"All Hallows Street," The Doctor looked around at the buildings which looked somewhat like the others.
"What question is, which house?" Rita sighed looking at every detail of the buildings, anything to tell her what house was the woman.
"The thing is, though am I missing something here?" Martha asked. "The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me. I'm living proof." She gestured to herself.
"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux?" The Doctor looked at her.
"Back to the Future." Rita grinned in thought. "It's exactly like back to the future, except with witches, sort of."
"The film?"
"No, the novelisation." The Doctor sarcastically replied to Martha earning a whack on the back of the head from Rita.
"Yes, Martha, the film," she replied narrowing her eyes at the Doctor who grumbled at her rubbing the back of his head. "Marty McFly goes back and changes history."
"And he starts fading away." Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God, am I going to fade?"
"You and the entire future of the human race. It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?" The Doctor continued to look around. A door then creaked open and they all stared at it.
"Well then"
"Ah. Make that witch house." The Doctor grinned smugly at Rita who shook her head.
"Bit creepy" She muttered glancing at the dark, dim room inside.
"Well, it is a witches house." The Doctor replied quietly then walked in front and moved a cloth in the way of where I door should have been.
"I take it we're expected." He said to the woman who Rita had seen before standing inside
"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time." She said quietly.
"Right then, it's my turn." Martha stepped forward and Rita frowned a little confused by what she was doing. "I know how to do this. I name thee Carrionite!" She pointed at it, the witch faked a gasp and Rita shook her head. "What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?"
"Oh, Martha" She shook her head.
"The power of a name works only once. Observe." The witch pointed at Martha. "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones." Rita ran to Martha's side as she fell backwards, she and the Doctor caught Martha's body before she fell to the floor.
"What have you done?!" The Doctor shouted gritting his teeth in anger.
"Only sleeping, alas. It's curious. The name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time." The witch muttered to herself. "And as for you, Sir Doctor, Lady Stone." She pointed at the Doctor then Rita. "Fascinating. There are no names. "Why would a man hide his title in such despair? And a Lady do exactly the same?" She looked at them both for a moment then started smiling. "Oh, but look. There's still one word with the power that aches."
"The naming won't work on us." The Doctor stated.
"But your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distant Rose." Rita stood up gritting her teeth wanting to lunge at the witch.
"Oh, you just made a very, VERY big mistake there!" She loudly told the witch stepping forward. "Want to know why?" She asked and the Doctor then stepped forward standing beside the Time Lady.
"Because that name keeps us fighting." He stepped closer to the Carrionite looking down at her angrily. "The Carrionites vanished. Where did you go?"
She moved away walking up a few steps. "The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness."
"And how did you escape?" Rita asked.
"New words. New and glittering, from a mind like no other." She replied smiling.
"Shakespeare. " The Doctor answered.
The Carrionite looked at cauldron holding a liquid and an image of Shakespeare appeared looking broken and hurt. "His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."
"How many of you?"
"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world, we will lead the universe back into the old ways of blood and magic." She explained.
"Hmm. Busy schedule." He walked forward scratching his ear. "But first you've got to get past me." He stood face to face with the Carrionite.
"Oh, that should be a pleasure," She said in almost a whisper and started to stroke the side of his face. "Considering my enemy has such a handsome shape."
"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not going to work on me." The Doctor replied flatly.
"Oh, we'll see." She reached up for his hair and Rita could see what was going on. She opened her mouth to warn him but was then too late and the Carrionite pulled some of the Doctor's hair out. He moved away and reached up to his hair where he felt the tug.
"What did you do?"
She smirked and backed away towards the window showing the hair between her fingers. "Souvenir."
"Well, give it back." The Doctor lunged forwards and the Carrionite forced the windows open and flew out.
"Okay someone's cheating" Rita groaned moving forward and standing beside the Doctor.
"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets. " She then wrapped the hair around a wooden doll's neck, Rita saw in the corner of her eye that Martha was waking up and was thankful that knowing what the Carrionite was most likely about to do.
"Now, you might call that magic. I'd call that a DNA replication module." The Doctor pointed at her.
"What use is your science now?" She laughed then stabbed the Doll and flew away, the Doctor screamed out in pain. Rita grabbed him trying to stop him from falling to the floor but was pulled down as well and groaned as she hit the wooden floor.
Martha then jumped up and ran to Rita's side. "Oh my God, Doctor. Don't worry, we've got you" She looked at Rita who looked way too calm then frowned before widening her eyes. "Hold on, mister. Two hearts?"
"You're making a habit of this." He went to stand up only to grip on to Rita and Martha's arms while crying out in pain. "I've only got one heart working." He cried out. "How do you people cope?" He looked at Martha. "I've got to get the other one started."
"Martha hit his chest, I'll keep hold of him." The Stone reassured the Doctor moved his arm quickly from gripping hold on Martha's arm to Rita's other.
"Hit me! Hit me on the chest!" The Doctor shouted in pain. Martha did so and he cried out again as Rita winced knowing Martha just hit the wrong side. "Other side." He winced and she gave an apologetic look before hitting now the correct side. "Now hit his back, sorry Doctor" Rita apologised as he hunched over a little and Martha brought her hands together hitting the middle of his back.
"Left a bit." He groaned and Martha did it again. He straightened his back causing it to crack. "Dah, lovely. There we go." He grinned at them both letting go of the brunette. "Badda boom-ba! Well, what are you standing there for?" He looked at them. "Come one! The Globe!" He grabbed Rita's hand and ran off with Martha behind heading to The Globe.
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They ran out heading down the street and Martha shouted to them both from behind: "We're going the wrong way!"
"No, we're not!" They both shouted back to her. Rita then winced knowing that they were and skidded to a stop causing the Doctor to as well and shouted: "We're going the wrong way!" Before spinning around and going in the correct direction past Martha who then turned as well.
They continued to run and then stopped at the street with the globe at the other end a large red glow and clouds above it spinning like a tornado. "Well that can't be good" Rita muttered staring up at it.
"I told thee so! I told thee!" A preacher shouted to them.
"Stage door!" The Doctor shouted running off and pulling Rita with him.
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"Stop the play. I think that was it. Yeah, I said, stop the play!" The Doctor shouted as they ran in backstage finding Shakespeare oblivious holding his head in pain.
"I hit my head." He moaned.
"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." There was a scream and the Doctor took hold of Rita's hand again. "I think that's our cue!" They ran out the doors standing on the main stage
"The Doctor." The Carrionite gasped "He lives." She then shouted to him. "Then watch this world become a blasted heath!" She quoted from Macbeth. "They come. They come!"
The Carrionite in the centre who looked very much human held a crystal ball into the red light, creatures looking like bats then flew into the theatre in the circle and flew up into the sky.
"Come on, Will! History needs you!" The Doctor shouted at him through the harsh wind.
"But what can I do?" He asked.
"You reverse it!" Rita shouted standing beside the Doctor.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it."
"But what words? I have none ready!" He told them holding his hand out in front of his face trying to stop the wind hitting him.
"You're William Shakespeare!" The Doctor and Rita both told him. "Shakespeare all those amazing plays, all those words you make the lines up, you can do it!" Rita told him.
"But these Carrionite phrases, the need such precision."
"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they, like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm. Words that last forever. That's what you do, Will. You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise." The Doctor lightly hit his back and stood back with Rita allowing Shakespeare to say the right words.
"Close up this din of hateful, dire decay, decomposition of your witches' plot. You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!" He shouted into the air standing centre stage. "Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show! Between the points..." he looked over at the Doctor and Rita.
"Seven six one three nine oh!" They both said together.
Shakespeare nodded and repeated their words. "Seven six one three nine oh! Banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee-" He stopped and looked at the Doctor and Rita did the same. Martha then shouted waving her hand in the air. "Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!" The Doctor cheered and Rita laughed.
"Expelliarmus!" Shakespeare repeated and the Carrionites began to scream.
"Good old JK!"
"And you cannot have that!" Rita shouted pointing at Shakespeare. As the Carrionites were sucked into a tornado. The doors behind the four burst open and pages upon pages of Love's Labour Won flew out and into the tornado.
"Love's Labours Won. There it goes." The Doctor told them watching the pages fly into the sky which then gave off a loud crash, bang and flash of light. A few moments after the audience began to clap.
"The crystal" Rita looked at the Doctor who nodded, they both ran backstage and headed up to the empty box. Kneeling beside it. They saw the three Carrionites were scratching to get to them. "Souvenir for the TARDIS?" Rita asked not looking away from the crystal.
"I think so" He hummed. "Was your theories anything like that?"
"Not at all" She laughed. "Had fewer references to other plays and books. I will never look at Macbeth the same again" She joked.
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"Good props store back there." The Doctor and Rita emerged from backstage nodding as the Doctor held an animal skull in his right and wore a ruff neck. "I'm not sure about this though. Reminds me of a Sycorax."
"Really wish I had witnessed that sword fight" Rita sighed.
"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well." Shakespeare moved away from Martha.
"I should be on ten percent. How's your head?" The Doctor asked.
"Still aching."
"Since it doesn't suit the Doctor at all take this" Rita then moved and took the Ruff neck off of the Doctor and handed it to Martha to put on Shakespeare.
"Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better, although you might want to keep it. Unlike me, it suits you" The Doctor told Shakespeare nodding a little.
"What about the play?" Martha asked.
"Gone. We looked all over. Every single copy of Love's Labours Won went up in the sky." The Doctor and Rita sighed a little.
"My lost masterpiece."
"At least you will always know what happened, I know some people won't. Not everyone believes in magic" Rita looked over to Martha who shook her head at the brunette.
"You could write it up again." She suggested.
"Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words." The Doctor warned.
"Maybe it should best stay forgotten," Rita added.
"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons, in memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet." Shakespeare told them.
Martha blinked at the name. "Hamnet?"
"That's him."
She then repeated again. "Hamnet?"
"What's wrong with that?" Shakespeare asked frowning at her.
"Anyway" The Doctor interrupted before Martha could answer. "Time we were off. I got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot can scream for all eternity" He picked up the crystal ball and showed them the Carrionites scratching. "And We've got to take Martha back to Freedonia."
"You mean travel on through time and space." The Doctor and Rita blinked for a moment.
"You what?" He looked at Shakespeare.
"You and the Stone are from another world like the Carrionites, and Martha is from the future. It's not hard to work out."
Rita and the Doctor then looked at each other again and lightly chuckled. "I always thought he was a genius but this is taking it a little too far" Rita breathed.
"That's incredible. You are incredible."
"We're alike in many ways, Doctor, Stone." He looked at them and they lightly smiled. He then turned to Martha and took her hand. "Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady." The Doctor and Rita both pursed their lips not sure what to say at this moment. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate." he went to kiss her hand but was interrupted by two of the actors from yesterday bursting into the globe shouting for Shakespeare.
"Will, you'll never believe it. She's here! She's turned up!" One of them shouted to him.
"We're the talk of the town. She heard about last night. She wants us to perform it again." The other one beamed.
"Who?"
"Her Majesty. She's here." A trumpet sounded and the woman herself walked in with two pikemen either side.
"Queen Elizabeth the First!" The Doctor smiled widely.
She looked at him for a moment. "Doctor! Stone!" She said angrily.
"What?"
"My sworn enemies!" She gasped.
"What?" He repeated confused.
"Off with their heads!" The Queen screamed.
"Oh, what have you done now" Rita groaned taking his hand.
"Me?" He squeaked. "What about you!"
"Off with their heads!" The Queen shouted again.
"What?" He stayed in place and she groaned again trying to get him to move before his head was removed from his body followed by her own.
"Never mind what, just run!" Martha shoved him and he snapped out of it. "See you, Will, and thanks," Martha shouted over her shoulder as they ran.
"Stop that pernicious Doctor!" The Queen shrieked and the pikemen started to chase the Doctor, Rita and Martha into the streets.
"Stop in the name of the Queen!" A pikeman shouted chasing them.
"What have you done to upset her?" Martha asked running behind them.
"He doesn't know, whatever it is it must be bad" Rita replied continuing to run.
"Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel for you. Still, can't wait to find out." The Doctor laughed and opened the TARDIS. Rita ran in and started to press buttons on the console as well as turning dials and pulling levers.
"That's something to look forward to. Ooo!" He looked back and ducked inside just as an arrow embedded itself in the door.
"And off we go again" Rita sighed pulling the final lever and watching the rotor start to move.