Broken: A Time Lord's Story (Doctor Who Novel)

Chapter 3 Are You Ready to Play

 The Doctor had no idea how many hours had passed since that tiny voice stopped. It required every mental discipline learnt in his long life to maintain control.‭ ‬Three hours after the murder, they plunged the cell into total darkness. He didn't care. He sat ‬cross-legged, back pressed flat against the cold‭ ‬wall, motionless, staring at nothing.

His brain had shut off a few times in his long life. Doing so allowed him time to process a catastrophic event. The last time came at the end of the war. Wounded, he made it back to the TARDIS in time to get her into space before pushing the button that destroyed his world. He heard the screams of every single Gallifreyan inside his head as the galaxy tore apart, almost taking the TARDIS with it. No matter where or how far he'd travelled, ‭ their presence had always acted as a connection to home.‭ To have them all gone in a nanosecond made living unbearable.‭ ‬All that background noise replaced by silence.‭‬

He'd collapsed in a foetal position, on the console floor and stayed there for days. ‬Badly injured, with the ship's cloister bells clanging around him, insanity threatened to consume him.‭ ‬Days later, he gave into the infections from his injuries and regenerated. ‬When he still didn't move from his place on the floor, the TARDIS took matters in hand and dumped him out on Krakatoa Island just days before the volcano erupted. Cold fury brought him out of his trance then just as it did now.

Reality edged back. Perhaps, he ‬thought, nothing actually happened; it was another nightmare. Did he believe that‭? ‬No. A child died because of him and that made him physically ill.‭ His empty stomach ached from the force of his retching. ‬Tears slid down his cheeks.‭ When he stopped, he pulled his knees up and rested his chin there.‭ ‬What did this woman truly want‭? ‬His instincts told him more was going on than Madam Nut Job just wanting his ship, but what?‭ ‬Why would she be so desperate that she'd even pretend to commit murder?

What good were all of his rules and experiences if he couldn't control his anger and find some way to save a child‭? ‬Angry and ashamed of his failure, all he could do was wait and try to figure out what the voice wanted.‭‭ ‬Obviously, Madam Nut Job believed ‬his reputation as a man of compassion, but she was wrong. Miscalculating his reaction was a serious mistake. Gallifrey would return before he would ever turn over the keys to the TARDIS.‭ ‬These animals would never get near his ship.

A cold smile broke across his face; Madam Nut Job would pay. ‬By now, the TARDIS would have followed her protocols and left the planet.‭ ‬When the ship returned with Amy and Rory, ‭he would bring this psychopath to justice or die trying.‭ ‬Of course, he just had to survive until help came.‭ ‬In the ‭meantime, there was no doubt these people would enjoy beating the crap out of him.‭ He just had to make sure he won.

One hour, ten minutes and twenty-two seconds later, the lights popped back on.‭ ‬The Doctor squinted against the onslaught of light to see two men entering his cell.‭ ‬They were dressed in grey military fatigues, looking more like rejects from the Church's army than any official police force.‭ ‬He made sure that his usual cheeky grin was firmly planted on his face as he rose to his feet.‭ ‬He wasn't about to meet two morons any other way than standing.‭ ‬He‭'‬d stared down dozens of aliens species over‭ ‬900‭ ‬years of life.‭ ‬This was no different.

‬He wiggled the fingers of his right hand‭; ‬a nervous gesture he'd picked up in this regeneration.‭ ‬He needed to remember to work on silly gestures. He drew a breath, ‭ ‬forced his anger under control ‬and smiled.‭ ‬"Done torturing children, are you‭? ‬Your boss decided to let me go now,‭ ‬eh.‭"

The moron walked up to him,‭ ‬his lips curled in a smirk. "My mistress wants her property," he snarled. In one move, he grabbed a handful of the Doctor's hair with such force that it sent the Doctor to his knees.