Part 2: The Talk

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The Doctor and Jessica were looking at each other while slightly confused: clearly, this was some sort of monster. How could something like that be seen as a protector and not something that could potentially kill everyone in the city? And how come the Rani was telling the truth?

The Doctor looked at the Rani again. "What is this replica of an infamous monster meant to protect this city from?" she asked concerningly.

"Allsorts." the Rani replied, "Enemy ships, aquatic alien invaders, a sixth of a god, a-"

"Which sixth?"

"The Black Guardian."

Jessica and the Doctor were surprised. "How the hell is that thing supposed to stop the literal apocalypse from occurring?" Jessica replied.

"A few bits of genetic manipulation here and there to make sure that he can be easily repelled. He may be immortal, but the same can't be said of his physical body. Now," The Rani clapped her hands together. "Let's get a pint."

The trio got back to the Doctor's TARDIS, with the Rani going inside it for the second time in her life. The first time was when she stood over the Doctor's body before he regenerated into his seventh incarnation. Now it was the Doctor's eighteenth incarnation and the TARDIS looked radically different. The Doctor took off her satchel, shawl, and sweater, all before putting on her hair clip to make a ponytail. "Right." the Doctor said, "Back to the Wheatsheaf."

"Before we do, I heard that Ibn Khaldun's family got out of being on a shipwreck." the Rani replied, "Did you do that?"

"Yup. Had to fight off Sea Devils and Myrkai to do so, but I did it." The Doctor took a look at the wide-brimmed fedora the Rani was wearing. "Nice hat."

"Oh. Thank you. I wanted to blend in with the crowd and thought my sciencewear was too conspicuous, hence my attire. I like this hat, even if its image was ruined by smug internet dwellers."

"Yeah. Now we drink."

The Doctor, the Rani, and Jessica all got back to the Wheatsheaf, where the Doctor gave her two guests a pint of mead. They both were happy with it. "Where did you get this?" the Rani asked.

"Homebrewed and delivered from my TARDIS." the Doctor replied, "Added trumpberries that I grew myself for that extra bit of sweetness."

"Trumpberries?" Jessica asked.

"Berries from my home planet. We used them to make wine. However, they're now extinct, alongside all other Gallifreyan life." The Doctor clenched her fist. "I blame nobody but myself."

"Surely you are not responsible for wiping out all life on the planet?"

The Doctor looked back at Jessica and the Rani and leaned on the bar. "I was just told that I was the unwilling genetic template for an entire species, and wanted to end the conflict between me and the Master one and for all. I held the Death Particle in my hand and was ready to press it, but I was a coward. Another Gallifreyan took my place and he was the one who activated it, but I was the one who gave it to him. I'm responsible. Nobody else was."

The Rani put down her glass. "Anything I can do?"

The Doctor sighed. "Not really. All life, flora and fauna, is gone on the planet. Unless you can make something that can terraform it."

"As a matter of fact, I can. I will have to be back at my TARDIS, however." The Rani put a ten-pound note on the bar. "My tab. Goodbye."

The Doctor took the glass as the Rani left. "Bye." The Doctor washed the glass and looked back at Jessica. "I don't get it. That's a monster outside, but it doesn't want to harm anyone. The Rani was here, but she didn't want me dead. There should be something wrong happening, but apparently not." The Doctor slammed her fist on the bar. "It's annoying me."

"Well, I'm sure something will go wrong soon, but for now, let's take it easy and rela-" It was then that Jessica heard helicopters outside. "What's that sound?"

The Doctor sighed again. "UNIT. Friends from London. They're going to think this creature is a problem." She put the clean glass down. "I'll sort it out."

The Doctor and Jessica walked towards a group of soldiers, who were with two women, one standing and one in a wheelchair. The Doctor went up to the standing one, who looked towards the Doctor. "Excuse me," she said, "you can't be here. We've got this sorted."

"Oh no, there's nothing to sort out, Kate. It's harmless."

"A giant serpent is jutting out of a river and you think that's harmless? Also, how'd you-"

"Know you name? Well, I'm well-acquainted with you, although the last time you saw me, I was a man with black skin, which you first saw after the Toymaker made me bi-generate."

The woman in the wheelchair turned around towards the Doctor. "Doctor, is that you?" she said.

"Yup." The Doctor went and hugged the wheelchair-bound woman. "Nice to meet you again, Shirley."

Kate remembered about the Doctor regenerating and bi-generating. "Oh, thank God you're here! Wait, why do you think that thing is harmless?"

"Because an old academy mate of mine made it to protect the city. Don't worry, I'm confused too. Oh, by the way," The Doctor brought Jessica to Kate and Shirley. "Jessica, these are Chief Scientific Officer Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Scientific Advisor Shirley Anne Bingham, both from UNIT." The Doctor turned to Kate and Shirley. "Kate, Shirley, this is Jessica Burgess, my companion and either at the Sunderland Software Centre."

"Nice to meet you both." Jessica said before shaking the hands of both Kate and Shirley, "What brings you here, apart from the... You know..."

"Well, there were reports of a dragon off the coast of Sunderland, but it turns out it's not this creature."

The Doctor was concerned. "What was the description of that dragon?"

"Like a blue plesiosaur with wings and covered in seaweed."

"Impossible. I stopped him two centuries ago!"

"Wait, you don't think that he's free?"

Kate became more worried. "Who's free?"

The Doctor could reply with one word: "Tantalos."

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