut up."
"And what is this display now, as amusing as you are?" said Karabraxos.
"Shut up. Just shut up, shut up, shut up, shutetty up up up," The Doctor looked at Saibra, "What, what did you say? What did you say? What did you say about your own eyes? De-shut up. Say it again."
"How can you trust someone if they look back at you out of your own eyes?" she said.
"I know one thing about the Architect. What is it that I know about the Architect? I know one thing. Something that I've known from the very start."
"What?" asked Clara.
"I hate him," said The Doctor, "He's overbearing, he's manipulative, he likes to think that he's very clever. I hate him! Clara, Teddy, Annabelle don't you see?" he hit a gong, "I hate the Architect."
"What in the name of sanity is going in this room now?" asked Karabraxos.
"We're getting sanity judgment from the self-burner. Do you mind if I borrow a little bit of paper?" asked The Doctor as he took some paper and a quill
"And what are you doing now?" asked Karabraxos
"I'm giving you my telephone number.
"Why?"
He folded the paper over and started to write on the outside, "Well, I thought you might like to call me someday." on the outside he wrote, 'I Am A Time Traveler.' "Sorry, I thought we were getting along famously. Am I, like, misreading the signals or something?" just then the solar storm started to rattle the building, "Oh, that was a big one, wasn't it? I think that your bank is about to close for good, Karabraxos. If I was you, I'd get going. Don't mind us, we'll just stay here and burn."
Karabraxos started to pack a a bag, "Hard to know what to take," said Annabelle, "The greatest treasures of the universe in just one suitcase."
The building shook again, Clara looked at me, "Teddy, what's the plan? Is there a plan?"
"We can use the shredders and get us back to the ship," said Saibra.
"They're not shredders," I said, "they're teleports, and that's not the most interesting thing about them."
"So what is?"
"There were eight of them. "
"Hey. Give me a call me some time," said The Doctor as Karabraxos headed for her personal lift.
"Doors opening," announced the computer.
"You'll be dead," said Karabraxos.
"Yeah, you'll be old," said The Doctor, "We'll get on famously. You'll be old and full of regret for the things that you can't change."
Karabraxos got into her personal lift and the computer announced, "Doors closing." just before the door closed he made a call me gesture.
Then Clara, Annabelle and I walked up to him, "Doctor, what the hell is going on?" I asked.
"Are you remembering?" asked Clara.
"No, not a thing," said The Doctor, "But I'm understanding."
"Understanding what?" asked Annabelle.
"I'm not sure yet. I need my memory back. And I think there's only one way to do that."
"Which would be?" I asked.
"Soup," said The Doctor.
"Soup?"
There was a ding the lift doors opened and the Teller walked in the room, "Hello, big man. Peckish?" The Teller used its powers to capture my uncle.
"Doctor!" said Clara, Annabelle and I togher.
The pain drove The Doctor to his keens, "No, no. Let it take me. Let it read me. It's the only way."
"It will kill you!" I said.
"What have I told you about pessimism? That's it, that's it. There are so many memories in here. Feast on them. Tuck in. Big scarf, bow tie, bit embarrassing. What do you think of the new look? I was hoping for minimalism, but I think I came up with magician. In the last few days, there's been a block. Can you see the block? Tell me why I'm here. Show me why I'm here. Show me!"
The Doctor told us all what happened during the block. When the phone rang in Clara's apartment. It was a very old and near death Karabraxos. She told him that she had a lot of regrets but there was one that she could help him with. She told him what needed to be done.
When he was done talking to her he told the three of us in the room that we needed to rob a bank. We gatherer up some memory worms and The Doctor chose the people we need to break in the Bank of Karabraxos, Psi and Saibra. The Doctor meet the man that Saibra transformed into so we could get into the deposit room. The Doctor then broke into the bank with the TARDIS and placed the cases. Then he made the video for the first case with himself portraying the Architect. Then, we had the TARDIS drop us off in the room and we used the memory worms and Psi deleted his memories.
The Teller released The Doctor and The Doctor said, "Did you see why we came? Why we're here? We had to delete our own memories, otherwise you'd have known, and then she'd have known, because you were mentally linked. But she's gone now. They've all gone. They have no power over you now. You can do exactly what you want to do now. Exactly what you've always wanted to do."
A small lock started to turn on the wall, "It knows the combination," said Psi.
"Of course it does. It was linked to Karabraxos."
"What exactly are we doing here?" asked Clara, "That thing killed people."
"Well so might you do, to protect everything you loved," said The Doctor. The safe door swung open and inside was another creature that looked just like the Teller, in a straight jacket, "There she is. Not the last of its species. The last two." Psi and Annabelle started to unchain her, "It's okay, it's okay. It's all right."
"Exit strategy," said Saibra, "We've got eight shredders."
"Exactly," said The Doctor.
"So this was never a bank heist," I said, "It was rescue mission for a whole species."
"Flesh and blood, the last currency," said The Doctor. The lights flickered, "Time to go home. What do you think of that, big man?"
Then, the Teller roared.
On a distant planet, The Doctor, Clara, Annabelle and I watched as the Teller and it's mate walked away, "So much mental traffic in the universe. Solitude is the only peace."
Back inside the TARDIS, the six of us ate Chinese take out to celebrate our victory. The Doctor was telling us a story "Gioffre Borgia, mucho scary hombre, says to me, what do you think of our Leaning Tower of Pisa? I say," he leaned sideways, "it looks okay to me." We all laughed
Later we said our good-bye to Psi and Saibra, "If you ever need help with another bank heist," said Psi. The Doctor shook his hand while Clara, Annabelle and I each gave him a hug.
"Yeah, it's not really his area," said Clara.
The Doctor made the call me sign then Psi left. After Psi left, we dropped off Saibra she hugged The Doctor and said, "See? I don't have your face now."
"Yeah. I kind of miss that," said The Doctor.
"Oh, shut up," then Saibra left.
Our last stop was Clara, "7:12, local time, as promised. Go and enjoy yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." said The Doctor.
"It's a date," said Clara, "You know, I've just realized. I'm going out for another meal now."
"Don't worry," I said, "Calories consumed in the TARDIS have no lasting effect."
"What? Are you kidding?"
"Of course I'm kidding. It's a time machine, not a miracle worker. Bye, bye."
"See you. Don't rob any banks."
"Don't rob any banks what?" asked Annabelle.
"Without me."
"Course not, boss," said The Doctor. Then Clara left, "Robbing a bank. Robbing a whole bank. Beat that for a date."
A/N: I've started a new story. It's called Twice Upon a Time and it's based on the show Once Upon a Time. If you're a fan check it out.