Genesis Of The Doctor - A Doctor Who Story

38 - Escape

"What have you done?" the younger Master asked, unconsciously mirroring some of the final words of his older self.  "Without the shield collector the energy from the Eye of Harmony will destroy the Node and then will burn Gallifrey itself!"

"No, you are wrong," answered the Doctor who was running around the room lifting up debris left after the Master's attack.  "Once it has destroyed the Node, backup shields below will protect Gallifrey.  Quickly, help me find the emergency transmat pad amongst this mess."

A multi-coloured fire streamed down through the tear in the dome above them as it began to buckle and melt, raining debris into the room.

The young Master indicated a twisted, blackened square on the floor near one edge of the room.  "The emergency transmat pad," he said simply.

"Oh. That is sub-optimal," lamented the Doctor.  "Right then, we'll have to get back to the one we used to get here."

"There's no time."

"There is always time.  Come on!"

The pair ran through the door and hurtled down the twisting stair corridor beyond.  Behind them they could hear a crunching, ripping sound as the massive energies of the Eye of Harmony began to work their way through the Node from above.

"You planned this all along didn't you?"

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.

"You used me as bait to lure that phantom to his death while making sure the Node was destroyed in the process," the young Master answered as they rushed down the stair well.  "Destroying the Node means no more time travel system and no way to go back and reverse what we did to the Earth's timeline.  It will be fixed with the Myriad vanquished; just what you wanted.  Two birds with one stone."

"It will," admitted the Doctor as they came to the lift entrance.  He opened the door and they began their descent.

"But in doing that you've also stranded the thousands of Time Lords out on missions and scattered throughout time.  Even if they build a new node and get the time rings working again they will never be able to track them all down, many will be lost."

Even within the rapidly descending lift they could feel the node's thundering demolition.  There was a heavy rumble as the lift shaft above became open to space, its air exploding upwards.

The Doctor replied to his friend, "A few stranded observers is nothing compared to the loss of an entire race of people.  To the loss of you."

"It wasn't your decision to make.  You know they'll execute you for this."

"They'll have to catch me first," answered the Doctor defiantly as the lift doors opened and they burst out into the Node entrance.  He indicated the transmat pad.  "You go, I'll be right behind."

They each entered the transmat and one after the other they were gone.

Seconds later as the Doctor arrived in the receiving transmat pad the young Master was already working on the transmat controls.  Through the glass wall of the transmat room the remains of the distant Northern Node could be seen as they were engulfed by the boiling energies pouring from the Eye of Harmony.

"Where to?" the young Master asked.

"Could you key-in the Museum  Of Classical Time as a destination?".

"Sure but there's nowhere safe to hide, they'll find us eventually, wherever we are."

"Let me worry about that.  You're the victim in all this, this doesn't have to be on the both of us," suggested the Doctor.

"Really?" asked the young Master.  "You think this is on both of us?  You did this.  I know you meant well but you've gone too far.  You've gone too far once again."

"He was going to kill you, I had no choice."

"Yes and what was with that?  Why did he target me, what was going on?"

He was interrupted as a woman arrived on the transmat pad dressed in the armour of the Chancellery Guard.  Springing from the pad she landed in a crouched position, levelling a staser pistol at the Doctor's face.  The young Master, already in the shadows, melted out of view behind an instrument panel.

As the Doctor rapidly assessed his options, the operative spoke, "Do not move.  You are under arrest."

The transmat activated again and the Doctor stared at the new arrival in surprise - it was Borusa!  Older, his beard even more bejewelled, but definitely Borusa.  Borusa also held a gun, also trained on the Doctor.  Borusa's companion straightened, holding the staser with both hands.

"Theta Sigma," said Borusa.  "I can scarcely believe this litany of your crimes.  You were one of my brightest pupils, incorrigibly proactive perhaps and always rather wayward and unfocused but..."

"It's 'Doctor' now," interrupted the Doctor.  "I have a name."

Borusa glanced over at his companion and continued, "Wanton damage inflicted to the Citadel, the coldblooded murder of a Castalan, two counts of theft, an explosion in the CitadelWestPlaza resulting in many deaths..."

The Doctor interrupted again, "I did not do any of that and you know it!  Why are you covering up for him?  He's dead now, you know that don't you?"

"Shut up!" shouted the guard.

Borusa started again, "Arson, criminal damage and the wilful destruction of the Northern Node resulting in the loss of the Time Ring system.  Also resulting in the stranding of the vast majority of our Time Lord operatives..."

"Enough!" came the voice of the young Master, emerging from the shadows.  Within one stride he had taken Borusa's staser and had used it to blast the guard, knocking her across the room as if hit by a wrecking ball.  "Stunned," he said calmly, whirling round and aiming his gun at a speechless Borusa.

The Doctor looked gratefully at his friend.  "Thank you," he said.

"Just go!" said the young Master.  "I'll hold them off here for as long as I can but you need to get moving.  Go!"

With a final smile at his friend the Doctor strode over to the transmat pad.  In the blink of an eye he reappeared in the Museum Of Classical Time, the same museum that the pair had smuggled their way into so many years before.

The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket.  In front of him was the control panel of the transmat pad upon which he had arrived - he removed its screws and wrenched the panel from the wall.  He threw it to the ground and jumped on it repeatedly while other museum goers looked on in amazement.  "Don't worry," said the Doctor.  "It won't be doing that again in a hurry."

Pocketing the screwdriver once more, he turned and ran through into the Hall of Guardians past many gawping tourists and confused museum staff.  Pelting down a corridor he jostled his way through into a vast, quiet, dimly lit room filled with an esoteric collection of varied exhibits; 'The Hall of Egress'. 

Ignoring everything else the Doctor ran up to a large hexagonal drinking fountain taking up most of one corner of the room.  This was covered with an ornate swirling design.  He walked around the fountain twice and while examining it minutely he began to run his hands over its surface.

"I have no key," the Doctor said quietly.  "Please let me in, you are my last hope to get out of this place."

There came a shout from the other side of the room; a man's voice, "Over there, that's him!"

The Doctor accelerated his survey of the exterior of the fountain, his hands moving more urgently.  He pleaded, "Please. Please let me in, I'm sure you don't want to stay here any more than I do!"

With a loud creaking noise the side of the fountain split open along a vertical seam; bright white light streaming from the interior illuminating the Doctor's exultant face.

The Doctor ran into the brightly-lit Tardis control room within as its doors sealed shut behind him.  "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" he exclaimed.  He ran over to a console and pulled a large red lever towards him with a solid clunk. 

The room outside filled with a wheezing, groaning sound as the Tardis began to dematerialise.