Hello everyone
Thanks again for all the support, I really love hearing all your comments
As normal, next part will be up next weekend - we're getting close I promise
Thanks for everything
Robyn
No one spoke as they waited for the next episode to start, screen still displaying the words 'Spyfall Part 2', all on edge with the mess of what was going on. They had the current companions in a crashing plane, the Doctor alone in an alien realm and the Master planning to take over the world and refusing to share secrets. They all wanted to know what happened, even the fam, as they weren't sure what had gone done between the Master and Doctor which had made her so upset.
The Doctor is in the alien realm talking to herself, and telling herself not to panic. Flash to Graham, Ryan and Yaz on the plane trying to hold on as it crashes. Ryan spots a small plaque with his name on a seat
"I'm not sure if I wanted to know that or not." Ryan looked confused, they all kind of knew that she wasn't always as calm as she pretended but still it was nice to think that one of them stayed calm and reasonable.
Most of the other people in the room were occupied by the plaque, hoping that it would save the current companions from the unfortunate situation the were in.
DOCTOR: Always a good reminder when you're alone, in the unknown, all hope lost.
The companions just all looked at the Doctor who was determinedly watching herself on screen, pretending to analyse the alien surroundings. She really wasn't happy with what everyone was about to see, and they were getting closer and closer to the reveal of her 'true heritage'. She was terrified and furious and almost every ugly emotion in-between, she didn't know how everyone would react and she wasn't excited to find out. But it's not like she had much choice.
Ryan follows a series of small plaques and arrows in the plane. Back in the alien realm the Doctor tries the sonic which doesn't work, before a bolt of energy zips past her. She continues talking to herself about what is going on and how she hopes she's not in a liver again
That drew her some strange looks. "How many times have you been in someone's liver to know that?" Rose asked exasperated.
The Doctor shuddered slightly. "Too many." Everyone looked at her bemused but decided not to question it further, it was the Doctor – she was a professional at getting herself into weird situations.
Someone new arrives in the alien realm - Ada. On the plane, Ryan keeps following plaques - in 4c's seat pocket there is paper entitled How to Land a Plane Without a Cockpit. Ryan calls out to the others
"Okay that's far too convenient." Amy declared before turning to the Doctor. "How did you manage that?"
"I have a time machine remember?" The Doctor grinned, ignoring the complaints of her three current companions (who definitely remember how she almost forgot about the plane). She just offered them another grin which they just rolled their eyes at.
In the alien realm, Ada (a young woman wearing early 19th century clothes) reassures 13 that their situation will pass soon
"Who is that?" Donna exclaimed, exasperated and frustrated with all the secrets. Everyone else also looked confused, they didn't exactly expect to find someone else in the weird alien realm, let alone someone dressed like they were from the 19th century.
The Doctor smiled, with just a hint of sadness. "You'll find out." Donna just sighed dramatically at that announcement. The Master just raised an eyebrow at the Doctor who grinned smugly at him, he knew perfectly well who her latest human friend was and she may have only been around a short time but she was very annoying.
On the plane, Graham and Ryan work on the instructions, connecting a cable from a panel to Ryan's phone, on it's screen the Doctor appears to their confusion
The Doctor just grinned wildly and sang, "Time Machine!" fondly. Graham just shook his head at her, he'd been far too busy panicking about the crashing plane like a normal person at the time.
The Master rolled his eyes, annoyed at how she was running his brilliant plans to kill her favourite little pets. The Doctor sensing his train of thoughts (he wasn't sure if she actually could hear his thoughts or if she just knew him too well – he didn't want to know the answer to that question) glared at him for a minute before purposely turning back to the screen.
The Doctor on the screen reassures them they aren't going to die and that she's a recording so they shouldn't talk back to her (which they were doing). She especially reminds Graham not to panic, he protests and the Doctor reminds him to not talk back to the screen
Everyone in the room laughed at that, even Graham. Both Ryan and Yaz nudged him fondly, they'd definitely been too busy panicking to appreciate it at the time, but they were safe now and could see the humour in the situation. Graham was a bit too predictable at times.
The Doctor on screen continues giving instructions - the app on Ryan's phone opens and reveals its called Piloting Made Easy
"That sounds like a very useful app." Bill said cheerfully, turning to grin at the current companions while Nardole rolled his eyes and the Doctor grinned nodding her head.
13 instructs them to use the app to communicate with the engines via the aircraft wiring and tells them to shut the cockpit door as that's vital. Graham goes to close the door as the others listen to the instructions but a power surge cuts her off
"Well, that's just typical." Martha shook her head, the other companions seemed to agree with her.
Yaz, Ryan and Graham work to land the plane safely, with Graham sliding down the aisle as Ryan controls the plane via his app
The room broke out into laughter at the comedic, almost cartoony, sight of Graham sliding down the plane aisle.
Back in the alien realm, 13 questions what Ada means
"Oh, back to the Doctor." Clara muttered, analysing the screen, curious to see who the Doctor had met and how they had escaped.
Ada explains that she is temporarily paralysed in her mind but she will soon be freed - she's a bit confused by the Doctor's appearance as she is normally alone. More energy moves around the place as Ada asks the Doctor's exit strategy. One of the light creatures appears as 13 warns her to be wary of them and explains they are in its realm. Ada offers 13 a hand so they can leave together, while hesitant at first the Doctor takes it and they both vanish
"At least you're not in the creepy alien place anymore." Rose decided, gaining nods of agreement from most of the rooms occupants.
On the plane, they are safely flying it along the pre-programmed flight pattern, and they talk about the plan
"At least that's one less thing to have to worry about, but it means you'll probably have trouble meeting you when you land." Mickey said, turning to watch the current companions' reactions.
"Yeah, it meant we didn't have the chance to mess anything up but trouble was absolutely waiting for us." Yaz nodded I vague agreement, sharing a look with Graham and Ryan – their time on the run was short but definitely memorable.
In the Master's Tardis, which is flying through the time vortex, the Master is bragging about how he surprised the Doctor
The room collectively turned to glare at the Master who just preened like a peacock, very smug and unapologetic. The Doctor was the only one not glaring at him, she was till glaring at the screen (analysing his Tardis) but she didn't manage to prevent the vague feeling of hurt-anger-frustration-pain going across their still partially open mind link. She clamped down on it as soon as she realised she was transmitting and shut the bond as tight as she could, refusing to look at him or accept his attempts to reopen the link at the minute.
Barton is with him. They have a silver figure from Barton's office as they talk about the plan
The room glared at the Master again for that comment who just rolled his eyes this time. If they were going to glare at him every time he did something or made a comment, it was going to get very tiring very quickly.
Barton's phone beeps notifying them that his plane landed at its programmed destination, they're in disbelief that they survived
This time it was the Doctor who looked smug while the Master glared at her for ruining his perfectly laid plans (like normal).
The pair fight briefly as things start to go wrong. An alarm goes off letting the Master know the Doctor escaped the alien realm. They split up - Barton to deal with the plane and the Master to deal with the Doctor
"Plan not going as well as you would like?" The Doctor decided to try her luck by prodding the Master (not literally, though that was tempting too), backed up by her former companions. Jack looked particularly happy that she was making life difficult for the Master. The Master just ignored her but she managed to spot his annoyance before he schooled his expression.
In the 19th century at a scientific exposition, Ada and the Doctor appear as men demonstrate their inventions.
"So, you're stuck in the 19th century with no way home. This keeps getting better and better." Amy said. "At least you're not still in that creepy place though."
A man (Babbage) helps Ada off the floor as he asks after her wellbeing, though is shocked at their impossible appearance. The Doctor pretends it was a trick to the impressed audience, before scaping the crowd and asking Babbage the year which she finds is 1834.
Back in the present, at the airfield, Barton asks the ground staff if there was anyone on board which they answer with a no and tell him to inform them before testing systems like this. Hiding in a nearby hanger, Yaz, Graham and Ryan watch on
"Well at least that was explained." Yaz sighed mostly to herself. Looking back, they had definitely been lucky to avoid Barton. The uncomfortable looks on Graham and Ryan's faces said they agreed.
Ryan checks his phone to reveal they're in Essex which Graham is familiar with
"At least you are on familiar turf." Rory said, gaining nods of agreement form many of the others in the room. Small silver linings despite being in serious trouble.
Yaz outline the plan - figure out what Barton and the Master are planning. They're worried about the Doctor but push on, deciding to got to a speech Barton is giving in London without letting him know that they're alive.
"So, to summarise; you are on your own being chased by a madman allied with a creepy alien race but you are on home turf with the starts of a plan." Clara declared. "That sounds familiar." That drew some laughs from people, something similar had definitely occurred to all of them at some point.
Barton makes a call to try and get information on Ryan, Yaz and Graham
"And the universe like to remind us that things can always get worse." Amy nodded resigned.
Back with 13, Ada is curious about how the Doctor came to be there. The Doctor touches a magnet and gets an electric shock
The room turned to look at her. "What exactly were you expecting to happen Sweetie? You really need to stop messing with things." River shook her head exasperated with her wife's habits but when faced with the Doctor's put and sad eyes gave her a lovesick smile. She really had missed her wife, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be having a serious conversation later, several conversations from the way everything was going at the minute.
Ada keeps asking questions, and 13 explains who she is
DOCTOR: I'm a traveller in Space and Time. I was in the middle of dealing with a planet-threatening conspiracy two centuries from now when I was attacked by an old enemy and exiled to the place where I found you. Oh!
"I really don't think anyone is just going to believe that Doctor, you sound absolutely insane." Rose shook her head.
Donna snorted before adding. "She is insane!" That drew several nods of agreement and laughs from the group.
"Hey! Actually, that's probably true but anyway I thought Ad might believe me as we came from the Kasaavin's realm." The Doctor started to protest before deciding they were right about the insane part, she still tried to explain her reasoning.
Ada is dubious about the explanation, but 13 persists explaining the light creatures are assassinating people in the future and that she's stranded but needs to find her way home
"I'm not sure continuing the explanation is really helping." Yaz watched the pair on screen. She really wanted to know what had gone down between the Doctor and the Master when they weren't with them. Whatever had happened had upset the Doctor and knocked her off her groove for a while plus what had happened with the Cybermen.
The Master makes a dramatic entrance to the scientific exposition. He's wielding his Tissue Compression Eliminator (TCE) which he uses to shrink nearby ladies killing them and creating panic
"What is that thing?" Martha asks horrified, glaring at the Master who bared his teeth at her in an amalgamation of a shark's grin.
However, before he could go on any rambled speech about his toy the Doctor answered first, to his obvious annoyance. "His TCE - Tissue Compression Eliminator. Does what it says on the tin. He used it a long time ago, haven't seen it for several centuries if not millennia." She mused with a grimace; it hadn't exactly been her favourite of his weapons – not that she liked any of them. Jack was the only one that seemed to know anything about it – likely because of Torchwood and UNIT files.
The Master continues attacking people as the Doctor and Ada attempt to escape. The Master catches them and orders everyone to not move. He kills another woman that moves and tells the Doctor all about the buzz killing people gives him, explaining it made him believe he was doing what he was made for
"You're completely unhinged." Martha practically spat out at him. It was moments like this that made it easy to remember he was the being that had tortured her family and destroyed the Earth for a year and she hated the reminder. Mickey curled his arm around her to offer comfort, they spent long nights discussing the Year that Never Was and he knew how much it still weighed on her mind all these years later.
Jack's knuckled were white with how hard he was clenching them and the rest of the room was glaring fiercely at the Master, watching him kill people ruthlessly was a stark reminder of his true nature despite how he behaved in the room with them. He was just leaning back in his chair, grin full of teeth, seemingly unaffected by their glares.
DOCTOR: What do you want?
MASTER: Kneel. Kneel, or they all die. (she kneels) Call me by my name.
Jack launched himself off his seat before anyone could stop him, eyes dark and anger prominent. He looked ready to punch the Master's smug grin off his face. The Doctor leapt to her feet, moving between the pair, her back to the Master as she tried to stop everything coming to violence (not that she didn't want to punch the Master – she absolutely did – but it wouldn't help anything).
She put her hand out gently to Jack's arms staring him down silently as she stopped him from reaching the Master. His eyes softened upon seeing her but his fury at the Master was still easily noticeable. He was furious at the Master for so many reasons, it wasn't helping that the secret the TARDIS wanted to show them, the secret that had the Doctor so distressed, was linked to him. Watching him make her kneel like that was just the last straw.
"Jack please." The Doctor asked softly, trying to steer him gently back to his seat next to Rose. Her words seemed to take all the wind out of his sails and as he let her guide him back to the sofa, she got a glimpse of the rest of her companions' expressions. They all looked furious, in a way she very rarely if ever saw. River made her way to her feet to join the pair still moving, unnoticed by the Doctor, her expression matched Jack's, furious with the Master and fed up off all the secrets.
As they moved back to the sofa, Jack seemed to have a silent conversation with Rose who was watching their approach carefully. She moved off the sofa, shifting to a beanbag close to Martha, Mickey and Donna's sofa. Jack and River shared a nod before pulling the Doctor down between them on the sofa, keeping a hand on her arms either side of her.
"Hey!" The Doctor complained but she wasn't given the opportunity to escape and made the mistake of looking at the River and Jack who were wearing similar pleading looks which she couldn't resist. She sighed but resigned herself to being stuck between the pair for some time.
She could see the Master watching from the other side of the room, now in direct line of sight, expression deceptively blank. It surprised her slightly, she expected him to be smug about her companions' reactions to making her kneel but he was schooling his expression. She pushed a feeling of curiosity-question-surprise at him but got nothing back. She was about to give up trying to get a reaction for the moment but as she settled on the sofa, making herself more comfort, with Jack and River still in touch with her – although the grip had turned to gentle comforting hands on her arms for now- she managed to catch a feeling of anger-jealousy-frustration-annoyance from him. It puzzled her for a second before she noticed his glances at Jack and River's hands on her and everything became clear – he was jealous of them being so close to her. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, she wasn't clear how to feel about his jealousy and purposely schooled her face, turning purposely back to the screen.
The Doctor reluctantly calls him Master and he makes her repeat it several times claiming he can't hear her
"You know I love it when you say my name, love." The Master projected across their mind link, a feeling of smugness prominent, he'd clearly recovered from (or hidden better) his bout of jealousy.
She hesitated, unable to decide what she wanted to answer with or even if she wanted to answer. She could feel the concern of River and Jack on either side of her, both knowing that she could communicate with the Master through their link. "Why?"
Her answer seemed to confuse him. "Why what, darling?"
"Everything. Why are you doing this? Why make me kneel?" The questions poured out, unsure of what she meant herself.
"I love the chaos. The destruction. It calms the anger almost as much as yo-." His thoughts abruptly cut off, as he took a dep breath to stop himself getting so worked up, eyes a pit of madness. She could have almost sworn that he was about to say 'almost as much as you do'. He refused to answer any of her attempts to re-initiate contact. Ignoring all the furious glares from her companions and her almost concerned one, he stared at the screen.
The Doctor did her own ignoring attempts, not knowing how to or wanting to deal with Jack and River's inevitable questions and concerns. The pair knew more about her and the Master's relationship than probably almost anyone else in the universe (not including several people from Gallifrey but they were all dead, she thought bitterly, so they didn't exactly count anymore) and she knew they were worried for her but it just made her want to shuffle in her seat, unable to deal with the emotions and concern, feeling undeserving of it all.
MASTER: When I arrange for your death, I expect you to stay dead. How did you escape? How did you end up here?
The Doctor focussed on the Master. "You try to kill me almost every time we meet and it never takes. Why did you think this would be different?" She hesitated before continuing. "Especially knowing what you know." Neither of them really knew how many regenerations she had, how many the Time Lords had 'gifted' her after Trenzalore but now, knowing about her 'true heritage' neither of them had any idea how long she would, could, live.
"I'm allowed to be hopeful that it will take." The Master grumbled.
"I thought I was the hopeful idiot." The Doctor decided to push her luck, despite Jack squeezing her arm to tell her to quit while she was ahead. He hated the Master but couldn't deny that the Time Lord still made him nervous at times – being tortured and killed over and over for a year would do that to someone.
The Master didn't answer, turning back to the screen with the twitch of one eye. The Doctor couldn't hide a grin but gained a nudge from River as a warning. Honestly, she wasn't going to survive between the two of them, especially knowing what was coming.
The Doctor is smug that he doesn't know everything and he isn't in complete control. She questions the alliance between him, Barton and the Kasaavin as the Master starts talking
Bill perked up, having noticed what the Doctor was doing. "You're acting as a distraction and getting him to tell you information at the same time. Well done, old man." The Doctor grinned at the young girl, who grinned back.
The Master grumbled slightly to himself. He'd been far too busy gloating and celebrating his victory over the Doctor that he didn't notice he'd been giving up information and what the Doctor's latest little human had been up to.
To the side Ada is slowly moving, interrupting the Master's declaration that he brings news from home. Ada orders the Doctor down as she fires a steam machine gun despite a man's protests that a young lady couldn't use it
"Oh, I definitely like her." River grinned, as did most of the other women in the room, Doctor included.
Ada hits the Master with the gun
"I like her even more now." Jack laughed, happy to see the Master get put in his place and for the chance for the Doctor to escape his clutches.
Ada orders everyone out, as the Doctor doesn't approve of her actions
"Doctor." Came from several of the companions almost in sync. Martha was the first to continue. "He'd killed several people and was absolutely going to hurt more, let alone what he would do to you. Ada injured him, nothing serious and it gave you the chance to escape which you desperately needed."
The Doctor was about to protest but was beaten to the punch by Clara. "She's right and you absolutely know it you idiot. Don't even think about denying it." The Doctor just sighed, knowing they were right but still not happy about it.
The Master threatens the Doctor, saying she can't run far without a Tardis. Ada pulls a pin on a smoke grenade throwing it at the master and allowing them to escape - the Doctor approves this time
"Oh, so the steam gun thing was bad but a grenade is okay?!" Nardole grumbled from his place on a beanbag.
The Doctor just rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up Nardole."
River elbowed her in the side. "Be nice, he's right." The Doctor just muttered to herself, she hadn't really meant it and Nardole knew that.
Back in the present, Ryan, Graham and Yaz attempt to stay unsuspicious. Their phones ring, Barton threatens them saying he's tracking them and is watching them - their images are on a screen saying Wanted.
"Oh, that is really bad. They know you were lying and everyone is now after you. Just because things couldn't get worst." Amy declared, things were just getting worse and worse and the Doctor wasn't even in the right century to help. Ryan, Graham and Yaz just shared a look.
Barton continues, telling them their passports have been revoked and bank cards frozen. He tells them to go off grid and see how long they last. Ryan immediately drops and smashes his phone, telling the others to do the same
"Smart." Bill nodded approvingly; she'd watched enough movies to know that getting rid of their phones was the best idea. Ryan grinned, proud of himself for not panicking straight away.
Graham does the same as Ryan but Yaz phones her family, warning them to not listen to anything they hear before Ryan grabs her phone and smashes it
Ryan sighed, turning to Yaz. "Sorry Yaz." They may have needed to smash their phones but still he had just grabbed it out of her hand while she was talking to her family.
"No, it's okay Ryan. I understand and you did the right thing. I think I just panicked a bit and wanted my family to know what was going on. I should have been better prepared with my police training but I just panicked."
Ryan squeezed her arm in comfort and Graham turned to her. "Don't beat yourself up love, it was a terrible situation and none of us were prepared for it. You're allowed to panic, no matter how much training you've had, it was still pretty scary." Yaz offered a small smile but didn't say anything, letting the video continue.
They decide they have to go dark, time to run
Martha and Jack grimaced, shooting sympathetic looks at the three. "I hope you did better than we did on the run. Got caught pretty quickly and only Martha escaped." Jack said.
"To be fair, we went to them they didn't technically find us." The Doctor debated, gaining identical looks from Martha and Jack that said 'really'.
At Babbage's home in the 19th century, the Doctor, Babbage and Ada talk about what happened. 13 realises Babbage is Charles Babbage
"Has it really taken you this long to realise?" The Master questioned, smug that she hadn't figured it out immediately.
"Oh, shut up. You didn't even know who she was." The Doctor rolled her eyes at him. The rest of the room watched on confused, barring the fam and River who knew/had figured out who Ada was.
She works out the device he is showing her is his Difference Engine, confusing him about how she's heard of it
The room laughed at that. Sometimes it was difficult being a time travel, especially when it concerned things you weren't supposed to know about.
Babbage explains while it is unfinished, when done it will perform quadratic equations. 13 then realises Ada is actually Ada Lovelace - the duaghter of Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke
"Wait Byron? We met him during the chaos with the Lone Cyberman. That's his daughter?" Yaz asked curious, the Doctor had told them about Ada but she hadn't realised that Ada was Byron's daughter.
"Yep." The Doctor grinned.
"Wait you met Byron?" Clara asked, intrigued.
"Are you jealous? I think you've made out with plenty of literacy geniuses, you don't need to add Bryon to that list." The Doctor grinned.
"Doctor, I've always wondered. That poem he wrote, 'Darkness', I think. Was that about you?" Jack asked, looking as if he already knew the answer. The Doctor just blinked at him.
"What makes you think that?"
"You tend to leave an impression on everyone you meet and the last line of the poem is 'She was the Universe'. It does suggest your influence." Jack continued, raising an eyebrow, the rest of the room watched entranced by the conversation.
Ryan, Graham and Yaz shared a glance. "He did seem a bit obsessed with you at the end Doctor; I wouldn't be surprised." Yaz added with a shrug, for once the Doctor seemed speechless.
Ada counters, saying she is Ada Gordon, 13 realises that its 1834 - still too early for Ada to be married but her meeting them isn't a coincidence
"Always with messing up history, honestly sweetie." River sighed; fake exasperation clear in her voice as she smiled at the Doctor.
She ignored the Doctor's retuning comment of, "it's not like you're any better."
Babbage has the Silver Lady which is the figurine Barton and the Master have
"Okay so that's the thing Barton had, so clearly important in all of this." Martha said, trying to peace everything together, like most of the room who weren't apart of the adventure.
"Got it in one, Martha." The Doctor grinned, proud.
"But you're not going to tell us what it does are you?" Martha grinned back. The Doctor just grinned wider and looked back to the screen.
Babbage explains it was a gift from someone who said it was a token of appreciation from his master
The room turned to look at the Master, a mix of glares and expressions that clearly said 'really?' He just preened under the attention.
Babbage explains the figurine occasionally moves and projects images as the Doctor inspects his notes - finding a drawing of the light creature. The Doctor is talking to herself trying to piece together what is happening to Babbage and Ada's confusion
The room laughed. "Well at least that's normal." Donna announced, drawing more laughter.
Ada explains that she was first teleported to the alien realm when she was 13, with it occurring continuously through her life
"Getting a bit confident there, Doctor?" Amy grinned teasingly. The Doctor just rolled her eyes at the Scot, but couldn't resist smiling.
The Doctor thinks they were taking Ada to study her, which means they can't be in this dimension for long (as they take Ada to theirs). The map seen earlier wasn't from multiple Earth's but of multiple time periods - the creatures are spies through time as well
"Honestly that's a relief. Time I can deal with, the whole multiverse thing is far more confusing." Bill declared, Eyebrows had made her write several essays on the multiverse and similar theories and she still didn't understand all of it.
Most of the room seemed to agree with her, they were all mostly used to time travel and space travel at this point, other realities were a bit out of their comfort zone. Mickey, Rose and the Doctor shared a glance remembering their time on another world – it hadn't gone particularly well the first time and Mickey had eventually returned home and now Rose was the one stuck in another reality.
The Doctor sonics the figurine so she can get away before the Master finds her. The Kasaavin appear and she hopes ot use the to get home depsite Ada's warning that is a risky plan
Rory sighed. "Aren't all her plans?" His question was rhetorical, the answer was clearly yes, but his wife felt the need to grin like a maniac and shout 'Yes' to the rest of the room, causing an outbreak of giggles.
Ada grabs the Doctor's hand just before she disappears, taking Ada with her as she vanishes
Jack grinned. "Love his answer to dealing with the unusual."
Back in the present, in a new housing estate Graham, Yaz and Ryan are hiding out
"Very clever, well done you lot." The Doctor grinned at her current companions. They'd told her what had happened to them while she was gone but hadn't gone into lots of detail and she'd been a bit focused on the Master's parting message.
The rest of the room (bar the Master) seemed to agree offering nods and words of congratulations/smart thinking to the pride of the three current companions.
They're worried about the Doctor, but they decide to keep going as that's what she'd want
The Doctor sighed, taking a deep breath before looking at the three of them. "I'm sorry for worrying you all but I'm really proud of you. You did amazing. For the record though, yes, I'd love for the trouble to be dealt with but what I'd really want? I'd really want for you to all be safe and happy."
The three exchanged glances before turning to the Doctor as one. "Thanks Doc, it's great to hear. For the record though? We'd want you to be safe and happy as well." The Doctor offered a small smile at the group before turning back to the screen deep in thought. She was rarely ever safe, the way she dealt with (avoided) her emotions was by putting herself in dangerous situations so she wouldn't have to think about her feelings. And as for happy? She was happiest with her friends and family but that had been so hard lately, she couldn't remember the last time she was truly happy, with no other worries.
They continue talking, moving onto the Master and who he is, then the Doctor's past as they still don't know a lot about her
The Doctor shifted uncomfortable in her seat; she never really told her companions much about herself but she hadn't told these three anything at all really. It was only in this room, watching these videos that they had learnt so much about her and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.
The three seemed to sense her turbulent thoughts. "It's okay Doc, we understand that you don't like to talk about yourself, just maybe try and tell us some stuff before we end up in these kind of situations, okay love?"
"Thanks Graham and I'll try, no promises but I'll try." She paused, scanning the rest of the room's occupants. "That goes for everyone. These videos are going to show you plenty about each other, yourselves and lots about me so if you have a question – ask. I can't promise I will always answer but I'll try. I'll try." She received several solemn nods and small smile in return.
They investigate what they have at their disposal - including the laser shoes. They try to come up with a plan but are just happy they are together through this
The three grinned at each other, happy with their little family they'd made. The other companions also smiled, happy to see their interaction and that being on the run wasn't getting them down.
"At least you're not defenceless, as long as you can figure out how to work the tech." Mickey grinned at the group, who grinned back in answer.
With the Doctor, her and Ada reappear at a bombsite as aircrafts fly overhead. A woman runs up to them (Noor) and warns them not to move. the Doctor explains they're not a threat, and Noor is confused by their appearance and lack of knowledge of what's going on. They're in Paris 1943
"Well, that's still not the right century, but you are closer." Rose commented with a fond shake of her head for the Doctor's anticks. Of course, she decided to try and use the Silver Lady and Kasavvin to jump though time, and of course it didn't work completely. That was just the Doctor's luck. The Doctor grinned at her, seemingly knowing exactly what she was thinking.
They hear a patrol coming and Noor ushers them away, a German military car stops and the Master emerges with a beeping gizmo shouting out to the Doctor that he knows she'd there
The room glared at him in syn, which he was getting very annoyed at. Honestly, he hadn't even done very much worthy of being glared at yet – he'd just killed several humans and hunted the Doctor down.
"First of all, very quick on finding me. Second of all, really? Did you think I could hear you? We're not playing hide and seek." The Doctor asked bemused. The Master just shot her an annoyed look, they both knew exactly what he had meant no matter how much she was denying it.
In the present, a kasaavin enters the housing shell
"Not good. Straight back into trouble." Rory sighed. He really should just expect that at this point.
They're trapped in the house, but escape down the window just in time only to be blocked by a line of glowing figures. Ryan tells Graham to use his laser shoes which effectively deal with the kasaavin (that Graham can hit - he has bad aim)
"I am so glad that we stole all that spy stuff." Graham said drawing nods from Ryan and Yaz. The rest of the room were trying to hide smiles and giggles behind their hands with varying success – it was quite a sight seeing Graham shoot the lasers plus Yaz's comment. The three current companions were the first to start laughing, looking back it was a bit funny now they weren't in any real danger.
In a hanger Barton enters a room with the Silver Lady on display and an older woman tied to a chair - she'd revealed to be his mother. He has mummy issues and kills her
"Okay, he's officially lost his mind. Did he seriously just kill his own mother?!" Rose asked angrily, hands waving in the air to emphasise her point. The room seemed split between being sad for the death and angry with Barton for being the cause. He'd been a bit crazy throughout the videos but he seemed to have just gone total power-hungry psycho.
In Paris 1943, the Germans enter Noor's house. They trash the place but can't find Ada and the Doctor hiding under the floorboards even though they fire machineguns at the floor - eventually they leave and Noor helps Ada and 13 out
"You were there!?" The Master practically growled, annoyed with how close he had been, he'd known he could sense her. The Doctor grinned smugly back at him but didn't answer – clearly, she had been, they were watching the video.
The rest of the room were nervous with how close things had been, glad the Doctor and Ada were safe.
13 realises who Noor is - a British spy called Noor Inayat Khan, she's very happy to meet her
"Sweetie, as endearing as your excitement is, maybe you shouldn't go spilling someone's life story to them, you aren't supposed to know those things and it's only going to make her more suspicious, honestly." River sighed, exasperated by her wife (as usual), said wife just pouted (though she would deny it). She been excited to meet Noor and had just started rambling.
The room ignored the Master's grumbles of, "and now she has two new little human pets", from his place across the room.
Later, Noor questions who they are and Ada I confused about how the Master could also be here
"So, many questions and the Doctor's answer will probably only leave them with more." Clara grinned fondly, that was how it usually went with their adventures. The rest of the room nodded and laughed, agreeing easily. Juts when you thought you were about to get an answer form the Doctor she would leave you with more questions.
13 explains that the Master's in league with the Kasaavin and that they'd ended up in the 20th century instead of home as planned. Ada is distracted by the war outside the window as Noor mentions it isn't the first time to Ada's shock
"Right, she doesn't know about World War I even. That's not going to be fun to explain." Bill grimaced.
The Doctor asks for their help to deal with the Master and get home, she has a plan for them (two pacifists and a 19th century descendant of Byron against Nazis in Paris and multidimensional aliens)
"That sounds like a really weird film." Yaz chuckled, gaining a few other splatters of laughter from around the room.
"Glad you have a plan, Spaceman, but stop confusing the poor girls and get on with it. Let's just hope it's a good one for once." Donna said, gaining a noise of protest from the Doctor about how all her plans were good ones, and more laughter from around the room.
Back in the present, Yaz is phoning home from a public telephone box
"No offense but I'm pretty sure phoning who I presume is your family is a bad idea when you are on the run." Rory pointed out awkwardly.
"Don't worry. The Doctor isn't the only one with a plan." Yaz grinned, Ryan and Graham had similar expressions beside her.
Sonya asks what is going on as Yaz tells her not to worry. They're being tracked. Yaz tells her to shut up and not listen to anything, and not go with anyone that shows up at the door
"Troubles found you but at least you've warned your family." Martha sighed, she'd sone exactly the same when she'd been on the run but it hadn't gone well for them, she just hoped it went better for the latest companions.
The Doctor, Mickey and Jack all offered her soft smiles, asking silently if she was alright, this video was clearly bringing up some bad memories with all the parallels. Mickey reassuringly squeezed his wife's hand in comfort, gaining a small thankful smile in return.
A car pulls up and armed men get out ordering Yaz, Ryan and Graham to get down. Graham however turns the table, using his laser shoes to attack. The men get down, as Ryan reveals the phone call was part of the plan but Yaz stops him before he can tell them anymore of the plan and they steal the car
A cheer went up around the room, happy for the current companions' victory and escape. The three were grinning proudly, happily soaking in the applause.
In Paris, The Doctor is tapping a familiar four beats on Noor's morse key
"The drums." It was a statement not a question from Jack who was watching the Doctor anxious, everything about this was reminding him about the Year and whatever secret had driven the Master mad had clearly also affected the Doctor, badly. He shared a look with Martha who was the only one who would truly understand his concern about the drums, she was wearing an equally worried expression.
"Yes, only way to get his attention. Besides, it's also a double heartbeat. Our heartbeat." The Doctor gave Jack a sad look, full of understanding and apologies which didn't calm his nerve at all.
Noor is confused as it isn't a code, but it is to the Doctor and Master. It gets his attention as he initiates contact between the two
"You're telepathic?" Graham exclaimed shocked. He thought back to every time in the room that the pair seemed to have a silent conversation with a new light – they probably had been having a whole conversation that no one else was privy too.
"Oops, did I not mention that? Sorry. Touch telepaths. Don't worry I don't make a habit of going poking around in people's heads." The Doctor grinned sheepishly but cast an apologetic look at Donna. "Besides, it's how we communicate half the time on Gallifrey. I think we spent more time in each other's heads than our own sometimes as kids." The Doctor smiled sadly, caught in memories. The companions shared a look but let the video play on without anymore questions, now wasn't the time.
The Doctor and Master talk as he taunts her with her situation. They organise a meeting
"Really hoping your plan works Doctor." Jack said, watching her next to him worriedly. He didn't like the thought of her alone with the Master, no one did.
At the top of the Eiffel Tour - the pair meet with the Doctor comparing it to Jodrell Bank which the Master refuses to apologise for
"What happened at Jodrell Bank?" River asked through her teeth, full of worry for the Doctor. Like Jack, she was especially nervous about the Doctor being alone with the Master, especially with whatever secret the pair were hiding.
The Master and the Doctor shared a look, the former almost daring the latter to explain. She sighed turning to River, her expression stoic. "Nothing important."
"Doctor-."
"River please, it doesn't matter." River looked ready to push some more but stopped on seeing the Doctor's pleading expression. She sighed, reluctantly nodding. She made a mental note to find out later, she wasn't dropping the subject completely, just for now.
The Doctor asks about his shoulder and then shares her disappointment over the company he keeps especially as he isn't the normal Aryan stereotype. The Master reveals the psychic perception filter which they learned at school
"Which you would have also learned about if you had paid any attention and didn't constantly skip class." The Master raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.
"You can't really say anything, you skipped with me half of the time too. Neither of us were exactly model students." The Doctor snapped back at the Master arms crossed.
"At least I passed first time." The Master smirked.
"Yeah. Yeah. I remember. You passed with flying colours, highest marks ever. Romana was very jealous." The Doctor huffed back, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"What are you two talking about? Who is Romana? I think you mentioned her earlier as well." Amy asked, curious. They had all been watching the bickering enemies in a mix of curiosity and finely concealed anger/worry but Amy was still the only one brave enough to ask, or more likely the only one unattached. She'd never met the Master before all this, unlike most of the room (barring Rose and Mickey – but he'd heard plenty of stories to know to be wary).
The Doctor shared an un decipherable glance with the Master before answering. She had said she'd try to answer their questions. "The Academy. School. The Master passed with the highest marks ever whereas I passed with 51% on my second attempt. I was terrible at school; really annoyed my teachers, never did my homework, constantly skipped class etc." The Doctor grinned, she had hated the Academy but there were some good memories from the time, especially looking back now, most of them were to do with her friends ad general rebellion.
"As for Romana. There was a period where I was working for Gallifrey in one of my younger incarnations and Romana was sent to make sure I completed a specific mission. She decided to stay with me and travel, see more of the universe." She chuckled to herself as she continued. "That really annoyed Brax. She became Lady President of Gallifrey before the war. I don't know what happened to her after." She frowned, what had happened to Romana? She knew Rassilon had removed her from power during the war and that she had survived but she hadn't seen her on her last visit. With Gallifrey destroyed, presumably she was dead like all the others. And what about Brax? He had definitely been exiled a one point but had he been on Gallifrey when the Master destroyed it? The Doctor refused to look at the Master, she didn't want her suspicions confirmed.
The companions glanced at each other but decided it was better not to ask. Being here, seeing these videos, they were learning more about the Doctor than most had ever before. And like normal, the answer to one question only lead to more questions.
The Doctor confirms the mess is the Master's fault - the first car, C assassination etc. The Master reveals part of the plan - how he helped the Kasaavin and Barton and suggested a better plan
"You're seriously just telling her everything?" Rose asked perplexed. Villains loved to talk about their plans, yes but the Master seemed too smart to just tell his biggest enemy everything.
The Doctor spoke before the Master could answer. "He loves to gloat about his plans. Really loves the sound of his own voice."
"Almost as much as you do, dear." The Master shot back, unwilling to admit that the Doctor had outsmarted and tricked him on this occasion (like usual).
In the hanger in the present, the fam arrive. They find Barton's dead mother but Barton isn't there - he's on a screen taunting them. They ask about the missing human DNA and he tells them he let the Kasaavin test on him before the global roll out before ending the call
"You're getting some answer as well but Barton seems too confident for it all to be over." Clara theorised, worried about the group on screen like most of the room. They hadn't gotten to spend much time just chatting with each other yet but everyone seemed nice and they were looking forward to having a proper talk, once they knew how they had got away safely.
They're shocked that he killed his mum and left her, before looking at the Silver Lady.
Back in Paris, Noor is taping out morse code as Ada watches and they talk about the Doctor and if they should trust her. 13 left her phone with them as part of the plan, confusing them both
The room turned to look at the Doctor. "Did you seriously give them a mobile phone? Please tell me you at least explained how it works, old man." Bill shook her head, fond exasperation clear in her voice. The Doctor's sheepish shrug and grin was all the answer anyone needed and they all practically sighed in sync. The Doctor was incredibly smart but sometimes she was a complete idiot.
Ada and Noor look for something on the streets, using the phone to call something.
At the Eiffel Tower, the Doctor pretend to hang up the phone as it rings, hiding her sonic behind her back
The Master started to mutter to himself, ignoring the Doctor's smug grin. How had he not noticed that? Seriously, how had he just bought that? He knew to expect trickery when it came to the Doctor, he'd gotten far too overconfident and it had caused him to fail.
The Master asks why she didn't die to the Kasaavin, as 13 explains her and Yaz are time travellers so had artron energy in them, plus her nor human DNA probably confused the aliens before she pushes on the deal he made with them
Yaz watched the screen, relived to finally have an explanation on why she survived the Kasaavin, Ryan offered a comforting smile, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She manged to give a slightly shaky one back.
The Master explains the Kasaavin and Barton are just pieces in his plan which is maximum carnage, and he plans to get rid of them when they've done the dirty work. He turns the conversation on her, asking when she last went home to he confusion
"Don't glare at me like that. I know you; you wouldn't have gone back without prompting after your last disastrous trip." The Master smirked.
"What do you even know about it?"
"Admittedly not as much as I would like. I know you went back and didn't get the best reception, I heard rumours about Rassilon and a firing squad. Then they tried to make you president again, you shot someone, then stole Clara and another TARDIS." The Master raised an eyebrow in question, he really didn't know nearly as much as he would like about her return and was secretly hoping it would be shown so he could find out the details. He hated not knowing something, especially concerning the Doctor.
"Unfortunately, I think you will find out more." The Doctor grimaced before continuing, getting angrier as she spoke. "Maybe I would have gone back again, you don't know that. Maybe I would have wanted to visit my friends or family. You also didn't have to give me false coordinates in that graveyard." The Doctor glared darkly at the Master, remembering her anger and frustration when she had discovered Missy and stopped the Cybermen only to be given fake coordinates. She was decidedly not thinking about her friends and family that were almost definitely dead now, even if they had survived the war. She had spent so long thinking them all dead and when she had finally saved them and been able to go home, she had put it off thinking she had all the time in the world. Then the Master destroyed it again and she would never know. The Master huffed at her, both knew she wouldn't have gone back for quite a while, but decided not to continue the argument.
The rest of the room watched on confused by the exchange, they also wanted to know the details of this supposed trip to Gallifrey. Clara watched on with dark eyes, she knew better than anyone (aside from the Doctor) what had happened and she was still furious and upset about it. Even if the Doctor had gotten her memories back now, she'd still forgotten and she'd still been tortured for 4.5 billion years (and Clara still didn't know as much about that as she would have liked).
MASTER: I took a trip home, to Gallifrey, hiding in its little bubble universe. Not sure how to describe what I found. Pulverised? Burned? Nuked? All of the above. Someone destroyed it. Our home, razed to the ground. Everyone killed. Everything burned.
The room watched the video, speechless and shocked by the Master's declaration. They were still hopeful that he was lying, but the pair's reactions now and in previous videos suggested he wasn't. River and Jack turned to the Doctor who was determinedly staring at the floor, and that was all the answer they needed, each moving closer s the Doctor was squished between their shoulder sot try and offer some comfort (for both her and them). It hurt everyone to think the Doctor had fought to save her home only to have it destroyed once again but they had no way to express any of their feelings and thoughts before the video continued on.
The Doctor doesn't believe him as he insists that she should have a look herself. Then they hear voices, 13 reveals she sent a fake message meant to be intercepted calling the Master a British spy. The Master is angry and grabs her buy the throat and leaning them over the railing
Jack and River both look ready to jump out of their seats again and attack him. The rest of the room looked similar, furiously glaring at the Master. She was so close to escaping but she was still in danger because of this madman. The Doctor grabbed a hand each of River and Jack's trying to calm them and stop them attacking the Master, it really wouldn't help the situation. And things were only going to get worse when they realised who had destroyed Gallifrey.
He lets her go as she continued explaining and tries to run as she jams his perception filter. She gets to the lift first and leaves him alone to face the soldiers, 13 runs through Paris
The room seemed to take a collective deep breath, now that the Master was dealt with (for now) and the Doctor had escaped yet again.
She meets up with Noor and Ada on a street, as they find the Australian outback homestead sitting suspiciously - the Master's Tardis
A thought struck the Doctor and a wicked smirk slid onto her face. She turned casually to the Master who was watching with poorly-hidden apprehension. "Did you break the Chameleon Circuit?"
The Master huffed. "I have no idea what you are talking about, I happen to like it like that."
The Doctor's smirk had changed into a full out grin. "You absolutely broke it you idiot." The Master decided not to provide an answer and turned back to the screen. That was all the confirmation the Doctor needed, she cackled. So many years of him mocking her for having broken it (not that she couldn't fix it, but she liked the police box and so did the TARDIS) and he had broken his. Karma at its finest.
She breaks in and explains that is is a time machine. She promises to explain in a moment, stating she knows she sounds insane
"At least you admit it." Amy teased.
She sonics the console and it lights up, showing them the temporal map as Ada and Noor are still very confused
Bill and Yaz just said "Mood" in sync, drawing confused looks from the rest of the room, bar Ryan, who just nodded in agreement with the pair. The three didn't explain, ignoring the questioning looks they were being given.
They don't know what a computer is. 13 tries to work out the last pieces of the puzzle with the kasaavin - figuring out they were testing human DNA as Noor and Ada listen on still confused
"You are amazing at confusing people, honestly Doctor." Rose laughed, alongside most of the room at how confused she was making the pair.
Back in the present, Barton makes a speech taking control of everyone because of their devices. He sends a message to everyone's phones saying humanity is over and to prepare. He explains it isn't a joke and that the Kasaavin are going to use Humans and their DNA as storage systems
The room watched on worried, they knew Barton and the Kasaavin had been stopped, or they wouldn't be here but it was still scary to watch. Bill shivered slightly, "Yeah definitely going to be more careful on my phone now. That's just creepy." Several others nodded in agreement.
The Silver Lady lights up in the hanger, energy leaps out as the fam watch on concerned. People are revealed to be frozen by the energy coming from their phones. Barton continues talking about how a few will remain sentient to supervise but everyone else will die. Graham tries to use his shoes on the Silver Lady then the cufflinks but neither work
"At least you tried something." Martha offered, things were getting tense and their attempts to stop it clearly weren't working but at least they had tried. The three smiled, grateful for the acknowledgment and comfort.
The Master appears at the hanger in disarray and furious, stating he's had the most infuriating seventy years of his life and he'd had to escape a lot of places but is excited to see them pay
The room turned to look at the Master who glared at them annoyed, before looking at the Doctor. Several of them opened their mouths to speak, but she beat them too it. "Before you say anything, I know. But he was limited in what he could do, he had to stay where he was until he got back to the right time and the end of the 20th century/start of the 21st has many versions of us both there so he didn't have much he could do. He wasn't a danger." The group seemed to take that as an explanation mostly, with only a few more worried glances from people like Martha, Jack and Clara who had seen the full extent of the Master's schemes and personality.
The Master explains the machine is for conversion and transmission of the Kasaavin energy across the world, erasing people's DNA. Energy grabs Yaz freezing her and the Master is excited but the Silver Lady suddenly stops spinning to the Master's frustration
The room cheered again, half happy because clearly the plan had been stopped and half happy about the Master's utter annoyance about his plan being ruined by the Doctor yet again. The Master muttered away furiously to himself in the corner, shooting glares at the Doctor who just grinned back smugly then ignored him in favour of her companions (like usual – to his fury).
In the auditorium with Barton, the power goes off and Barton rapidly leaves the stage asking for extraction. Back in the hanger 13 arrives with Ada and Noor explaining it was her and that it had been close
The cheers started up again, everyone ignoring Nardole's mutter about 'unnecessary drama'.
At the Khan house - Yaz's family is freed and her dad is more convinced about his conspiracies
Yaz just groaned. "He was insufferable after this. Everything is a conspiracy now."
At the hanger the Master is annoyed as the Doctor explains how she traced the Silver Lady through time and put in a fail safe last year to detect the Kasaavin army and then shut it down accordingly
"Nice to see you've still got it Doctor." Rose grinned happily at the Doctor who just grinned back, before frowning slightly, eyebrows crinkling as she tried to work out if she had just been insulted or not.
The Kasaavin appear as the Master tells 13 she'll have to explain herself. 13 turns it back on him replaying his earlier words about using and then betraying them; smugly making a comment and modern technology and being spied upon.
"Ooh, burn." Bill grinned, happy to see the Master defeated especially by such a simple trick. She ignored the Master's glare; he was definitely still scary but she felt safer here surrounded by friends and protected by the Tardis.
The Master tries in vain to deny it but the Kasaavin envelop him, taking him to their alien realm as he curses the Doctor
He glared at her; arms crossed. He had been furious with her for letting the Kasaavin take him, especially after trapping him on Earth for 77 years. She simply smirked, smugness radiating off of her.
"Just like the old days. You always seemed to get abandoned or betrayed by your so-called allies." She declared, with a smug tilt of her head.
"And just like the old days, it's your fault." The Master shot back snappishly, it had taken him far too long to escape the Kasaavin and it had not been enjoyable.
"No, they just find out that you were using them or were planning to betray you all along. I just tend to accelerate the end result." The Doctor shrugged, failing to hide her smug smile. "I also remember having to save you from your own 'allies' several times or from the trouble you summoned and then couldn't control, remember Kronos?"
"You will never let me forget that." The Master grumbled, it had definitely come up in several of their arguments and discussions over the years.
"Nope." The Doctor declared enthusiastically, always wanting the last word. The rest of the room watched on mostly perplexed barring a few with faint ideas wither from the Doctor's stories or UNIT's files.
In the hanger, the fam turn on the Doctor for an explanation for what is going on and who Ada and Noor are. 13 introduces them and then Ryan asks about the plane - the Doctor had forgotten the plane and runs off to sort it
"I can't believe you forgot about the plane!" Yaz shouted, exasperated. She was teasing slightly but still how could she forget? The rest of the companions seemed to be in agreement with Yaz, shooting the Doctor disbelieving looks.
"Honestly, Martian." Donna added loudly.
"Well, I'm sorry I was a bit busy getting chased through time as you saw." The Doctor protested which did nothing to help her defence as the rest of the companions just sighed or rolled their eyes at her.
Back in the Master's Tardis, 13 makes the plaques and message used to save the fam in the plane. She particularly enjoys the laminator. They put them in the plane as it is being built and then goes to get her own Tardis
"Loving your priorities as usual Doctor." Clara rolled her eyes at the Doctor who grinned a bit sheepish.
Back in Paris, she returns Noor to her own time and removes this from her memory
The Doctor snuck a glance at Donna who had flinched slightly at seeing the Doctor wipe Noor's memories, she offered an apologetic frown at the ginger woman who nodded in acceptance. They seriously had to talk soon.
Then back in the 19th century at Babbage's house, Ada argues against her memory being erased but the Doctor still takes it saying she doesn't need the preview to be amazing before leaving
The Doctor winced as Donna had flinched harder that time, she hated wiping people's memories, especially after Donna and Clara, but Ada couldn't know about the future, it would have messed with history too much – even by her standards.
The Doctor is in the Tardis as the Master's words about going home come bck to her. She returns to Gallifrey to find it as he said - destroyed. She doesn't step outside. Travelling again, her phone beeps as a hologram appears with a picture of the Master
The room watched the screen appalled, it was one thing to hear it but to see it was something else.
"I'm so sorry Doctor. To have just got it back and then lose it again. That's horrible." Clara said, she may not exactly like the Time Lords but it was still the Doctor's home (or so she was aware). The Doctor just grimaced, eyes locked to the sight of her supposed home in ruins, her thoughts spiralling down darker. She was brought back to reality by Yaz.
"Doctor ..." Yaz wasn't sure what she was trying to say. Sorry for all their comments? Apologies for her loss? Ask for an explanation for why she hadn't told them? The Doctor seemed to understand though and just smiled sadly, nodding at her.
MASTER [hologram]: Geo-activated. If you're seeing this, you've been to Gallifrey. When I said someone did that, obviously I meant I did. I had to make them pay for what I discovered. They lied to us, the founding fathers of Gallifrey. Everything we were told was a lie. We are not who we think, you or I. The whole existence of our species built on the lie of the Timeless Child.
The Doctor gets a headaches with images flashing as voices repeat the Timeless Child
"Wait, Doc. Didn't those rag things on Desolation say something about that to you?" Graham asked. The Doctor nodded grimly. The Master smirked at her but it wavered too much for it to have its normal effect. They had both been burnt by what he had discovered and soon others would know about it too.
Surprisingly it wasn't Jack or River that snapped first it was Martha. Martha shot up to her feet, eyes dark and fists clenched tightly. "You! How could you?! Was it not bad enough destroying Earth and torturing the Doctor for a year but now you destroy your own people! Your own home!"
"Oh, Saint Martha you know nothing. Even you would take offense to the truth. You'll all hate them as much as I do when you discover the truth about what they did to your precious Doctor." The Master's smirk was back in full force, teeth obvious in a shark grin. Then a pillow hit him smack in the face, ruining the tense atmosphere he'd created and causing him to glare sharply at the culprit – a furious Doctor.
"Leave Martha alone. What Gallifrey did was horrible but they didn't all deserve to suffer for it. The majority of them were innocent." She glared at him, only looking away to check on Martha who was being calmed by her husband and Donna, but still glaring at the Master, as was most of the room.
The Master scoffed. "You know full well none of them were innocent." They glared at each other, neither wanting to give in. The Doctor looked away first, deciding the argument wasn't worthwhile at the minute; the video wasn't over and she wasn't sure what she could say to defend them without bringing up too many old memories.
Plus, she had to stop River and Jack from doing anything stupid, the rest of the room had more self-control. Both other time traveller's hands were white with how hard they were clenching their hands into fists and both were watching the Doctor intensely.
"What does he mean Doctor? What did they do to you?" Jack managed to grit out between locked teeth, expression furious, River's matching on her other side. Their former comforting presence was starting to feel suffocating.
"I can't tell you Jack, I'm sorry. You'll find out soon though. You all will." The Doctor sighed.
"Doctor-." River started, equally furious and worried.
The Doctor just smiled sadly. "Spoilers, sweetie."
The Master continues his message, refusing to say more as it wasn't easy on him so why should it be easy for the Doctor. Later, she picks up Yaz, Ryan and Graham who comment on how quiet she'd been over the last few planets
"We're so sorry Doc. We were a bit pushy and harsh with you and you were grieving your home. We were poking our noses where they didn't belong and far too soon after all the trouble." Graham apologised, the other two nodding along apologetically.
"No, it's not your fault Graham. I didn't tell you what happened or much about me. I just figured if I kept you at a distance you would be safer. I'm sorry too." The Doctor sighed, smiling sadly as she explained to the three. They offered back their own sad smiles. They understood more about her mood over the time now and they were thinking back on all their comments with a wince. There had been several rough moments leading up to the mess with the Cybermen and this just put them all in a new light.
They push asking why she doesn't ever share stuff, she knows everything about her but they know very little about her. They wnat to know who she really is
"She never really shares much about herself. You either have to corner her or you pick stuff up during adventures." Clara frowned, trying to explain a bit more to the current companions even though she still wanted to learn more about the Doctor. You couldn't push her or you would lose any ground and trust you had.
"I'm old. Many of my memories are too laced with grief and they hurt. Plus, I have lived a long life, it would take a long time to explain even a hundredth of the things I have done and seen and lost. I decided a long time ago that none of you needed to be burdened with all that." The Doctor tried to explain, eyes dark and swirling with age old grief.
"We get that Doctor but we're your family and you don't have to hide everything from us." Donna smiled softly, for once quiet and soft, as if talking to a scared child. The Doctor smiled sadly at her, stars she loved them all but it didn't make everything stop hurting.
DOCTOR: I was born on a planet called Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm a Time Lord. I can regenerate my body. I stole this Tardis and I ran away. I've been travelling ever since. The Master was one of my oldest friends. We went very different ways. Questions?
GRAHAM: Loads.
YASMIN: Can we visit your home?
DOCTOR: Another time.
"Sorry Doctor." Yaz winced, she had forgotten about her question. Now the Doctor's reaction made perfect sense.
"Like I said Yaz, no worries. You didn't know because I didn't tell you." The Doctor shrugged. "So, next video?" She received a round of nods from the room after the companions shared a glance. They knew pushing the Doctor wouldn't get them anymore answers and she was too caught up in her own thoughts to really say anything more. It was better to push on and hope the videos gave them more answers, hope the videos would show them this secret that had hurt the Doctor, that had made the Tardis bring them here. The secret that the Master had burned Gallifrey to ashes for.