Genesis Of The Doctor - A Doctor Who Story

32 - Consequences

All over the city of London people suddenly found themselves holding makeshift weapons, grappling strangers or driving vehicles that they had no recollection of entering.  Their city was burning and in chaos.  Where minutes before mobs were attempting to kill, now these same people were starting to cooperate and to help one another.  Similar scenes were starting to occur around the world, spreading out in waves.

In a C19 bunker in Whitehall Mortimer Frisk looked around himself in bewilderment and horror.  "What the hell's happening?" he asked the woman next to him, neither person appreciating that she had been his former chief aide.

As he grasped her arm the woman pushed him away shouting, "Get off me you disgusting little man!"

-----

Smith and Clive were again hurtling around the staircases of ElizabethTower but this time heading rapidly down.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Smith asked Clive.

"I'll be fine, it's just a graze.  What's the point in this though?  I'm really sorry mate but she's gone.  She can't have survived that fall - it's got to be three hundred feet at least."

"I know, nobody could survive that, even one of us, but she'll last a bit longer than a human.  She's got to, I'm counting on it."

"Wasn't there another way to get rid of them without killing your friend?  We could have imprisoned her, found a way to purge them perhaps."

"No, with every moment they were getting further entrenched, bedding in. We would never be rid of them.  With her death they've no reason to stay, they'll jump like rats leaving a sinking ship.  They'll leave her and hopefully they'll leave this Earth."

At the bottom of the tower the two men rushed out of the doorway and over to Milly's broken body, lying twisted on the ground.  Her grey eyes were open and she appeared to be conscious.  From her open mouth emanated a swirling red smoke that seemed to be glowing from within as it spiralled up into the heavens.  The Myriad were leaving.

As the last of the smoke dissipated, the pair reached her.  Milly turned her head slightly as they approached.  "Here we are then," she croaked.

Smith dropped down beside her, certain now that it really was his life-long friend that he was talking to.  "I'm so sorry Milly," he said desperately.  "This doesn't have to be the end.  I can save you."

Clive looked over and shook his head.  Smith took the white wand-like device from his pocket that the one called 'the Master' had given him earlier.  He pushed its ends together as he had been instructed.  It produced a snapping sound.  "A friend gave me this," explained Smith.  "I've got to hope it will summon help."

Seconds passed and both Clive and Smith could see that Milly was fading fast.  There came the faintest of sounds, just on the edge of Smith's hearing and gradually increasing in volume; a strange cracking, creaking sound.  If he had ever had the chance to hear such a thing he would have likened it to the sound of tearing diamond.

The sound was accompanied by a shimmering of the air in front of them and then from within the shimmer appeared three oddly dressed, serious-looking people.

"You are in a lot of trouble," accused the Corsair, the nearest Time Lord of the group staring angrily at Smith.  Her time ring still glowed with residual energy on her finger.  Her two companions quickly started to attend to Milly who was now making a hacking, choking sound and was in some distress.

Smith looked worriedly at Milly while he addressed the Corsair, "I know, I know.  I'll face it, but it's not important now.  I need you to take us back.  If she can take the Rebirth maybe we can save her but we have to act fast."

"She's far too old for that," replied the other female member of the Time Extraction Team.  "It would be dangerous and even if it did work there would be consequences:  She could never regenerate cleanly, she would be unstable, she could never travel in time comfortably without using a capsule.  Is it worth it?  What use could she be as a Time Lord?"

"She will die otherwise!" shouted Smith.

The Corsair spoke into a communicator on her wrist, "We have them.  Prep Medvac Three for incoming.  One potential Rebirth, immediate."

"Make that two.  I made a promise.  I promised I'd do it too," said Smith.  "I... I promised," he added uncertainly.

"Rebirths are not commodities!" exploded the Corsair.  "Taking the Rebirth is the biggest decision that you are ever going to make.  It's a great honour."

Throughout this interchange the Time Lords' time rings had been translating the Gallifreyan words for Clive but he had held back from the conversation.  Now, with a sense of urgency he asked, "Do we have time to debate this?  Whatever this is?  She's dying."

The Corsair replied but did not directly address Clive, "We have a few moments while the time rings cycle."  She pointed at the white wand-like device Smith was holding.  "What is that?" she asked.

"I summoned you with it.  I suppose it sends a time signal of some kind."

The third Time Lord spoke up, rising to his feet from where he had been helping to treat Milly, "No, we received no message.  We certainly detected some anomalous neologisms and a smattering of anachronistic technology but the real clue to your presence here was your wilful rewriting of an important fixed point in the Web of Time."

"What fixed point?  What do you mean?" asked Smith, thrusting the puzzling white wand back into his pocket for safe keeping.

The Time Lord replied, "If you had taken the time to study this species before blundering into their timeline feet first, you would have been aware that today is the exact day that they cease to exist and that the Myriad take their place.  Thanks to your interference this no longer happens, the time line is polluted, disjointed, in error.  You have ripped pages from established history."

There was a soft chiming sound indicating that the time rings had completed their power cycle.  The Corsair turned to face Smith, "Say 'bye bye' to your little friend and let's get going."

Smith turned to Clive, "I'm sorry to leave like this. You've been brilliant Clive.  You are brilliant."

"I'd like to say that it's been a pleasure..." started Clive but suddenly he was alone; the five aliens had vanished.  "I'll see you again, you crazy man.  I know I will."